The Eurovision Song Contest 2010 was an edition of the long‑running international music competition held in Oslo, Norway. Norway hosted after Alexander Rybak won the previous year at Eurovision 2009. The live shows took place in late May 2010, with two semi‑finals followed by a grand final on 29 May.
Venue and organisation
The shows were staged at the Telenor Arena in Bærum, a venue chosen to accommodate large audiences and the technical requirements of a contemporary televised production. Organisers followed the contest's standard format of two semi‑finals to determine qualifiers for the final, while a group of automatically qualified countries (the so‑called "Big Four" and the host nation) went straight to the final.
Format and participation
Thirty‑nine countries participated in 2010. The event kept established rules such as the three‑minute maximum per song and a maximum of six performers on stage. Voting combined national televotes with professional jury input to produce each country's points, a system used to balance popular and expert opinion.
Results and notable entries
Germany won the contest with the song "Satellite" performed by Lena (often credited as Lena Meyer‑Landrut), marking Germany's first Eurovision victory since 1982. Turkey finished second with the rock band maNga, and Romania placed third with the duet Paula Seling & Ovidiu Cernăuţeanu (Ovi). Lena's winning entry achieved commercial success across Europe after the contest.
Significance and legacy
Eurovision 2010 exemplified the modern contest's mix of televised spectacle, music industry promotion and intercultural exchange. The combination of televoting and juries, established staging requirements and the two‑semi final structure continued to shape how countries selected and presented entries. The 2010 edition also reinforced Eurovision's role as a platform that can launch mainstream pop careers and produce charting singles outside the competition.
For further background on the host decision and the preceding year, see links to the host city and the 2009 contest: Oslo, Norway, where victory by Alexander Rybak at Eurovision 2009 led to Norway hosting in 2010.