Why has Australia been taking part in Eurovision since 2015? We tell you all about this surprising tradition!
Australia's participation in Eurovision has become a surprising tradition since its introduction in 2015. And regularly, we hear, here and there: "maisss pourquoiii Australia participates in Eurovision, C'EST PAAS ENN EUROOOPEUU!!!" - Thanks to capt'ain obvious, this country is a long way from home. So what is this country, so far away from Europe, doing in a competition that is supposed to be European? It's an interesting story that shows just how far music goes beyond geographical borders.
Which countries can compete in Eurovision?
First of all, you need to know that only member countries of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) can take part in the competition. And its members include almost (all?) the European broadcasters (BBC for the UK, France Télévisions for France, etc.), as well as a few non-European broadcasters such as Azerbaijan and Israel. However, Australia is not a member of the EBU, so why are they there every year?
It all began in 1983. One of the public television channels, SBS, decided to broadcast the Eurovision Song Contest while it was taking place in Munich. It was a delayed broadcast from the BBC because of the time difference, but it soon developed into a real tradition for many families and groups of friends across the country.
In 2001, Australia sent commentators from national television to cover the event in Copenhagen. And in 2014, Australian singer Jessica Mauboy even had the honour of performing during the interval. SBS even organises its own televote (which does not count towards the official competition, of course).
2015, when Australia pulls out all the stops for Eurovision
The real turning point came in 2015, at the 60th edition of the competition. The EBU decided to officially invite Australia to take part in the final. The Australians were to broadcast the three evenings of the competition live, despite a significant time difference. And... it worked! " Tonight Again "Guy Sebastian placed 5th with 196 points. Enough to make many official EBU Members jealous. The audience was very good and made the broadcaster want to continue the experiment!
Since then, Australia has become a regular participant in Eurovision, although it now has to go through the semi-finals to qualify. This involvement was made possible by a special invitation from the EBU, although Australian broadcaster SBS is not an official member of the EBU.
Australia, a serious contender on the Eurovision stage
Australia is not doing things by halves, to say the least. Although the country has yet to win, it is regularly at the top of the scoreboard. It came close in 2016 with Dami Im's "Sound of Silence", which scored 511 points to come second, just behind Ukrainian contestant Jamala. This track is also one of the songs whose studio version is so bland that the live performance was such a success. Judge for yourself.
Australia is also to thank for a particularly successful and unique staging in 2019 with "Gravity". Kate Miller-Heidke sings, perched 3 metres high on a swinging bar.
We also really liked the band Voyager en 2023, with their very 80s track 'Promise'.
We're keeping our fingers crossed that Australia's Eurovision adventure will continue to dazzle us with its unique musical performances and infectious spirit of celebration.
Australia at Eurovision
Australia
Win(s)
Last win
Entries
| Year | Artist | Song | Points | Ranking |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Milkshake Man | - | - | |
| 2024 | One Milkali (One Blood) | - | - | |
| 2023 | Promise | 151 | 9 | |
| 2022 | Not The Same | 125 | 15 | |
| 2021 | Technicolour | - | - | |
| (2020) | Don't Break Me | - | - | |
| 2019 | Zero Gravity | 284 | 9 | |
| 2018 | We Got Love | 99 | 20 | |
| 2017 | Don't Come Easy | 173 | 9 | |
| 2017 | Don't Come Easy | 173 | 9 | |
| 2016 | Sound of Silence | 511 | 2 | |
| 2015 | Tonight Again | 196 | 5 |
