04 Tel Aviv

Welcome to Tel Aviv
"The white City"

Called the "White City" thanks to the color of its World Heritage-listed architectural landmarks, Tel Aviv serves as Israel's modern and cosmopolitan second city. Many opt for a day trip to Tel Aviv from nearby Jerusalem, but a longer stay allows visitors to discover the city's many hidden charms. Worthy attractions include galleries brimming with contemporary, artisan boutiques and chic restaurants delivering some of the most innovative dishes in the world. Located on the Mediterranean coastline, Tel Aviv also represents one of the region's top beach destinations. The city's developed seashore boasts some of its most popular gathering places, with bars and restaurants spilling onto the sand and providing ideal spots for watching the sunset.

Host City / Tel Aviv, Israel
Venue / Gesher Theatre
Hosts / Dafna Dekel and Yagir Ravid

Participating countries / 23
Debuting countries / Australia, Macedonia, Morocco, Norway and United States
Returning countries / Belgium and Ireland
Withdrawing countries / Azerbaijan, Estonia, Greece and Namibia

Debuting players / Alex K for Morocco, Denis for Macedonia, Gil for Belgium and Klaasjan for Ireland

Returning Artists

The Corrs / for Ireland / placing 21st
Nusa Derenda / for Slovenia / placing 5th

The Result

Countries receiving most 12 points / Romania and Sweden, 3
Countries giving 12 points to the winner / Denmark, Germany and Sweden
Countries receiving points from most juries / Romania, 15
Highest placing country not scoring a top mark / Bosnia-Herzegovina in 3rd place with 10 points from Australia, Albania and Macedonia as highest marks
Lowest placing country scoring a top mark / Turkey in 18th place getting 12 points from Bosnia-Herzegovina

After the second jury had voted, Romania and Sweden took turns taking the lead for the rest of the voting, with Macedonia putting its head forward a couple of times. However, when Sweden only scored 1 point from the last 5 juries combined, Romania took the lead and stayed on top until the end. Sweden settled for the silver, while Bosnia-Herzegovina took home the bronze, beating out Portugal in a tie. Host country Israel rounded out the top 5.

Romania has taken part in all 4 editions so far. Following a 12th place finish on their first participation, Romania has set the scoreboard on fire for the last three editions. They took the bronze medal in GM02 and followed that up with a silver medal in GM03 and now they take the last step of the podium to claim their first gold medal. Well done Romania, Impact and Adrian!