National Final
The 1996 preselections were hosted by Marko Reikop and Karmel Eikner, and were broadcast live from a night club in the Estonian capital Tallinn. Thirteen songs entered the event, with several acts entering with more than one song. Several artists had also competed in the last Estonian preselection for the 1994 contest, including Evelin Samuel and Pearu Paulus.
The preselections were voted on by a panel of judges from across Europe, with Maarja-Liis Ilus and Ivo Linna tying first with Kadri Hunt on 62 points. After a review of the scoring, it was announced that Ilus and Linna would go onto represent Estonia at the finals in Oslo, due to the Finnish judge awarding them maximum points - Something which Hunt had not achieved from any judge during the voting process.
| Draw | Artist | Song | Points | Place |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Evelin Samuel and Toomas Rull | Kaheksa näoga kuu | 54 | 5 |
| 2 | Kadri Hunt | Me rõõm ei kao | 62 | 2 |
| 3 | Üllar Meriste | Iialgi veel | 37 | 13 |
| 4 | Hedvig Hanson and Evelin Samuel | Meeletu algus | 50 | 7 |
| 5 | Urmas Podnek | Vaba kui tuul | 41 | 10 |
| 6 | Evelin Samuel, Karl Madis, Maarja-Liis Ilus and Pearu Paulus |
Kummalisel teel | 51 | 6 |
| 7 | Ivo Linna and Kadi-Signe Selde | Lihtne viis | 40 | 12 |
| 8 | Reet Kromel and Arne Lauri | Laule ja palveid täis päev | 50 | 7 |
| 9 | Tõnis Mägi | Ballaad | 57 | 3 |
| 10 | Kirile Loo | Maatütre tants | 56 | 4 |
| 11 | Sirje Medell | Elust enesest | 48 | 9 |
| 12 | Maarja-Liis Ilus and Ivo Linna | Kaelakee hääl | 62 | 1 |
| 13 | Tõnis Mägi | Eestimaa euromehe laul | 41 | 10 |
Read more about this topic: Estonia In The Eurovision Song Contest 1996
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