Baku, 22 May 2012  – Ten of 20 slots up for grabs in Saturday's Final of the Eurovision Song Contest have been claimed in the first Semi-Final broadcast live from Azerbaijan's Crystal Hall tonight.

Thursday's second Semi-Final will confirm the Final line-up, which already includes France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the United Kingdom and host country Azerbaijan.

The 10 qualifiers in alphabetical order are:

Artists from 18 nations competed for slots awarded by viewers and professional juries representing each country.

The running order of the countries represented in the Final will be determined by a draw. Viewers in the 42 participating countries will vote for their favourite songs via a pan-European televoting system, which will open after all the contestants have performed. In addition, professional juries comprising six delegates in each of those countries have a 50% stake in the outcome.

It was the song Running Scared, sung by the duo Ell/Nikki, that gave Azerbaijan its first Eurovision Song Contest win and the chance to host this year's event. The Final, which is expected to be watched by more than 70 million fans, will be transmitted live over the Eurovision and Euroradio Networks to Europe and beyond by EBU Member, Ictimai TV.

EBU Executive Supervisor, Jon Ola Sand, said the 57th Eurovision Song Contest promises spectacular entertainment. "The excitement in Baku is palpable. Every day sees the arrival of new fans. Every corridor of the Crystal Hall resounds with music – final rehearsals, last-minute checks and preparations. We’re sure we will deliver Europe's favourite TV show as it's never been seen before."

The 'big five' and the host Azerbaijan, whose places are already confirmed in Saturday's final are:
 

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Note to editors:

About the Eurovision Song Contest
The Eurovision Song Contest is an annual competition for active Members of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), represented by the public broadcasters in their respective countries. The first contest was held in Lugano in Switzerland in 1956. Since then, the contest has become a true European tradition. News and information about the Eurovision Song Contest is available on: www.eurovision.tv The Grand Final will be broadcast live on Saturday, 26 May 2012 (21:00 CET) in all participating countries. Watch the Grand Final on line here on Eurovision.tv.

About the European Broadcasting Union (EBU)
The EBU serves 85 national media organizations in 56 countries in and around Europe. It represents its Members and promotes the values and distinctiveness of public service media in Europe and around the world. The Eurovision and Euroradio networks deliver news, sports, events and music to EBU Members and other media organizations. Services to Members range from legal advice, technical standardization and development to coproduction and exchange of quality European content. For more information about the EBU: www.ebu.ch and www.eurovision.net/