About Austria...

2007 Result
History (1956 to 2006)
This year's entry
What I predicted...
What you thought...
What actually happened

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2007 Result

Points in Semi Final: 4
Position in Semi Final: 27th

Points in Final:
Position in Final:
More about the 2007 result for Austria

2008 Contest: Must compete in Semi Final

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History (1956 to 2006)

Austria's previous appearances: 42 year(s) out of 51 [note]
Years participated: 1957-1968; 1971-1972; 1976-1997; 1999-2000; 2002-2005 [note]
Best result: 1st (1966)

Considering that Austria has taken part in Eurovision almost from the beginning, its record in the contest is below par. In 42 appearances, Austria has won just once, in 1966. Few other countries have to go back as far as the '60s to find their most recent victory - Spain isn't far off, last victorious (jointly) in 1969, though it did manage to win in 1968 as well. Only Portugal, trying since 1964 to secure even its first victory, can claim a longer spell without a win; while Denmark, with a 37 year gap between its wins in 1963 and 2000, currently holds the record for the longest period between successive victories. When the UK complains that it hasn't won since 1997, a little bit of perspective is therefore necessary...

Back to Austria, the country's record since televoting has been mixed. After a string of poor results, Austria missed the 1998 contest due to relegation, managing a reasonable 10th place in 1999 with Bobbie Singer's 'Reflection'. However, 14th place in 2000 saw the country relegated again; on its return in 2002, Austria finished 18th, managing to avoid missing the 2003 contest by just 1 point. The country's 2003 performance was one of the contest's big surprises - the 200-1 outsider to win, Alf Poier's joke song 'Weil der mensch zählt' managed an incredible 6th place and 101 points, giving the country its best result since 1989.

Thanks to Alf, Austria found itself in the fortunate position of being directly qualified for the 2004 Final. Unfortunately, the song 'Du bist', performed by the boyband Tie Break, was written off almost from the start, its 9 points (from France and Greece) being 9 more than most people had expected. Demoted to the Semi Final in 2005, Global.Kryner's failure to shine with the enjoyable 'Y así' was the final straw for broadcaster ORF, duly announcing that Austria would not be taking part in 2006. However, after one year's absence and lots of fan pressure, ORF has seen sense - Austria's back, and will be taking part in the 2007 Semi Final.
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: 27
Position in Final draw: Failed to qualify

What I said prior to the Semi Final:
"Austria has opted for an internal selection in 2007, choosing 28-year-old Eric Papilaya as its performer for Helsinki. Eric came to prominence as a finalist on the 'Starmania' talent show in 2006, so should at least be well practiced at singing live. His song, 'Get a life - get alive', is an appealing rock song (yes, another of those) that was reportedly written for Anastacia. It's really very good - catchy and anthemic, and much better than most Austrian entries. However, whether it can make an impression among so many other rocky songs this year remains to be seen..."

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What I predicted...

My prediction for Semi Final: 2nd to 4th
My prediction for Final: Definite qualifier; 3rd to 5th, possible winner
What I predicted prior to the Semi Final:
"The betting and fan polls do not bode well for Austria, with most suggesting that Eric has little chance of qualifying for the Final. However, Austrian entries are rarely highly regarded prior to the Contest, and I can't help feeling that 'Get a life - get alive' is terribly underrated. For me, it's one of the strongest pop/rock songs in the Contest, with a straightforward radio-friendly appeal that is likely to go down well among the televoters. With a fantastic Semi Final draw (27th out of 28) and what promises to be a spectacular performance - featuring Swarowski crystals and 700 metres of red feather boa - this is my dark horse for 2007. Of course, my predictions that go against the prevailing mood are not always right, but it would be boring indeed if I just agreed with everybody else. "
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, 1,274 visitors to this site awarded points to their favourite songs in the Soult.com Eurovision Jury Vote 2007, voting as a representative of their own country's 'jury'. The votes awarded by representatives of each country were totalled, with each of the 42 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 Austria are shown in the tables below:

Points awarded to Austria overall:
AL	0	AD	0	AM	0	AT	X	BY	0	BE	0
BA	0	BG	0	HR	0	CY	0	CZ	0	DK	0
EE	0	FI	0	FR	0	GE	0	DE	0	GR	0
HU	0	IS	0	IE	0	IL	0	LV	0	LT	0
MK	0	MT	0	MD	0	ME	0	NL	0	NO	0
PL	0	PT	0	RO	0	RU	0	RS	0	SI	0
ES	0	SE	0	CH	0	TR	0	UA	0	UK	0
WO	0	Last updated: 12 May 2007 Next scheduled update: None
Total points: 0, from 0/43 juries
Position: 40 out of 42

Points awarded to Austria in the Semi Final:
AL	0	AD	0	AM	0	AT	X	BY	0	BE	0
BA	0	BG	0	HR	0	CY	0	CZ	0	DK	0
EE	0	FI	0	FR	0	GE	0	DE	0	GR	0
HU	0	IS	3	IE	0	IL	0	LV	0	LT	3
MK	0	MT	0	MD	0	ME	0	NL	0	NO	0
PL	0	PT	0	RO	0	RU	0	RS	0	SI	0
ES	0	SE	0	CH	5	TR	0	UA	0	UK	0
WO	0	Last updated: 12 May 2007 Next scheduled update: None
Total points: 11, from 3/43 juries
Position: 26 out of 28

Points awarded to Austria in the Final:
AL	0	AD	0	AM	0	AT	X	BY	0	BE	0
BA	0	BG	0	HR	0	CY	0	CZ	0	DK	0
EE	0	FI	0	FR	0	GE	0	DE	0	GR	0
HU	0	IS	0	IE	0	IL	0	LV	0	LT	0