Eurovision Song Contest 1996

Eurovision Song Contest 1996
Dates
Final18 May 1996
Host
VenueOslo Spektrum
Oslo, Norway
Presenter(s)
Musical directorFrode Thingnæs
Directed byPål Veiglum
Executive supervisorChristine Marchal-Ortiz
Executive producerOdd Arvid Strømstad
Host broadcasterNorsk rikskringkasting (NRK)
Websiteeurovision.tv/event/oslo-1996 Edit this at Wikidata
Participants
Number of entries23
Debuting countriesNone
Returning countries
Non-returning countries
  • A coloured map of the countries of EuropeBelgium in the Eurovision Song Contest 1996Italy in the Eurovision Song ContestNetherlands in the Eurovision Song Contest 1996Switzerland in the Eurovision Song Contest 1996Germany in the Eurovision Song Contest 1996United Kingdom in the Eurovision Song Contest 1996Monaco in the Eurovision Song ContestLuxembourg in the Eurovision Song ContestSpain in the Eurovision Song Contest 1996Ireland in the Eurovision Song Contest 1996Denmark in the Eurovision Song Contest 1996Finland in the Eurovision Song Contest 1996Norway in the Eurovision Song Contest 1996Portugal in the Eurovision Song Contest 1996Sweden in the Eurovision Song Contest 1996Israel in the Eurovision Song Contest 1996Greece in the Eurovision Song Contest 1996Malta in the Eurovision Song Contest 1996Austria in the Eurovision Song Contest 1996France in the Eurovision Song Contest 1996Turkey in the Eurovision Song Contest 1996Yugoslavia in the Eurovision Song ContestMorocco in the Eurovision Song ContestCyprus in the Eurovision Song Contest 1996Iceland in the Eurovision Song Contest 1996Bosnia and Herzegovina in the Eurovision Song Contest 1996Croatia in the Eurovision Song Contest 1996Slovenia in the Eurovision Song Contest 1996Estonia in the Eurovision Song Contest 1996Slovakia in the Eurovision Song Contest 1996Hungary in the Eurovision Song Contest 1996Romania in the Eurovision Song Contest 1996Lithuania in the Eurovision Song ContestPoland in the Eurovision Song Contest 1996Russia in the Eurovision Song Contest 1996Macedonia in the Eurovision Song Contest 1996
         Finalist countries     Countries eliminated in the qualifying round     Countries that participated in the past but not in 1996
Vote
Voting systemEach country awarded 12, 10, 8–1 points to their ten favourite songs
Winning song
1995 ← Eurovision Song Contest → 1997

The Eurovision Song Contest 1996 was the 41st edition of the Eurovision Song Contest, held on 18 May 1996 at the Oslo Spektrum in Oslo, Norway. Organised by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and host broadcaster Norsk rikskringkasting (NRK) and presented by Ingvild Bryn and Morten Harket, the contest was held in Norway following the country's victory at the 1995 contest with the song "Nocturne" by Secret Garden.

Thirty countries submitted entries to the contest, with a non-public, audio-only qualifying round held two months before the final to reduce the number of participants from 30 to 23. The entries from Denmark, Germany, Hungary, Israel, Macedonia, Romania, and Russia were subsequently eliminated, which resulted in Germany being absent from the contest for the first – and as of 2024 only – time.

The winner was Ireland with the song "The Voice", written by Brendan Graham and performed by Eimear Quinn. This gave the nation a record-extending seventh contest win, their fourth win in five years, with Graham also recording his second win as a songwriter in three years after having written the winning song at the 1994 contest. Norway, Sweden, Croatia, and Estonia took the remaining places in the top five, with Croatia, Estonia, and Portugal, which placed sixth, achieving their best results to date. This was the final contest where the results were determined solely by jury voting, with a trial use of televoting in the following year's event leading to widespread adoption from 1998 onwards.