Eurovision Song Contest 2017


The Eurovision Song Contest 2017 was the 62nd edition of the annual Eurovision Song Contest. It took place in Kyiv, Ukraine, following Jamala's win at the in Stockholm, Sweden, with the song "1944". It was the second time Ukraine had hosted the contest, having previously done so in. It was, overall, the fourth Eurovision event that were held in the country, including the Junior Eurovision Song Contest in and. Organised by the European Broadcasting Union and host broadcaster National Public Broadcasting Company of Ukraine, the contest was held at the International Exhibition Centre and consisted of two semi-finals on 9 and 11 May, and the final on 13 May 2017. The three live shows were hosted by Oleksandr Skichko, Volodymyr Ostapchuk and Timur Miroshnychenko.
Forty-two countries participated in the contest. and returned to the contest after a year's absence, while did not participate on financial grounds. had originally planned to participate, but announced its withdrawal on 13 April 2017, after its representative, Julia Samoylova, was banned from entering Ukraine by virtue of having travelled directly from Russia to Crimea in 2015, a region that was annexed by Russia in 2014, to give a performance, which is illegal under Ukrainian law.
The winner was with the song "Amar pelos dois", performed by Salvador Sobral and written by his sister Luísa Sobral. This was Portugal's first win – and first top-five placing – in 53 years of participation, the longest winless run by a country in Eurovision history. It was also the first winning song entirely performed in a country's native language since 's "Molitva" in, and the first winner written in triple metre since 's "The Voice" in. Additionally, this was the second consecutive year in which a returning country won the contest, following Ukraine's victory in. Bulgaria, Moldova, Belgium and Sweden rounded out the top five. The top three countries – Portugal, Bulgaria and Moldova – all achieved the highest placings in their Eurovision history, while host country Ukraine received its worst placing to date. Out of the "Big Five" countries, only Italy, the pre-contest favourite, finished in the top ten, coming sixth. The EBU reported that 182 million viewers worldwide watched the contest, 22 million fewer than the 2016 record.

Location

Venue

The contest took place in the International Exhibition Centre in Kiev, following Ukraine's victory at the 2016 contest with the song "1944", written and performed by Jamala. The International Exhibition Centre has a capacity of approximately 11,000 attendees and is the largest exhibition centre in Kiev. Located in the western part of the Livoberezhna microdistrict, the centre was opened in October 2002, and its head since its construction was Anatoly Tkachenko.

Bidding phase

The Deputy Chief of host broadcaster National Public Broadcasting Company of Ukraine and Head of Delegation for Ukraine, Viktoria Romanova, stated on 18 May 2016 that the first organisational meeting for the contest would take place before 8 June, during which the European Broadcasting Union and UA:PBC would go through the technical requirements for the contest, as well as any training required for the contest to take place in Ukraine. Romanova also announced that the venue for the contest would be announced over the summer.
UA:PBC and the Ukrainian Government formally launched the bidding process for interested cities to apply to host the contest on 23 June. The selection of the host city was scheduled to be conducted in four stages:
The following criteria were outlined for the selection of the host city:
Six cities submitted applications by the deadline of 8 July: Dnipro, Kharkiv, Kherson, Kiev, Lviv and Odessa. Prior to the opening of the bidding process, the cities of Cherkasy, Irpin, Uzhhorod and Vinnytsia had declared their interest in hosting the contest, but did not submit a formal bid. Ukrainian Culture Minister Yevhen Nyshchuk stated on 30 June that an appropriate venue for the contest does not exist in Ukraine, suggesting that the construction of a new venue in Kiev or Lviv should be considered.
The six candidate cities were officially presented to the LOC on 20 July in a two-hour live discussion show titled City Battle, broadcast from the UA:Pershyi studios in Kiev and moderated by Timur Miroshnychenko, with radio commentary from Olena Zelinchenko. The show was broadcast on UA:Pershyi, Radio Ukraine and the UA:Pershyi YouTube channel with commentary in English and Ukrainian. During the show, a representative from each candidate city presented its bid in front of a live studio audience:
Members of the LOC, media representatives, Ukrainian musical experts and fans also participated in the discussion.

Host selection

UA:PBC announced on 22 July that the bids from Dnipro, Kiev and Odessa had been shortlisted for further consideration.
The EBU announced on 30 July that the host city would be announced "in due course", rather than on the previously stated date of 1 August, with Executive Supervisor of the contest Jon Ola Sand stating that the EBU "really want to take the time it takes to come up with the right decision". The Deputy General Director of UA:PBC, Oleksandr Kharebin, stated on 10 August that the host city would be announced on Ukrainian Independence Day, 24 August. The announcement was later scheduled to take place on 25 August; however, it was postponed at 14:00 EEST, one hour before it was due to take place, with NTU citing the need to further consider some fine details regarding the decision.
After several delays in announcing the host city, UA:PBC announced on 8 September that they would be meeting with the Ukrainian Government and the LOC on 9 September and that a press conference to announce the host city was scheduled to take place at 13:00 EEST on the same day from the Government Press Centre in Kiev. Kiev was announced as the host city for the contest with the International Exhibition Centre selected as the venue.
Key
Host venue
Shortlisted
CityVenueNotes
DniproDniproEuroArena ‡Proposal included the complete reconstruction of the Meteor Stadium and Sports Complex Meteor, which would have been completed by March 2017. Withdrew after the host city announcement being postponed for a fourth time.
KharkivMetalist Oblast Sports ComplexHosted three group stage matches of UEFA Euro 2012 & EAMV Recording Label. Would have required significant construction including the addition of a roof.
Kherson"Yuvileinyi" Concert HallProposal included expansion and reconstruction of the venue, which would have taken approximately 7–8 months.
Kiev--
KievPalace of Sports ‡Hosted the Eurovision Song Contest 2005 and the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2009. May have conflicted with contest preparations as the venue will host part of the 2017 IIHF World Championship Division I ice hockey tournament between 22–28 April 2017.
KievInternational Exhibition Centre †Venue was initially submitted as a reserve. Kiev later announced on 24 August 2016 that this was their preferred venue for staging the contest.
LvivArena LvivHosted three of the group-stage games for UEFA Euro 2012. The arena required the construction of a roof.
LvivUnfinished venueAn unfinished venue originally planned for EuroBasket 2015 that was 25% complete when construction halted.
OdessaChornomorets Stadium ‡Proposal included plans for reconstruction of the venue and options for providing a covered roof.

Format

The preliminary dates for the contest were announced on 14 March 2016 at a meeting of Heads of Delegation in Stockholm, with the semi-finals expected to take place on 16 and 18 May and the final on 20 May 2017. These preliminary dates were chosen by the EBU to avoid the contest coinciding with any major television and sporting events scheduled to take place around that time.
However, the EBU announced on 24 June that the preliminary dates for the contest had been brought forward a week, with the semi-finals scheduled for 9 and 11 May and the final on 13 May. This was reportedly due to a request from UA:PBC, as the initial preliminary dates coincided with the Remembrance Day for the victims of the Deportation of the Crimean Tatars on 18 May. However, the current dates coincide with the second leg of the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League semi-finals.

Semi-final allocation draw

The draw to determine the allocation of the participating countries into their respective semi-finals took place at Column Hall on 31 January 2017, hosted by Timur Miroshnychenko and Nika Konstantinova. The thirty-seven semi-finalists had been allocated into six pots, based on historical voting patterns as calculated by the contest's official televoting partner Digame. Drawing from different pots helps to reduce the chance of so-called "bloc voting" and increase suspense in the semi-finals.
Pot 1Pot 2Pot 3Pot 4Pot 5Pot 6

  • Visual design

    The theme for the contest, Celebrate Diversity, was unveiled on 30 January, with its visual design featuring imagery of stylized beads. The main logo used the beads to form a traditional neck amulet. Jon Ola Sand explained that "the notion of celebrating diversity is at the heart of Eurovision values: it is all-inclusive and all about countries around Europe, and beyond, joining together to celebrate both our common ground and our unique differences, as well as some great music."

    Presenters

    It was announced on 27 February that the presenters for the contest would be Oleksandr Skichko and Volodymyr Ostapchuk, with Timur Miroshnychenko hosting the green room. It was the first time that the contest was presented by a male trio, and the second time that the contest did not feature a female presenter, after 1956. Miroshnychenko has previously co-hosted the Junior Eurovision Song Contest in and.

    Promotional emojis

    It was announced on 30 April that the creative teams from both the Eurovision network and Twitter had worked together to create three emoji that would accompany specific promotional hashtags for the duration of the contest. The heart emoji would appear alongside #ESC2017 and #Eurovision, while the winners' trophy emoji would be used for #12Points and #douzepoints. The final emoji is the logo for the contest, which would appear alongside the hashtag #CelebrateDiversity, the theme for the contest.

    Opening and interval acts

    The EBU released details regarding the opening and interval acts for each of the live shows on 20 April. As the interval act of the first semi-final, Jamala performed a revamped version of "1944" as well as "Zamanyly". The second semi-final was opened with a medley of Eurovision songs by two of the presenters, Oleksandr Skichko and Volodymyr Ostapchuk, while the interval of the semi-final was a dance performance by Apache CREW called "The Children's Courtyard". In the final, Jamala again performed with her latest single "I Believe in U". ONUKA and Ukraine's National Academic Orchestra of Folk Instruments also performed.

    Participating countries

    The European Broadcasting Union initially announced on 31 October 2016 that forty-three countries would participate in the contest, equalling the record set in and. and returned after a year's absence, while did not participate on financial grounds. had planned to participate but announced their withdrawal on 13 April 2017, after their representative, Julia Samoylova, was banned from entering Ukraine by virtue of travelling directly from Russia to Crimea, a region that was annexed by Russia in 2014, to give a performance, which is illegal under Ukrainian law. This subsequently reduced the number of participating countries to forty-two.

    Returning artists

    The contest featured five representatives who also previously performed as lead vocalists for the same countries. Valentina Monetta, who performed in a duet this time, represented San Marino in three consecutive editions:,, and. The duo of Koit Toome and Laura Põldvere have both represented Estonia in different years: Toome in as a solo artist, finishing 12th place with the song "Mere lapsed", and Põldvere in as part of Suntribe, finishing 20th in the semi-final with the song "Let's Get Loud". Omar Naber represented Slovenia in, finishing 12th in the semi-final with the song "Stop". The SunStroke Project represented Moldova in alongside Olia Tira, finishing 22nd with the song "Run Away".
    The contest also featured the group O'G3NE which previously represented the Netherlands at another Eurovision event, the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2007, as Lisa, Amy and Shelley, with the song "Adem in, Adem Uit". In addition, the contest featured two lead singers previously participating as backing vocalists for the same countries: Israel's representative Imri Ziv who backed Nadav Guedj in and Hovi Star in and Serbia's representative Tijana Bogićević who backed Nina in.

    Semi-final 1

    Eighteen countries participated in the first semi-final., and voted in this semi-final. The highlighted countries qualified for the final.
    DrawCountryArtistSongLanguagePlacePoints
    01Robin Bengtsson"I Can't Go On"English3227
    02Tamara Gachechiladze"Keep the Faith"English1199
    03Isaiah"Don't Come Easy"English6160
    04Lindita"World"English1476
    05Blanche"City Lights"English4165
    06Slavko Kalezić"Space"English1656
    07Norma John"Blackbird"English1292
    08Dihaj"Skeletons"English8150
    09Salvador Sobral"Amar pelos dois"Portuguese1370
    10Demy"This Is Love"English10115
    11Kasia Moś"Flashlight"English9119
    12Sunstroke Project"Hey, Mamma!"English2291
    13Svala"Paper"English1560
    14Martina Bárta"My Turn"English1383
    15Hovig"Gravity"English5164
    16Artsvik"Fly with Me"English7152
    17Omar Naber"On My Way"English1736
    18Triana Park"Line"English1821

    Semi-final 2

    Eighteen countries participated in the second semi-final., and voted in this semi-final. was originally planned to perform in position three, but withdrew from the contest after the artist they selected was banned from entering Ukraine, resulting in countries originally planned to perform fourth and later, to do so one place earlier. The highlighted countries qualified for the final.
    DrawCountryArtistSongLanguagePlacePoints
    01Tijana Bogićević"In Too Deep"English1198
    02Nathan Trent"Running on Air"English7147
    03Jana Burčeska"Dance Alone"English1569
    04Claudia Faniello"Breathlessly"English1655
    05Ilinca ft. Alex Florea"Yodel It!"English6174
    06O'G3NE"Lights and Shadows"English4200
    07Joci Pápai"Origo"Hungarian2231
    08Anja"Where I Am"English10101
    09Brendan Murray"Dying to Try"English1386
    10Valentina Monetta and Jimmie Wilson"Spirit of the Night"English181
    11Jacques Houdek"My Friend"English, Italian8141
    12JOWST"Grab the Moment"English5189
    13Timebelle"Apollo"English1297
    14Naviband"Story of My Life"Belarusian9110
    15Kristian Kostov"Beautiful Mess"English1403
    16Fusedmarc"Rain of Revolution"English1742
    17Koit Toome and Laura"Verona"English1485
    18IMRI"I Feel Alive"English3207

    Final

    Twenty-six countries participated in the final, with all 42 participating countries eligible to vote. The running order for the final was revealed after the second semi-final qualifiers' press conference on 11 May.

    Scoreboard

    Semi-final 1

    12 points

    Countries in bold gave the maximum 24 points to the specified entrant.
    Jury
    Below is a summary of the maximum 12 points awarded by each country's professional jury in the first semi-final:
    N.ContestantNation giving 12 points
    7Azerbaijan, Georgia, Iceland, Latvia, Moldova, Poland, Spain
    3Czech Republic, Slovenia, Sweden
    2Montenegro, Cyprus
    2Albania, United Kingdom
    2Belgium, Finland
    1Greece
    1Italy
    1Armenia
    1Portugal
    1Australia
    Televoting
    Below is a summary of the maximum 12 points awarded by each country's televote in the first semi-final:
    N.ContestantNation giving 12 points
    9Albania, Belgium, Finland, Iceland, Latvia, Poland, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden
    3Czech Republic, Georgia, Moldova
    3Australia, Italy, Portugal
    2Armenia, Greece
    1Montenegro
    1Azerbaijan
    1Cyprus
    1United Kingdom

    Semi-final 2

    12 points

    Countries in bold gave the maximum 24 points to the specified entrant.
    Jury
    Below is a summary of the maximum 12 points awarded by each country's professional jury in the second semi-final:
    N.ContestantNation giving 12 points
    10Austria, Belarus, Estonia, Hungary, Ireland, Macedonia, Malta, The Netherlands, Norway, Switzerland
    3Croatia, Romania, San Marino
    3Denmark, Germany, Lithuania
    2Israel, Serbia
    1Bulgaria
    1Ukraine
    1France
    Televoting
    Below is a summary of the maximum 12 points awarded by each country's televote in the second semi-final:
    N.ContestantNation giving 12 points
    9Belarus, Denmark, Germany, Hungary, Israel, Malta, The Netherlands, Norway, San Marino
    4Austria, Croatia, Romania, Serbia
    2France, Estonia
    2Macedonia, Switzerland
    1Ukraine
    1Lithuania
    1Ireland
    1Bulgaria

    Final

    12 points

    Countries in bold gave the maximum 24 points to the specified entrant.
    Jury
    Televote

    Other countries

    Eligibility for potential participation in the Eurovision Song Contest requires a national broadcaster with active EBU membership that would be able to broadcast the contest via the Eurovision network. The EBU issued an invitation of participation in the contest to all fifty-six active members and associate member Australia, with forty-two countries confirming their participation., and five other countries did not publish their reasons for declining, however the following countries declined to participate, stating their reasons as shown below.

    Active EBU members

    It was reported by the EBU that the contest was viewed by a worldwide television audience of approximately 182 million viewers, which was 22 million less than the 2016 record which was viewed by 204 million. The EBU stated that this decrease in viewing figures was likely a result of the [|withdrawal of Russia] and its decision not to broadcast any of the three shows.

    Voting and spokespersons

    The spokespersons announced the 12-point score from their respective country's national jury in the following order:
    1. – Wiktoria
    2. – Tural Asadov
    3. – Lia Fiorio
    4. – Aminata
    5. – Ofer Nachshon
    6. – Tijana Mišković
    7. – Andri Xhahu
    8. – Martha Fenech
    9. – Ilija Grujoski
    10. – Ulla Essendrop
    11. – Kristina Inhof
    12. – Marcus & Martinus
    13. – Nieves Álvarez
    14. – Jenni Vartiainen
    15. – Élodie Gossuin
    16. – Constantinos Christoforou
    17. – Eglė Daugėlaitė
    18. – Jüri Pootsmann
    19. – Gloria Gorceag
    20. – Iveta Mukuchyan
    21. – Boryana Gramatikova
    22. – Bo Halldórsson
    23. – Sanja Vučić
    24. – Lee Lin Chin
    25. – Giulia Valentina Palermo
    26. – Barbara Schöneberger
    27. – Filomena Cautela
    28. – Luca Hänni
    29. – Douwe Bob
    30. – Nicky Byrne
    31. – Nika Kocharov
    32. – John Karayiannis
    33. – Alyona Lanskaya
    34. – Sonia Argint-Ionescu
    35. – Csilla Tatár
    36. – Katarina Čas
    37. – Fanny Gillard
    38. – Anna Popek
    39. – Katrina Leskanich
    40. – Uršula Tolj
    41. – :cs:Radka Rosická|Radka Rosická
    42. – Zlata Ognevich

      Commentators

    Most countries sent commentators to Kiev or commentated from their own country, in order to add insight to the participants and, if necessary, the provision of voting information. The EBU announced on 9 May, that all three shows would also be streamed live via YouTube.

    Organizing team shakeup

    In December 2016 Grytsak was appointed as a new head of the organizing committee. In February 2017, 21 team members resigned claiming that the new appointment effectively stopped the work for two months.

    French song submission

    announced on 9 February 2017 that they would participate at the contest with the song "Requiem", performed by Alma. However, it was discovered during the week of 17 February "Requiem" had been recorded and performed prior to 1 September 2016, the submission deadline set by the EBU, potentially violating the rules of the contest. Further investigation shows that "Requiem" had been performed at the end of January 2015. While France 2 had claimed not to be in breach of the rules of the contest, no ultimate decision had been made regarding their potential disqualification. No further reports were made regarding Alma's participation, and she was able to partake in the competition in May with a revised version of the song.

    Russian withdrawal

    announced on 12 March 2017 that they would participate at the contest with "Flame Is Burning", performed by Julia Samoylova. However, Samoylova was issued a three-year travel ban on entering Ukraine by the Security Service of Ukraine on 22 March, by virtue of illegally travelling directly from Russia to Crimea, a region that was annexed by Russia in 2014, in 2015 to give a performance. Entry to Crimea by non-Ukrainian citizens via Russia is illegal under Ukrainian law; however, Samoylova confirmed that she performed in Crimea in 2015.
    The EBU responded by stating its commitment to ensuring that all participating countries would be able to perform in Kiev, while expressing their disappointment at the lack of compromise from C1R and UA:PBC. C1R were offered the opportunity to allow Samoylova to perform via satellite from a venue of their choice, but such a compromise was rejected by both C1R and the Ukrainian Government.
    The Director General of the EBU, Ingrid Deltenre, condemned Ukraine's actions, describing them as "abusing the Contest for political reasons" and "absolutely unacceptable" C1R announced their withdrawal from the contest on 13 April, stating that they also might not broadcast the contest. C1R had not organised accommodation before their artist announcement, as is typically the case, and refused to attend the meeting of Heads of Delegation. By announcing their artist just before the deadline for entry submission to the contest and not booking a hotel, it was speculated that C1R had not intended to go due to audiences booing Russian artists in previous contests.
    As part of the Russian Victory Day celebrations on 9 May, Samoylova gave another performance in Crimea, including the song which was intended to represent Russia at the contest.

    Israeli broadcaster compromise

    Under a proposal by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Finance Minister Moshe Kahlon, the Israeli Broadcasting Authority was reorganised into two separate entities: the Israel Public Broadcasting Corporation, with responsibility for "general programming" such as entertainment, and another with responsibility for news and current affairs programming. The IPBC is also branded as "KAN". The EBU informed the IPBC executive board on 7 April that such a compromise would render them unable to remain a member without an outlet for news and current events programming. It has been reported that the IBA may cease to be a member of the EBU.
    The IBA was expected to close down on 15 May 2017 before the IPBC was expected to launch. However, on 9 and 10 May 2017 the IBA unexpectedly closed down most of their operations in news and current affair programs. This Eurovision was the last program that Channel 1 aired under the IBA, where minimal staff of twenty people remained to ensure a smooth transmission on Channel 1. After the Eurovision the station displayed a slide about its closure. During the voting portion of the live telecast of the final Ofer Nachshon, Israeli voting spokesperson since 2009, bid farewell on behalf of the IBA before revealing their jury points. This was incorrectly reported by several British media outlets and in other countries as Israel leaving the Contest.
    IPBC applied for EBU membership later that year and was accepted, thus Israel continued to participate. They went on to win the contest the next year. The government passed a law splitting new corporation into two entities - one in charge for entertainment programs and the second is for news, which may create an obstacle for either entity joining EBU. However, the High Court of Justice issued a temporary injunction, blocking the split. If the split is cancelled permanently, the new Israel Public Broadcasting Corporation meets all requirements for joining EBU.

    Argument for using pre-recorded vocals live

    had discussions with the EBU regarding the abolition of the rule prohibiting pre-recorded vocals during live performances at the contest. Such a rule is intended to guarantee the authenticity of live performances. The discussion stems from when Norwegian representative JOWST stated his displeasure at the rule in an interview on 24 March, in reference to the sampling technique of chopped vocals in his song "Grab the Moment" which cannot be attributed in the live performance.
    Such discussions were also in place in, when pre-recorded vocals during the Croatian entry, "Marija Magdalena", performed by Doris Dragović, led to objections by the Norwegian delegation — led at the time by Jon Ola Sand. Such objections led the EBU to consider deducting a third of Croatia's final score, reducing it from 118 points to 79. However, such a deduction never occurred. The possible abolition of the rule, alongside the abolition of the live orchestra in 1999, has led some fans and critics of the contest to argue that the contest has become too commercialised and the authenticity of live performances has been compromised.
    After discussing the matter with the EBU, NRK were granted an exception to the rule. JOWST stated that " have now been allowed to use the recorded vocal tracks, . But have also practiced a plan B with the backing vocalists, if there are big protests from others in Kiev." Both JOWST and Aleksander Walmann think that had "Grab the Moment" been in the semi-final of the 2018 contest following an abolition of the rule, they would have had an advantage. NRK stated on 2 May that JOWST are aiming to perform the song acoustically as a back-up, bringing with them two additional backing vocalists who will perform the pre-recorded vocals live using a filter applied by the sound engineering team so as not to compromise on sound quality.

    Norwegian jury replacement

    Norwegian jury member Per Sundnes made comments on NRK preview show Adresse Kiev on 17 April 2017 against Irish representative Brendan Murray, saying: "It's been a long time since they've gotten up and I do not think they'll do it again. They try the same formula year after year." The comments were not welcomed by the Irish delegation, who subsequently reported the matter to the EBU.
    The Irish Independent reported on 8 May that Sundnes had been replaced due to an alleged breach in jury rules. Commenting on the decision, the Head of Delegation for Ireland, Michael Kealy, said: "I'm glad that the European Broadcasting Union have reacted swiftly to this situation and that all jury members are impartial. It's only fair that each song in the Eurovision Song Contest is judged on its individual merits on the night." Sundnes was subsequently replaced by Erland Bakke.
    Sundnes stated in an interview with Verdens Gang on 9 May: "I do not know anything about the jury stuff, just that I'm not . It was not really surprising. The same thing happened in Sweden last year with the Swedish professional jury."
    NRK admits that they made a mistake by letting Sundnes sit in both the professional jury and the judging panel of Adresse Kiev. However, when they were informed by the EBU that this was against the rules, they rectified the situation quickly. Project manager for Melodi Grand Prix, Stig Karlsen, stated: "We have received some concerns from several teams that Per has been in the jury, while at the same time he has been meaningful in the program. Therefore, we took a new assessment.".

    Estonian technical issues

    On 11 May 2017, during the transmission of the second semi-final, the microphone of the Estonian representative seemed to have malfunctioned as singer Laura Põldvere could not be heard for approximately two seconds by viewers at home. It was later revealed that the Estonian delegation considered appealing to the EBU to allow Laura and Koit Toome to perform their entry "Verona" again as a result of the error, but later decided against it. Mart Normet, the Head of Delegation for Estonia, explained "If there has been such a powerful performance for three minutes and given an absolute maximum, then this energy again does not come back when you go on stage again". The EBU responded to the situation, reportedly describing the error as purely technical, as the microphone was supposed to automatically come on. Instead, a sound technician was forced to respond by manually switching on the microphone via the sound desk. The country ultimately failed to reach the grand final, with Põldvere expressing her annoyance, however stating "I do not think it’s so tremendously influenced when a few words remain unheard".

    Salvador Sobral's political message

    's representative, Salvador Sobral drew attention to the European migrant crisis by turning up to the first semi-final winners' press conference in an "S.O.S. Refugees" shirt. "If I'm here and I have European exposure, the least thing I can do is a humanitarian message", Sobral said. "People come to Europe in plastic boats and are being asked to show their birth certificates in order to enter a country. These people are not immigrants, they're refugees running from death. Make no mistake. There is so much bureaucratic stuff happening in the refugee camps in Greece, Turkey and Italy and we should help create legal and safe pathways from these countries to their destiny countries", he added, earning a round of applause. Later on, EBU ordered a ban so that he could not wear it for the remainder of the contest. The EBU explained that Sobral's jumper was used as a means of "political message," which violates the rules of the contest. However, Sobral argued in his winning press conference that it was not political, but a message of humanitarianism.

    Jamala stage invasion

    A performance by Jamala during the voting interval of the final was disrupted by a man draped in an Australian flag who invaded the stage and briefly mooned the audience before being removed by security. He was later identified as Ukrainian prankster Vitalii Sediuk. Following the incident the EBU released a statement reading: "A person took to the stage at the beginning of Jamala's performance of I Believe in U at tonight's Eurovision Song Contest in Kyiv. He was quickly removed from the stage by security and out of the arena. He is currently being held and questioned by the police at the venue police office." The last time an unauthorised person gained access to the stage was in 2010 when the Spanish performance was disrupted by Jimmy Jump.

    Salvador Sobral's victory speech

    After receiving his trophy, Salvador Sobral gave a speech emphasising the quality of music and stated "We live in a world of disposable music – fast-food music without any content," and "I think this could be a victory for music that actually means something. Music is not fireworks. Music is feeling", prompting angry reactions across Europe, including Swedish contestant, Robin Bengtsson.

    Other awards

    The Marcel Bezençon Awards, the OGAE voting poll and the Barbara Dex Awards are awards that were contested by the entries competing at the Eurovision Song Contest 2017, in addition to the main winner's trophy.

    Marcel Bezençon Awards

    The Marcel Bezençon Awards were first handed out during the Eurovision Song Contest 2002 in Tallinn, Estonia, honouring the best competing songs in the final. Founded by Christer Björkman and Richard Herrey, the awards are named after the creator of the annual competition, Marcel Bezençon. The awards are divided into three categories: Press Award, Artistic Award, and Composer Award. The winners were revealed shortly before the final on 13 May.
    CategoryCountrySongPerformerComposer
    Artistic Award"Amar pelos dois"Salvador SobralLuísa Sobral
    Composer Award"Amar pelos dois"Salvador SobralLuísa Sobral
    Press Award"Occidentali's Karma"Francesco GabbaniFrancesco Gabbani, Filippo Gabbani, Fabio Ilacqua, Luca Chiaravalli

    OGAE

    Organisation Générale des Amateurs de l'Eurovision is an international organisation that was founded in 1984 in Savonlinna, Finland by Jari-Pekka Koikkalainen. The organisation consists of a network of over 40 Eurovision Song Contest fan clubs across Europe and beyond, and is a non-governmental, non-political, and non-profit company. In what has become an annual tradition for the OGAE fan clubs, a voting poll will run prior to the main Eurovision Song Contest allowing members from over 40 clubs to vote for their favourite songs of the contest. The OGAE Poll 2017 ran from 1 to 30 April 2017, and published daily by the official OGAE International website. Italy won the poll receiving a total of four-hundred and ninety-seven points, from forty-four OGAE member clubs.
    CountryPerformerSongOGAE result
    Francesco Gabbani"Occidentali's Karma"497
    Blanche"City Lights"335
    Robin Bengtsson"I Can't Go On"308
    Alma"Requiem"277
    Koit Toome & Laura"Verona"242

    The Barbara Dex Award is a fan award originally awarded by House of Eurovision from 1997 to 2016, and since 2017 by songfestival.be. This is a humorous award given to the worst dressed artist each year in the contest, and was named after the Belgian artist, Barbara Dex, who came last in the, in which she wore her own self designed dress. This was the first year that songfestival.be awarded the Barbara Dex Award.
    PlaceCountryPerformer
    1Slavko Kalezić
    2Triana Park
    3Martina Bárta
    4Timebelle
    5Lindita

    Official album

    Eurovision Song Contest: Kyiv 2017 is the official compilation album of the contest, put together by the European Broadcasting Union and was released by Universal Music Group digitally on 21 April and physically on 28 April 2017. The album features all 42 participating entries, including the semi-finalists that failed to qualify for the final. The album also features the Russian entry which withdrew from the contest on 13 April 2017. This is the second consecutive year that the official album featured a song which had withdrawn before the contest.

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