Victoria Swarovski Guides Jj Eurovision to 10 Qualifiers in Vienna
Victoria Swarovski and Michael Ostrowski took jj eurovision through the First Semi-Final in Vienna, and 10 acts advanced to the Grand Final. The result came from a split system: a jury vote and a public vote each carried 50% weighting.
The live broadcast from the Wiener Stadthalle settled who stays in the contest and who moves on, with the 10 qualifiers joining the Grand Final on Saturday 16 May. For the first time in this stage, the public vote happened during the show itself, giving the audience a direct say alongside the juries.
Vienna settles the first cut
The First Semi-Final was the opening filter in the 70th Eurovision Song Contest, and it was the one that mattered most for the first wave of finalists. The 15 participating countries voted, along with Italy and Germany, both of which also performed in the semi-final.
That mix matters because it shaped the field before the final lineup even existed. The 10 qualifiers did not just survive the cut; they also secured their place in one of three running-order outcomes for the Grand Final: First Half, Second Half or Producer's Choice.
Running-order draws in play
Most of the qualifiers drew their Grand Final half at random, which leaves their placement to the process rather than any onstage preference. Italy and Germany had a different route: because they also performed in the First Semi-Final, they got to choose their Grand Final halves.
The Grand Final adds the qualifiers from Thursday 14 May's Second Semi-Final, the Big 4, and reigning Contest champions Austria to the 10 names already through from Vienna. That makes the First Semi-Final result more than a single-night list; it sets the first block of the Saturday 16 May field.
Austria keeps the spotlight
Austria's position as reigning Contest champion gives the Vienna stage extra weight, but the practical story is the same: the first 10 slots in the Grand Final lineup are now locked in. For viewers, that means the first night has already done the structural work of the contest, narrowing a wide field into a final that can actually be planned around.
For the 15 participating countries in the First Semi-Final, the next step is already fixed by the vote count and the draw. The real test now shifts to Saturday 16 May, where those 10 qualifiers enter the Grand Final with their running-order halves decided and no room left for a second chance.
