# Eurovision Song Contest 2015
The Eurovision Song Contest 2015 was the 60th edition of the annual international song competition, held at the Wiener Stadthalle in Vienna, Austria, after [Conchita Wurst](https://www.edgepedia.org/conchita-wurst)'s win for Austria the previous year. Sweden's [Måns Zelmerlöw](https://www.edgepedia.org/mans-zelmerlow) won with "Heroes" on 365 points, ahead of Russia's Polina Gagarina with "A Million Voices" on 303.[1](https://www.ebu.ch/news/2015/05/eurovision-song-contest-2015-swe) • [2](https://eurovisionsearch.com/year/2015/) The contest was a co-production between the [European Broadcasting Union](https://www.edgepedia.org/european-broadcasting-union) (EBU) and the Austrian broadcaster Österreichischer Rundfunk (ORF).[1](https://www.ebu.ch/news/2015/05/eurovision-song-contest-2015-swe)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Edition and venue | 60th contest, Wiener Stadthalle, Vienna, Austria[3](https://as.com/tikitakas/musica/cuantas-veces-ha-ganado-austria-el-festival-de-eurovision-cuando-sera-y-donde-se-celebrara-en-2026-n/) |
| Dates | First Semi-Final 19 May, Second Semi-Final 21 May, Grand Final Saturday 23 May 2015[4](https://www.eurovision.com/eurovision-song-contest/vienna-2015/vienna-2015-grand-final/) |
| Participation | 40 participating countries, 27 in the Grand Final, including Australia as a special guest finalist[5](https://www.ebu.ch/files/live/sites/ebu/files/Events/Communication/Press%20kit%2060th%20anniversary%20ESC.pdf) • [2](https://eurovisionsearch.com/year/2015/) |
| Winner | Sweden, Måns Zelmerlöw, "Heroes", 365 points[1](https://www.ebu.ch/news/2015/05/eurovision-song-contest-2015-swe) |
| Runner-up | Russia, Polina Gagarina, "A Million Voices", 303 points, a then-record for a non-winner[2](https://eurovisionsearch.com/year/2015/) |
| Null points | Host Austria and Germany both scored zero; Austria became the first host country to do so[2](https://eurovisionsearch.com/year/2015/) |
| Voting system | Combined jury and televote score, replaced from 2016 by separate jury and televote announcements[6](https://www.ebu.ch/news/2016/02/eurovision-song-contest-voting-u) |
## Background and hosting
Austria earned hosting rights through Conchita Wurst's victory at the 2014 contest in Copenhagen with "Rise like a Phoenix", a performance that became an anthem for the diversity of sexual identity across the continent.[7](https://blog.oup.com/2015/06/eurovision-song-contest-2015-vienna-two-europes/) The 60th edition was framed as a celebration of the contest's history, and Vienna marked the occasion with gestures of inclusivity, including special pedestrian traffic signals showing same-sex couples.[8](https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2015/may/24/swedish-eurovision-win-spares-russian-conservatives-an-awkward-moment-gay-sex)
**Scale of the event.** Over 1,600 journalists from 85 countries came to Vienna to cover the contest.[1](https://www.ebu.ch/news/2015/05/eurovision-song-contest-2015-swe) The EBU listed 40 participating countries, broadcast by its member broadcasters across Europe and beyond, from ORF in Austria and the BBC in the United Kingdom to Channel 1 in Russia.[5](https://www.ebu.ch/files/live/sites/ebu/files/Events/Communication/Press%20kit%2060th%20anniversary%20ESC.pdf) • [1](https://www.ebu.ch/news/2015/05/eurovision-song-contest-2015-swe)
## Participants and format
Twenty-seven countries competed in the Grand Final: the two semi-finals on 19 and 21 May narrowed the field, with the Big Five broadcasters and the host among those exempt from qualification.[4](https://www.eurovision.com/eurovision-song-contest/vienna-2015/vienna-2015-grand-final/) • [5](https://www.ebu.ch/files/live/sites/ebu/files/Events/Communication/Press%20kit%2060th%20anniversary%20ESC.pdf) Australia joined as a special guest finalist for the anniversary, creating a record 27-song final, and reached fifth place with [Guy Sebastian](https://www.edgepedia.org/guy-sebastian)'s "Tonight Again" on 196 points.[2](https://eurovisionsearch.com/year/2015/) • [9](https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2015/may/24/guy-sebastian-australia-eurovision-fifth-place)
Several entries carried political or historical weight. Armenia sent [Genealogy](https://www.edgepedia.org/genealogy), a group made up of members of the [Armenian diaspora](https://www.edgepedia.org/armenian-diaspora), whose song, listed on the scoreboard as "Face The Shadow", was reported at the time as "Don't Deny", a reference to the [Armenian Genocide](https://www.edgepedia.org/armenian-genocide).[10](https://time.com/5859080/eurovision-song-contest-netflix-real-stars/) • [4](https://www.eurovision.com/eurovision-song-contest/vienna-2015/vienna-2015-grand-final/) Romania's Voltaj performed "De la capăt (All Over Again)", about Romanian children growing up without parents who had emigrated to work in Central Europe, and Hungary's Boggie sang the eco-ballad "Wars for Nothing".[7](https://blog.oup.com/2015/06/eurovision-song-contest-2015-vienna-two-europes/) The United Kingdom was represented by the duo Electro Velvet with "Still in Love with You", described by the BBC as electro swing.[11](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/news/our-eurovision-entry-has-all-the-charisma-of-soggy-lettuce-10094583.html)
## Voting system
The 2015 contest used a system in which each country's jury vote and public televote were combined into a single score, with the two components carrying equal weight in each country's points in both the semi-finals and the Grand Final.[12](https://eurovisionworld.com/esc/eurovision_2015_full_voting_results) Jurors could not vote for their own country's song or give two songs the same rank, and the results of the voting for the semi-finals and the Grand Final were published on the official website after the Grand Final, not before.[13](https://www.eurovision.com/newsroom/rules-of-the-contest/) Jury votes were cast during the Friday dress rehearsal, with televotes cast during Saturday's live show.[1](https://www.ebu.ch/news/2015/05/eurovision-song-contest-2015-swe)
**Transparency.** To make the voting more open and accessible, the EBU published the complete results for the semi-finals and final immediately after voting closed, including separate jury and public results and the individual votes of each of the five national jurors.[14](https://evrovizija.rs/2015/05/24/rezultati-glasanja-na-pesmi-evrovizije-2015/)
## Grand Final result
Sweden's "Heroes" won with 365 points to Russia's 303, with Italy's Il Volo ("Grande Amore") third on 292 and Belgium's Loïc Nottet ("Rhythm Inside") fourth on 217; the top four all exceeded 200 points.[1](https://www.ebu.ch/news/2015/05/eurovision-song-contest-2015-swe) • [2](https://eurovisionsearch.com/year/2015/) • [4](https://www.eurovision.com/eurovision-song-contest/vienna-2015/vienna-2015-grand-final/) Latvia's Aminata ("Love Injected") placed sixth on 186 points.[4](https://www.eurovision.com/eurovision-song-contest/vienna-2015/vienna-2015-grand-final/)
Sweden's win came despite a third-place finish in the televote, the first such outcome since juries returned to the contest in 2009.[2](https://eurovisionsearch.com/year/2015/) At the other end, host Austria and Germany both finished with zero points, making Austria the first host country to do so.[2](https://eurovisionsearch.com/year/2015/)
A performance by the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra began the Grand Final, which also paid tribute to Udo Jürgens, the first Austrian Eurovision winner.[15](https://www.eurovision.com/eurovision-song-contest/vienna-2015/)
## Political context
The contest took place against the backdrop of the conflict in eastern Ukraine, and Russia's peace-themed entry became a focus of tension. Reporting from the semi-finals noted that anti-Russian sentiment was visible in Vienna, with viewers reluctant to send the contest to Moscow the following year.[16](https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2015/05/20/russia-is-desperate-to-win-the-eurovision-song-contest-everybody-else-is-desperate-they-lose/) Zelmerlöw himself had attracted controversy before the contest over comments about gay sex made on a television cooking show, and used his victory speech to declare that "we are all heroes, no matter who we love, who we are or what we believe in".[8](https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2015/may/24/swedish-eurovision-win-spares-russian-conservatives-an-awkward-moment-gay-sex) In the first semi-final, Russia's Gagarina won both the jury vote and the televote, while Estonia finished second with viewers but only tenth with the juries.[17](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WytZ0t1NVRQ)
Montenegro's Knez, with "Adio" composed by [Željko Joksimović](https://www.edgepedia.org/zeljko-joksimovic), achieved the country's most successful Eurovision result to date as an independent nation, finishing 13th in the final on 44 points.[18](https://eurovisionbyjaz.com/2015/06/04/from-heroes-to-zeroes-reviewing-the-eurovision-2015-semi-and-final-scoreboards-all-the-way-from-first-to-worst/) • [4](https://www.eurovision.com/eurovision-song-contest/vienna-2015/vienna-2015-grand-final/)
## Aftermath: the 2016 voting change
The zero-point outcomes and the opacity of the combined score prompted reform. The EBU's Reference Group accepted a new voting system in 2015, and the change was approved by the EBU Television Committee: from Stockholm 2016, jury and televote points would be awarded separately in each country's announcement, replacing the combined sequence used through 2015.[6](https://www.ebu.ch/news/2016/02/eurovision-song-contest-voting-u) Under the new rules, a national jury result can no longer serve as a backup for the televote, in order to preserve the 50/50 balance between the two.[6](https://www.ebu.ch/news/2016/02/eurovision-song-contest-voting-u)
## References
1. [Eurovision Song Contest 2015: Sweden wins 60th competition, EBU](https://www.ebu.ch/news/2015/05/eurovision-song-contest-2015-swe)
2. [Vienna, Austria | 2015, EurovisionSearch](https://eurovisionsearch.com/year/2015/)
3. [¿Cuántas veces ha ganado Austria el Festival de Eurovisión?, AS](https://as.com/tikitakas/musica/cuantas-veces-ha-ganado-austria-el-festival-de-eurovision-cuando-sera-y-donde-se-celebrara-en-2026-n/)
4. [Grand Final | Vienna 2015, Eurovision.tv](https://www.eurovision.com/eurovision-song-contest/vienna-2015/vienna-2015-grand-final/)
5. [Q&A on the Eurovision Song Contest, EBU press kit, 60th anniversary](https://www.ebu.ch/files/live/sites/ebu/files/Events/Communication/Press%20kit%2060th%20anniversary%20ESC.pdf)
6. [Eurovision Song Contest voting set for massive change, EBU](https://www.ebu.ch/news/2016/02/eurovision-song-contest-voting-u)
7. [Eurovision 2015 Vienna: similarities and differences, OUPblog](https://blog.oup.com/2015/06/eurovision-song-contest-2015-vienna-two-europes/)
8. [Swedish Eurovision win spares Russian conservatives an awkward moment, The Guardian](https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2015/may/24/swedish-eurovision-win-spares-russian-conservatives-an-awkward-moment-gay-sex)
9. [Guy Sebastian carries Australia's high Eurovision hopes to a heady fifth place, The Guardian](https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2015/may/24/guy-sebastian-australia-eurovision-fifth-place)
10. [The Real Stars of the Eurovision Song Contest, TIME](https://time.com/5859080/eurovision-song-contest-netflix-real-stars/)
11. [Our Eurovision entry has 'all the charisma of soggy lettuce', The Independent](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/news/our-eurovision-entry-has-all-the-charisma-of-soggy-lettuce-10094583.html)
12. [Eurovision 2015: Full voting results, EurovisionWorld](https://eurovisionworld.com/esc/eurovision_2015_full_voting_results)
13. [Rules of the Contest, Eurovision.tv](https://www.eurovision.com/newsroom/rules-of-the-contest/)
14. [Rezultati glasanja na Pesmi Evrovizije 2015, Evrovizija.rs](https://evrovizija.rs/2015/05/24/rezultati-glasanja-na-pesmi-evrovizije-2015/)
15. [Vienna 2015, Eurovision.tv](https://www.eurovision.com/eurovision-song-contest/vienna-2015/)
16. [Russia is desperate to win the Eurovision song contest. Everybody else is desperate they lose., The Washington Post](https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2015/05/20/russia-is-desperate-to-win-the-eurovision-song-contest-everybody-else-is-desperate-they-lose/)
17. [Eurovision 2015 semi final 1: Jury-televote split results, wiwibloggs](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WytZ0t1NVRQ)
18. [From 'Heroes' to zeroes: Reviewing the Eurovision 2015 scoreboards, Eurovision by Jaz](https://eurovisionbyjaz.com/2015/06/04/from-heroes-to-zeroes-reviewing-the-eurovision-2015-semi-and-final-scoreboards-all-the-way-from-first-to-worst/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Music › Music institutions and events › Music festivals › Named music festivals › European named festivals › German and Benelux festivals*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license