About Cyprus...

2006 Result
History (1956 to 2005)
This year's entry
What I predicted...
What you thought...
What actually happened...
What the bookies thought...

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2006 Result

Points in Semi Final: 57
Position in Semi Final: 15th

Points in Final: Failed to qualify
Position in Final: Failed to qualify
More about the 2006 result for Cyprus

2007 Contest: Must compete in Semi Final

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History (1956 to 2005)

Cyprus's previous appearances: 23 year(s) out of 50 [note]
Years participated: 1981-1987; 1989-2000; 2002- [note]
Best result: 5th (1982, 1997, 2004)

Cyprus has a mixed record at Eurovision - most entries have either done very well (top ten) or very badly (the bottom few places), with little in between. The televoting era has not been particularly kind to Cyprus, with 6th place in 2002 and 5th in 2004 the only rewards among generally unimpressive results - 11th in 1998, 22nd in 1999, 21st in 2000, 20th in 2003 and 18th in 2005. 1999's result was made worse by the fact that Marlain's 'Tha nai erotas' was one of the pre-contest favourites - indeed, with a strong, modern song and good performance I'm still puzzled at why it did quite so badly. Unfortunately for Cyprus, Greece was absent that year; otherwise, 'Tha nai erotas' would have gained a slightly better 14 points, instead of the 2 it actually got. In 2003, Stelios Konstantas might have been 'Feeling alive', but most of Europe wasn't by the end of his performance. He mustered only 15 points, 12 of those from Greece and 2 from Malta, who can always be guaranteed to vote strangely.

Fortunately, Lisa Andreas brought some class to the proceedings in 2004 with her beautiful ballad, 'Stronger every minute' - though its 5th place was an excellent result, it was perhaps less than it truly deserved, the outstanding song and performance surely representing Cyprus' strongest ever contender. Nevertheless, it was quite enough to secure Cyprus a place in the 2005 Final, where Eurovision veteran Constantinos sought to better his already impressive tally of 8th and 6th places in 1996 and 2002 respectively (the latter as a member of the group One). However, it was not to be - despite an energetic performance by Constantinos and the presence of Elina Konstantopoulou (GR 1995) as guest vocalist, 'Ela ela' could only manage 18th place, meaning that Cyprus must participate in the Semi Final in 2006.
Get 'The Eurovision Song Contest: The Offical History' at Amazon.co.uk

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This year's entry

Position in Semi Final draw: 9
Position in Final draw: Failed to qualify

What I said prior to the Semi Final:
"Eurovision has a long history of self-fulfilling song titles - particularly memorable ones include 'Don't play that song again', which gained the UK its then worst ever placing in 2000; Norway's 'High' from 2004, which finished last; and Germany's 'Run and hide' in 2005, a warning that televoters would have been well advised to heed. Judging from some of the fan reaction to this year's Cypriot entry, performed by Annette Artani, we could be forgiven for thinking that 'Why angels cry' will be another Eurovision entry that answers its own question.

I hadn't heard the song prior to it winning the Cypriot national final, and after reading other people's comments I was rather fearful of what to expect. In particular, Annette's performance in the country's second semi final had been variously decribed as 'terrible' or 'excruciating', though it was later blamed on her suffering from bronchitis. However, watching and hearing 'Why angels cry' for the first time, I am very pleasantly surprised indeed. After last year's poor result, it seems that Cyprus' choice of a dramatic and memorable ballad in the shape of 'Why angels cry' is an attempt to recapture the votes that Lisa Andreas successfully courted in 2004. The song gets off to a gentle Disney-esque start, but then slowly builds up and erupts into Mariah-style histrionics later on, before finally ending on an impressive high note. It might not be the most original song, but Annette sells it incredibly well - she has an outstandingly powerful voice, probably one of the best that we are likely to hear in this or any other Eurovision. Indeed, Annette's talents as a singer and songwriter (though Petros Giannaki is responsible for her Eurovision entry) have already been recognised in the United States. Born and raised of Greek parents in New York, Annette performed as a backing singer on Britney Spears' tour, and co-wrote Britney's international hit, 'Everytime'. This experience of performing in front of large audiences should stand Annette in good stead as she tries to secure Cyprus' place in the Final. However, if she can pull off a great performance, 2006 might yet be the year that a ballad finally wins Eurovision again. Impressive stuff, and surely one to keep an eye on in Athens. "

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What I predicted...

My prediction for Semi Final: 9th to 11th
My prediction for Final: Possible qualifier; 15th to 17th
See all my predictions for the 2006 Semi Final
See all my predictions for the 2006 Final

What I predicted prior to the Semi Final:
"On paper, Cyprus' Semi Final draw - coming straight after another ballad from Ireland - is not a very positive one. On the other hand, Annette's ballad is certainly more powerful than Brian Kennedy's, and will get a lift through the presence of lots of Greek and Cypriot support in the Olympic Indoor Arena. I know that many people are unconvinced by the Cypriot song, but I do think it will make it through to the Final. Like Lisa Andreas two years ago, it's one of those songs that is wholly dependent on the strength of the live performance - a mesmerising performance on the night could see it come close to winning; an awful performance could see it disappear without trace. My prediction, I guess, is hedging its bets by being somewhere between the two.

Assuming Annette makes it through, she will certainly be hoping to avoid being drawn next to another big ballad - after Greece, in particular. Given that I'm not sure what to predict for Annette in the Semi Final, the Final is even harder to call. My prediction is 15th to 17th, but I've placed my customary each-way bet at 50-1 just in case she manages to do a Shiri and finish higher than anybody is predicting. "
Want an alternative prediction? See Simon Hylands' 'Je t'adore, Eurovision!' site

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What you thought...

View the final leader board

In the run up to the Contest, 1,721 visitors to this site awarded points to their favourite songs in the Soult.com Eurovision Jury Vote 2006, voting as a representative of their own country's 'jury'. The votes awarded by representatives of each country were totalled, with each of the 38 participating countries (plus the 'Rest of the World') then awarding points - 12, 10, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 - based on the overall voting preference of its representatives. The points awarded to the entry from Cyprus are shown in the tables below:

Points awarded to Cyprus overall:
AL	4	HR	1	GR	10	MK	0	PL	0	ES	0
AD	0	CY	X	IS	0	MT	7	PT	0	SE	0
AM	0	DK	0	IE	1	MD	0	RO	0	CH	0
BY	0	EE	0	IL	1	MC	0	RU	0	TR	0
BE	0	FI	0	LV	0	NL	0	CS	0	UA	0
BA	0	FR	0	LT	0	NO	0	SI	0	UK	0
BG	0	DE	6	WO	0	Last updated: 18 May 2006 Next scheduled update: None
Total points: 30, from 7/39 juries
Position: 22 out of 37

Points awarded to Cyprus in the Semi Final:
AL	7	HR	5	GR	12	MK	0	PL	0	ES	0
AD	0	CY	X	IS	0	MT	10	PT	0	SE	1
AM	0	DK	3	IE	7	MD	0	RO	5	CH	3
BY	3	EE	0	IL	7	MC	0	RU	1	TR	3
BE	0	FI	0	LV	3	NL	0	CS	0	UA	0
BA	0	FR	0	LT	0	NO	0	SI	0	UK	4
BG	1	DE	8	WO	4	Last updated: 18 May 2006 Next scheduled update: None
Total points: 87, from 18/39 juries
Position: 9 out of 23

Points awarded to Cyprus in the Final:
AL	4	HR	1	GR	10	MK	0	PL	0	ES	0
AD	0	CY	X	IS	0	MT	7	PT	0	SE	0
AM	0	DK	0	IE	1	MD	0	RO	0	CH	0
BY	0	EE	0	IL	1	MC	0	RU	0	TR	1
BE	0	FI	0	LV	0	NL	0	CS	0	UA	0
BA	0	FR	0