Eurovision Song Contest 2014
| Eurovision Song Contest 2014 | |
|---|---|
| #JoinUs | |
| Dates and venue | |
| Semi-final 1 |
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| Semi-final 2 |
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| Final |
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| Venue | B&W Hallerne Copenhagen, Denmark |
| Organisation | |
| Organiser | European Broadcasting Union (EBU) |
| Executive supervisor | Jon Ola Sand |
| Production | |
| Host broadcaster | Danish Broadcasting Corporation (DR) |
| Director | Per Zachariassen |
| Executive producer | Pernille Gaardbo |
| Presenters | |
| Participants | |
| Number of entries | 37 |
| Number of finalists | 26 |
| Returning countries | |
| Non-returning countries | |
Participation map
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| Vote | |
| Voting system | Each country awarded 12, 10, 8–1 points to their 10 favourite songs. |
| Winning song | |
The Eurovision Song Contest 2014 was the 59th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It consisted of two semi-finals on 6 and 8 May and a final on 10 May 2014, held at B&W Hallerne in Copenhagen, Denmark, and presented by Lise Rønne, Nikolaj Koppel, and Pilou Asbæk. It was organised by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and host broadcaster the Danish Broadcasting Corporation (DR), which staged the event after winning the 2013 contest for Denmark with the song "Only Teardrops" by Emmelie de Forest.
Broadcasters from thirty-seven countries participated in the contest; this included the return of Poland and Portugal after absences of two years and one year respectively. Overall, there were two fewer countries competing compared to the previous year, making thirty-seven participants, the smallest number since 2006. Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, and Serbia announced that they would not be taking part.
The winner was Austria with the song "Rise Like a Phoenix", performed by Conchita Wurst and written by Charley Mason, Joey Patulka, Ali Zuckowski, and Julian Maas. The entry won both the jury vote and televote. Austria's first victory was 48 years earlier in 1966, which at the time was the longest gap between wins. The Netherlands, Sweden, Armenia, and Hungary rounded out the top five, with the Netherlands achieving their best result since its victory in 1975, Hungary achieving its best result since its fourth place in 1994, and Armenia equalling its best result from 2008. Of the "Big Five" countries, only Spain achieved a place in the top ten, while France finished in last place for the first time in its Eurovision history. Meanwhile, San Marino and Montenegro both qualified for the final for the first time.
A new record of 195 million viewers for the contest was reported. The host broadcaster DR and the EBU won the International TV Award at the Ondas Awards for their production of the event. The Danish organisers spent in total DKK 334 million, three times more than the initially budgeted costs, and were furthermore accused of nepotism.