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Eurovision 2010: Semi final allocation draw on Sunday
A webcast will be made available at the official Eurovision Song Contest website, www.eurovision.tv. Moreover, the five draw pots have been revealed as well. However, who the hosts of the draw are going to be remains to be seen.
Due to the Big Four (Germany, France, Spain and the United Kingdom) and host country Norway already being qualified for the grand final, 34 countries will participate in the two semi finals: 17 will get their spot in the first semi final on May 25th and the other 17 will perform in the 2nd semi final on May 27th. It will also be decided if those countries will perform in the first or the second half of their respective semi final, to let each delegation know on which day their rehearsals in Oslo will begin.
Based on the countries' voting patterns, evaluted by the contest's voting partner Digame, the 34 countries competing in the two semi finals will be drawn from five pots, in order to decrease the influence of neighbour and diaspora voting, thus enabling to keep the contest exciting.
Those are the five aforementioned spots, as revealed by Eurovision.tv:
Pot 1: Albania, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Croatia, FYR Macedonia, Serbia, Slovenia, Switzerland
Pot 2: Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Sweden
Pot 3: Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Israel, Moldova, Russia, Ukraine
Pot 4: Armenia, Belgium, Cyprus, Greece, Malta, the Netherlands, Turkey
Pot 5: Bulgaria, Ireland, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia
On Sunday, it will also be decided which of the two semi finals the Big Four and host country will have to broadcast and cast their votes in.
Traditionally, the draw to determine the starting order of each country will be held in March at the Heads of Delegation meeting.
Related polls
- Norway: Vote for your favourite song in the final of Melodi Grand Prix
- Azerbaijan: Vote for your favourite act in the final of Milli Seçim Turu
- Hungary: Vote for your favourite act in the final of A Dal
- Iceland: Vote for your favourite song in the final of Songvakeppni Sjonvarpsins
- Malta: Vote for your favourite act in the final of Malta Eurovision Song Contest 2012
- Hungary: Vote for your favourite act in the second semifinal of A Dal
- Norway: Vote for your favourite song in the third semifinal of Melodi Grand Prix
- Sweden: Vote for your favourite act in the first semifinal of Melodifestivalen
- Malta: Vote for your favourite act in the semifinal of Malta Eurovision Song Contest 2012
- Bulgaria: Vote for your favourite act in the Bulgarian national final 2012
- Latvia: Vote for your favourite act in the final of Eirodziesma 2012
- Belarus: Vote for your favourite act in the final of EuroFest 2012
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... a lot's of good songs 
IMO, it's even more strange that Lithuania and Latvia are not in the same pot as Ireland.
Anyway, this is not so important. Last year Greece and Cyprus were in the same pot and, again, in the same semi. Just like Belgium and Turkey, so don't be so upset. Pots can't never decrease the influence of neighbour and diaspora voting completely.
Let's hope to have a lot's of good song
Stupid pots. Why isn't Turkey and Azerbaijan in the same? And why isn't Moldova and Romania in the same? Pot 5 seems random.
@ Zanic The Norse Knight
You are absolutely right.
I forgot:
Hari Mata Hari - EXTREMLY popular in Serbia
About Marija Sestic I really can tell that she was 100% unknown for Serbia in 2007, but her song was nice, why not to vote alot for good song only coz that's your neighbour and part of Ex Yu!? Do you wanna we stop voting for good songs to show you that we don't use classical block voting!!!?? 
Feminnem for B&H too, nobody here didn't know about Feminnem in 2005, that's why we didn't vote for them very much! 
Severina - extrimly popular in Serbia
Karolina Gocheva - extremly popular in Serbia
Toshe Proeski - EXTREMLY popular in Serbia
Elena Risteska - very popular in Serbia
Igor Cukrov - very popular in Serbia
Boris Novkovic - very popular in Serbia
Tamara Todevska - very popular in Serbia and her older sister lives in Belgrade
Regina - very popular in Serbia
Kraljevi Ulice - totally unknown here and really bad, we gave them 2 points only, you see If Croatia send bad entry we don't vote very much for it! Only for popular singers...
Daniel
"The most extreme western example is Andorra to Spain, 12 every year except 2007, when they gave 0 to Spain, bizarre "
I think they used a jury that year, which doesn't really explain the 12 points to Ukraine 
But then again, our jury decided to give 12 to Germany in 2009 .. so ... yeah
@Iwona Wegrowska FTW
You have been posting the most in this article. Why because 90% of ESCtoday members dislike Block voting, but your country Serbia almost gets more points thanks to block voting than Russia so your trying to defend the 'east'
But the thing is. Countries like Hungary, Poland, Estonia all in the East suffer because of block voting too. So when we talk about which pots countries should be placed in we are not attacking the 'east'
I myself only think 3 main blocks should be seperated.
1) The ex-Soviet Block
2) The Balkan Block
3) Turkey and Azerbaijan (have a block of their own)
and
I believe that the countries with high disapora's should be seperated that means Germany, Belgium, Netherlands, and Hungary should not be able to vote in the Semi for Turkey. Also Belgium, Russia, Georgia and Greece should not be able to vote for Armenia
But the way the pots are this year that means, each disapora country will probably end up in the same Semi as at least two countries with high disapora's Whoever designed these pots should be shot. They are not placing countries in pots because of voting patterns they simpily did this
Scandinavia in a Pot
Western Europe in a Pot
Ex-Yugoslavia in a pot
Ex-Soviet in a pot
then pot 5 was all the random countries that fit into no block or pot..
But for some od reason Turkey and Azerbaijan are not in the same pot.. haha what a laugh
The EBU actualy make it look like they want the Eurovision to be eastern influenced. As how it stands allready this year I can see; Russia, Turkey, Azerbaijan, Armenia, BiH, Serbia and Greece all making the final because of these silly pots.. =.="
However one thing i think alot of us in the West forget is that Eastern countries are far more likely to send regional stars than we are.
Exactly
Like for example in 2008 the Russians send Dima Bilan who is a superstar in his Bloc while we (the UK) send some non-entity who was probably kicked off X-Factor for being rank rotten!
And that's the difference with Eurovision, the West see it as an abomination while the East see it as the World Cup!
Angelic and Jonny
I agree that there IS an element of knowing the artists and of types of music, but much of the voting we see is just too extreme to be fully explained by that. The most extreme western example is Andorra to Spain, 12 every year except 2007, when they gave 0 to Spain, bizarre
@ David
People here never said that the predictable voting results was only due to similar music taste. Those who say diaspora doesn't play a role are completely inconscience, but at the same - those who say that most Eastern people are voting without musical consideration are also missing a clue and cultural knowledge that CANNOT be proven by statistics.
Daniel
"This idea that neighbours are only voting for similar musical tastes is complete rubbish, "
Well yeah when they send a simple pop song it is hard to believe that they vote for each other based upon tastes. However one thing i think alot of us in the West forget is that Eastern countries are far more likely to send regional stars than we are. For example, Elena Gheorge did actually have a few hits before she went to Eurovision, and i'm pretty sure that she was at least partially known in Moldova. I know we can't attribute all of the friendly voting to this but I think it plays a role that us in the West underestimate because we can't relate to it
Vizz
"Not all Eastern televoters vote for a neighbour country just because of being biased"
Exactly. And the trouble is this is a cloudy area when these countries send a genuinely popular song. Like Serbia in 2008, yes they got most of their 12 points from the Balkans, however the song was popular with most countries and got a pretty decent score, so the friendly voting was justified as the song was just hugely popular, especially in the Balkans. The same applies to Dima, and the thing is, we only see this huge amount of neighbour voting when the songs do well, and the songs do well because they are popular basically everywhere, so it's natural that they get alot of points from neighbours. Haha that sounds really confusing, but basically what i'm saying is that, the cases where everybody points out neighbour voting, the "neighbour voting" was probably just more to people liking the song because the songs were popular anyway.
Marko
People should have voted for Moldova 08 simply for the fact she brought her living room sofa on stage with her Even Kalomira's pop up garden couldn't match up to the amazingness of Geta's sofa!
@Daniel
Yes their is some politics involved but sometimes it is about musical preferences too. I think it is a bit of both to be honest.
This idea that neighbours are only voting for similar musical tastes is complete rubbish, we have seen that countries will vote the same way over and over again, irrespective of the type of song. See all the shameful averages on my profile.
I suppose Moldova gave 12 to the traditional Romania 'Balkan Girls' (just like they have given 12 to Romania every year since 2005), Cyprus gave 12 twice to the folk music of Sakis (just like the 12 every year since 1997). Belarus must have loved the traditional Russian music every year because until this year they always awarded Russia 12, how strange then that they only gave 8 to Mamo?? but never mind Russia has still got a perfect 12 record from Armenia, and the perfect 12 record between Turkey and Azerbaijan (including juries) is ALL about the style of music, that's one exchange I expect to continue, not sure yet about the 12 from Georgia to Armenia.
@ sanka
Yes, but it seems the diaspora issue really shadows many people's real intentions to vote for a great entry which conscidencally is one of your neighbour countries..of course there are some people who purposely act biased while voting, but still
I bet Norway will be allowcated to vote in the semi with all the Scandinavia countries and UK be allowcated to the semi without Ireland.
@ Tohishinki . I was thinking the same thing , have people actually though a bit further and considered the chance , that neighbours just share the same music taste. And yes Estonians might give Finland some points , because Finnish folk-music is quite similar to Estonian folk . Of course the politics play a roll , but i find quite odd , that British jury gave high points to Germany last year. Or was it a try to fight back and start changing points between the big 4 ?
Tohoshinki
100% true! And not only that... I always write here, this will be for 100th time 
Singers who are popular in B&H are popular in Serbia too, the same is with Croatia, Macedonia, Montenegro...
For example Vukashin Brajic who will represent B&H in Olso lives in Belgrade and works in Belgrade, he has his career in Belgrade...he participated in Serbian Operation Triumph, I really can't see our 12 this year nowhere else than to B&H!!!
Only if jury makes totally different decision... but jury also know him very well, so I'm 99% sure our 12 points will go for B&H!!
Moldova should be in same pot with Romania and Armenia same pot with Russia Pot 5 is so funny Noone of that countries voting each other Also i thing semifinal drow must be now and not of March or on March and not now beacuse with 2 shows they just split too much money and time
@ Jonny
Exactly. Not all Eastern televoters vote for a neighbour country just because of being biased, I bet there also are many of them who vote for their neighbour countries a lot because they share common music taste and culture. I know it looks obvious for biasness when for example Serbia and Bosnia give each other high pts all the time, but the fact that there are too many people on this site that underestimate the fact that those two countries are more familiar with each other's music than f. ex. Serbia and France, really pisses me off. I mean, I don't like Finnish folk-music in general, but I can completely understand why for example Estonians will give high pts to a Finnish folk-entry in near future.
Finaly!
I was wondering when the allocation draw will be in February.
If Malta could have been in the final in 2009 then Netherlands, Belgium and Switzerland can pass also (+ juries voting now).
I don't see what is problem here. Just send a good song and you will be in the final.
I'm sure Israel will pass to the Final this year! I will vote for Harel!
@Yoni Levy
Politics will never end in Eurovision it has coincided with Eurovision from the very beginning.
Israel has a strong contender this year so i think Israel will do fine and yes Israel has been underrated in the past like some other countries, but i think Harel is the one to watch this year.
@ Jonny
You are right!!
I can't imagine ppl here voting for Roger Cicero! Especialy young ppl, the majority here who watch esc are younger... Roger Cicero for them... NO WAY!! Or Moldova 2008 for example (Moldova is eastern country)...everybody will say hmmm this is quite boring...
TurQuality Fire
Turkey & Azerbaijan is clearly not favorites to final!
those political voting ends my freind.. so everyone got the chances to qualify dependes on the songs!
i bet Israel Bulgaria will qualify but idk ;p !
its all dependes on the songs
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