The Eurovision Song Contest 2011 was the 56th edition of the annual Eurovision Song Contest. It took place in Düsseldorf, Germany, following the country's victory at the 2010 contest with the song "Satellite" by Lena. Organised by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and host broadcasters Arbeitsgemeinschaft Rundfunkanstalten Deutschland (ARD) and Norddeutscher Rundfunk (NDR), the contest was held at the Esprit Arena and consisted of two semi-finals on 10 and 12 May, and a final on 14 May 2011. The three live shows were presented by German comedian Anke Engelke, television presenter Judith Rakers as well as former German contestant and songwriter Stefan Raab.
Forty-three countries participated in the contest, equalling the record of the 2008 edition. Four countries returned to the contest this year; Austria returned after their last participation in 2007, Hungary returned after their last participation in 2009, San Marino returned after their very first participation in 2008. Italy also returned to the contest after their last participation fourteen years earlier, in 1997.
The winner was Azerbaijan with the song "Running Scared", performed by Ell and Nikki and written by Stefan Örn, Sandra Bjurman and Iain James Farquharson. This was Azerbaijan's first victory in the contest, after only 4 years of participation. It was also the first male-female duo to win the contest since 1963. Italy, Sweden, Ukraine and Denmark rounded out the top five. Apart from Italy, the only other "Big Five" country to make the top 10 was host nation Germany, finishing tenth. The United Kingdom followed closely behind, finishing eleventh. This was the first time since the juries were reintroduced alongside the televoting in 2009 that the winner did not place first in the jury voting; Italy was the jury winner, while Azerbaijan was the televote winner. Georgia, finishing ninth, equalled their best result from 2010.
The broadcast of the final won the Rose d'Or award for Best Live Event.
Results[]
First semi-final[]
| Rank | Country | EBU member station | Artist(s) | Song | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Greece | ERT | Loukas Yorkas feat. Stereo Mike | "Watch My Dance" | 133 |
| 2 | Azerbaijan | İTV | Ell & Nikki | "Running Scared" | 122 |
| 3 | Finland | Yle | Paradise Oskar | "Da Da Dam" | 103 |
| 4 | Iceland | RÚV | Sjonni's Friends | "Coming Home" | 100 |
| 5 | Lithuania | LRT | Evelina Sašenko | "C'est ma vie" | 81 |
| 6 | Georgia | GPB | Eldrine | "One More Day" | 74 |
| 7 | Hungary | MTVA | Kati Wolf | "What About My Dreams?" | 72 |
| 8 | Serbia | RTS | Nina | "Čaroban" (Чаробан) | 67 |
| 9 | Russia | Channel One | Alexey Vorobyov | "Get You" | 64 |
| 10 | Switzerland | SRG SSR idée suisse | Anna Rossinelli | "In Love for a While" | 55 |
| 11 | Malta | PBS | Glen Vella | "One Life" | 54 |
| 12 | Armenia | AMPTV | Emmy | "Boom Boom" | 54 |
| 13 | Turkey | TRT | Yüksek Sadakat | "Live It Up" | 47 |
| 14 | Albania | RTSH | Aurela Gaçe | "Feel the Passion" | 47 |
| 15 | Croatia | HRT | Daria | "Celebrate" | 41 |
| 16 | San Marino | SMRTV | Senit | "Stand By" | 34 |
| 17 | Norway | NRK | Stella Mwangi | "Haba Haba" | 30 |
| 18 | Portugal | RTP | Homens da Luta | "A luta é alegria" | 22 |
| 19 | Poland | TVP | Magdalena Tul | "Jestem" | 18 |
Second semi-final[]
| Rank | Country | EBU member station | Artist(s) | Song | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sweden | SVT | Eric Saade | "Popular" | 155 |
| 2 | Denmark | DR | A Friend in London | "New Tomorrow" | 135 |
| 3 | Slovenia | RTVSLO | Maja Keuc | "No One" | 112 |
| 4 | Romania | TVR | Hotel FM | "Change" | 111 |
| 5 | Bosnia and Herzegovina | BHRT | Dino Merlin | "Love in Rewind" | 109 |
| 6 | Ukraine | NTU | Mika Newton | "Angel" | 81 |
| 7 | Austria | ORF | Nadine Beiler | "The Secret Is Love" | 69 |
| 8 | Ireland | RTÉ | Jedward | "Lipstick" | 68 |
| 9 | Estonia | ERR | Getter Jaani | "Rockefeller Street" | 60 |
| 10 | Moldova | TRM | Zdob și Zdub | "So Lucky" | 54 |
| 11 | Belgium | RTBF | Witloof Bay | "With Love Baby" | 53 |
| 12 | Bulgaria | BNT | Poli Genova | "Na inat" (На инат) | 48 |
| 13 | Slovakia | RTVS | TWiiNS | "I'm Still Alive" | 48 |
| 14 | Belarus | BTRC | Anastasia Vinnikova | "I Love Belarus" | 45 |
| 15 | Israel | IBA | Dana International | "Ding Dong" | 38 |
| 16 | Macedonia | MRT | Vlatko Ilievski | "Rusinka" (Русинкa) | 36 |
| 17 | Latvia | LTV | Musiqq | "Angel in Disguise" | 25 |
| 18 | Cyprus | CyBC | Christos Mylordos | "San aggelos s'agapisa" (Σαν άγγελος σ'αγάπησα) | 16 |
| 19 | Netherlands | TROS | 3JS | "Never Alone" | 13 |
Finals[]
Country in gold is the winning entry, the country in silver is the host country, and the countries in lime are the "Big 5" countries which are rewarded with automatic spots in the finals.
| Rank | Country | EBU member station | Artist | Song | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Azerbaijan | İTV | Ell & Nikki | "Running Scared" | 221 |
| 02 | Italy | RAI | Raphael Gualazzi | "Madness of Love" | 189 |
| 03 | Sweden | SVT | Eric Saade | "Popular" | 185 |
| 04 | Ukraine | NTU | Mika Newton | "Angel" | 159 |
| 05 | Denmark | DR | A Friend in London | "New Tomorrow" | 134 |
| 06 | Bosnia and Herzegovina | BHRT | Dino Merlin | "Love in Rewind" | 125 |
| 07 | Greece | ERT | Loukas Giorkas feat. Stereo Mike | "Watch My Dance" | 120 |
| 08 | Ireland | RTÉ | Jedward | "Lipstick" | 119 |
| 09 | Georgia | GPB | Eldrine | "One More Day" | 110 |
| 10 | Germany | ARD/NDR | Lena | "Taken by a Stranger" | 107 |
| 11 | United Kingdom | BBC | Blue | "I Can" | 100 |
| 12 | Moldova | TRM | Zdob şi Zdub | "So Lucky" | 97 |
| 13 | Slovenia | RTVSLO | Maja Keuc | "No One" | 96 |
| 14 | Serbia | RTS | Nina | "Čaroban" (Чаробан) | 85 |
| 15 | France | France Télévisions | Amaury Vassili | "Sognu" | 82 |
| 16 | Russia | Channel One | Alexej Vorobyov | "Get You" | 77 |
| 17 | Romania | TVR | Hotel FM | "Change" | 77 |
| 18 | Austria | ORF | Nadine Beiler | "The Secret Is Love" | 64 |
| 19 | Lithuania | LRT | Evelina Sašenko | "C'est ma vie" | 63 |
| 20 | Iceland | RÚV | Sjonni's Friends | "Coming Home" | 61 |
| 21 | Finland | Yle | Paradise Oskar | "Da Da Dam" | 57 |
| 22 | Hungary | MTVA | Kati Wolf | "What About My Dreams?" | 53 |
| 23 | Spain | RTVE | Lucía Pérez | "Que me quiten lo bailao" | 50 |
| 24 | Estonia | ERR | Getter Jaani | "Rockefeller Street" | 44 |
| 25 | Switzerland | SRG SSR idée suisse | Anna Rossinelli | "In Love for a While" | 19 |
Awards[]
Marcel Bezençon Awards[]
- Artistic Award - "Lipstick" by Jedward (Ireland)
- Composers Award - "Sognu" by Amaury Vassili (France)
- Press Award - "Da Da Dam" by Paradise Oskar (Finland)
OGAE Poll[]
| Rank | Country | Artist(s) | Song | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hungary | Kati Wolf | "What About My Dreams?" | 277 |
| 2 | France | Amaury Vassili | "Sognu" | 270 |
| 3 | United Kingdom | Blue | "I Can" | 253 |
| 4 | Sweden | Eric Saade | "Popular" | 238 |
| 5 | Estonia | Getter Jaani | "Rockefeller Street" | 183 |
Barbara Dex Award[]
| Rank | Country | Artist(s) | Song |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Georgia | Eldrine | "One More Day" |
| 2 | Ireland | Jedward | "Lipstick" |
| 3 | Moldova | Zdob și Zdub | "So Lucky" |
| 4 | Turkey | Yüksek Sadakat | "Live It Up" |
| 5 | Portugal | Homens da Luta | "A luta é alegria" |
Broadcasting[]
Participating countries[]
| Country | Broadcaster(s) | Commentator(s) | Shows | Spokesperson |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Albania | TVSH | Leon Menkshi | all shows | Leon Menkshi |
| Armenia | Armenia 1 | Artak Vardanyan | all shows | Lusine Tovmasyan |
| Austria | ORF eins | Andi Knoll | all shows | Kati Bellowitsch |
| Hitradio Ö3 | Martin Blumenau | |||
| Benny Hörtnagl | finals | |||
| Azerbaijan | İctimai Television | Leyla Aliyeva | all shows | Safura Alizadeh |
| Belarus | Belarus-1 | Denis Kurian | all shows | Leila Ismailava |
| Belgium (French) | La Une | Jean-Pierre Hautier, Jean-Louis Lahaye | all shows | Maureen Louys |
| Belgium (Dutch) | één, Radio 2 | André Vermeulen, Sven Pichal | ||
| Bosnia and Herzegovina | BHT1 | Dejan Kukrić | all shows | Ivana Vidmar |
| Bulgaria | BNT | Elena Rosberg, Georgi Kushvaliev | all shows | Maria Ilieva |
| Croatia | HRT1 | Duško Čurlić | all shows | Nevena Rendeli |
| Cyprus | RIK 1 | Melina Karageorgiou | all shows | Loukas Hamatsos |
| Denmark | DR1, DR HD | Ole Tøpholm | all shows | Lise Rønne |
| Estonia | ETV, Raadio 2 | Marko Reikop | all shows | Piret Järvis |
| Finland (Finnish) | YLE TV2, YLE HD | Tarja Närhi, Asko Murtomäki | all shows | Susan Aho |
| YLE Radio Suomi | Sanna Kojo, Jorma Hietamäki | |||
| Finland (Swedish) | YLE TV2, YLE HD, YLE Radio Vega | Eva Frantz, Johan Lindroos | ||
| France | France Ô | Audrey Chauveau, Bruno Berbere | second semi-finals | Cyril Féraud |
| France 3 | Laurent Boyer, Catherine Lara | finals | ||
| France Bleu | Fred Musa, Éric Mazet | |||
| Germany | Das Erste | Peter Urban | all shows | Ina Müller |
| NDR 2, WDR 1LIVE, hr3 | Thomas Mohr, Steffi Neu, Tim Frühling | |||
| ProSieben, Einsfestival | Steven Gätjen | first semi-finals | ||
| Georgia | 1TV | Sopho Altunishvili | all shows | Sofia Nizharadze |
| Greece | NET, ERT HD, Second Programme | Maria Kozakou | all shows | Lena Aroni |
| Hungary | m1 | Gábor Gundel Takács | all shows | Éva Novodomszky |
| Iceland | RÚV | Hrafnhildur Halldórsdóttir | all shows | Ragnhildur Steinunn Jónsdóttir |
| Ireland | RTÉ Two | Marty Whelan | semi-finals | Derek Mooney |
| RTÉ One | finals | |||
| RTÉ Radio 1 | Shay Byrne, Zbyszek Zalinski | second semi-finals & finals | ||
| Israel | IBA | No commentator | second semi-finals & finals | Ofer Nachshon |
| Italy | Rai 5, Rai Radio 2 | Raffaella Carrà, Bob Sinclar | second semi-finals | Raffaella Carrà |
| Rai 2 | finals | |||
| Latvia | LTV | Valters Frīdenbergs, Uģis Joksts | all shows | Aisha |
| Lithuania | LRT | Darius Užkuraitis | all shows | Giedrius Masalskis |
| Macedonia | MTV 1 | Eli Tanaskovska | all shows | Kristina Taleska |
| Malta | TVM | Eileen Montesin | all shows | Kelly Schembri |
| Moldova | Moldova 1 | Marcel Spătari | all shows | Geta Burlacu |
| Netherlands | Nederland 1 | Jan Smit, Daniël Dekker | all shows | Mandy Huydts |
| Norway | NRK1, NRK1 HD | Olav Viksmo-Slettan | all shows | Nadia Hasnaoui |
| Poland | TVP1 | Artur Orzech | all shows | Odeta Moro-Figurska |
| Portugal | RTP1, RTP HD, RTP Internacional | Sílvia Alberto | all shows | Joana Teles |
| Romania | TVR1, TVR HD, TVR International | Liana Stanciu and Bogdan Pavlică | all shows | Malvina Cservenschi |
| Russia | Channel One | Yana Churikova, Yuriy Aksyuta | all shows | Dima Bilan |
| Kirill Nabutov | finals | |||
| San Marino | San Marino RTV | Lia Fiorio, Gigi Restivo | all shows | Nicola Della Valle |
| Serbia | RTS1, RTS Digital, RTS HD, RTS SAT | Marina Nikolić | first semi-finals | Dušica Spasić |
| Dragan Ilić | second semi-finals | |||
| Duška Vučinić-Lučić | finals | |||
| Radio Belgrade | Tanja Zeljković | all shows | ||
| Slovakia | Jednotka, Rádio FM | Roman Bomboš | all shows | Mária Pietrová |
| Slovenia | RTV SLO 2 | Andrej Hofer | semi-finals | Klemen Slakonja |
| RTV SLO 1 | finals | |||
| Spain | La 2 | José María Íñigo | semi-finals | Elena S. Sánchez |
| La 1, TVE Internacional, TVE HD | finals | |||
| Sweden | SVT1, SVT1 HD | Edward af Sillén, Hélène Benno | all shows | Danny Saucedo |
| Switzerland | HD suisse | No commentary | first semi-finals & finals | Cécile Bähler |
| Switzerland (German) | SF zwei | Sven Epiney | first semi-finals & finals | |
| Switzerland (French) | TSR 2 | Jean-Marc Richard | all shows | |
| Henri Dès | first semi-finals | |||
| Nicolas Tanner | finals | |||
| Switzerland (Italian) | RSI La 2 | Jonathan Tedesco | semi-finals | |
| RSI La 1 | finals | |||
| Turkey | TRT 1 | Bülend Özveren, Erhan Konuk | all shows | Ömer Önder |
| Ukraine | Pershyi Natsionalnyi | Timur Miroshnychenko, Tetiana Terekhova | all shows | Ruslana |
| Radio Ukraine | Olena Zelinchenko | |||
| United Kingdom | BBC Three, BBC HD | Scott Mills, Sara Cox | semi-finals | Alex Jones |
| BBC One, BBC One HD | Graham Norton | finals | ||
| BBC Radio 2 | Ken Bruce |
Non-participating countries[]
| Country | Broadcaster(s) | Commentator(s) | Shows |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australia | SBS One, SBS HD | Julia Zemiro, Sam Pang | all shows |
| China | CCTV-15 | No commentators | finals |
| Faroe Islands | Kringvarp Føroya | Ole Tøpholm | all shows |
| Greenland | KNR | No commentary | all shows |
| New Zealand | Triangle Stratos | No commentary | all shows |
Broadcast notes[]
- Australia - The shows were respectively broadcast on SBS One on 13, 14 and 15 May 2011.
- China - The final was broadcast on CCTV-15 on a delay, airing on 24 January 2014. The broadcast was shortened into two hours, and the voting details and interval acts were ignored and edited as montages.
- Faroe Islands - The final was broadcast on timeshift on Kringvarp Føroya with Danish commentary from DR1.
- Germany - The first semi-final was broadcast on Einsfestival without commercial breaks, while ProSieben aired the first semi-final with commercial breaks.
- Greenland - The final was broadcast on timeshift on KNR.
- New Zealand - The shows were respectively broadcast on Triangle Stratos on 13, 14 and 15 May 2011.
- Spain - The final was broadcast on La 1 and TVE Internacional live, while TVE HD aired the final deferred.