ORF has confirmed that Austria will be participating in Portugal next year. They have also confirmed that they will be using an internal selection once again in order to find the act representing them.
Nathan was Running On Air
This year, Nathan Trent represented the landlocked nation after being internally selected by the broadcaster. Nathan embarked on a promotional tour both in Austria and around Europe to promote his song. He managed to qualify for the grand final, making this year Austria’s 4th consecutive qualification after placing 7th in the semi-final.
In the final, Austria achieved a modest result of 16th place. Running On Air gained 93 points from the juries but failed to attain any points from the televoting.
Austria’s recent selection methods
On most occasions since Austria returned to the competition in 2011 in Düsseldorf, ORF chose to use national finals in order to select their act. Using this mechanism saw them reached three finals. These were in 2011 with Nadine Beiler, 2015 with The Makemakes and in 2016 with Zoë.
However, internal selections have given the country its best result for a long time. In 2014, Austria internally selected Conchita with ‘Rise Like a Phoenix’. After 48 contests, Austria finally secured another Eurovision victory. As a result, Austria now hold a record of longest gap between wins! Therefore, perhaps using an internal selection again in 2018 is a good decision?
Are you pleased Austria will participate in the 2018 Eurovision Song Contest? Do you think they can achieve another victory by using the same mechanism? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below!
Comments on ORF confirms Austria’s participation in Eurovision 2018