Wikipedia:WikiProject Eurovision/sandbox/1

At Eurovision
All countries except the "Big 5" (France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom) and the host country, were required to qualify from one of two semi-finals in order to compete for the final; the top ten countries from each semi-final progressed to the final. The European Broadcasting Union split up the competing countries into six different pots based on voting patterns from previous contests, with countries with favourable voting histories put into the same pot. On 20 January 2014, a special allocation draw was held which placed each country into one of the two semi-finals, as well as which half of the show they would perform in. The Netherlands was placed into the first semi-final, to be held on 6 May 2014, and was scheduled to perform in the second half of the show.

Once all the competing songs for the 2014 contest had been released, the running order for the semi-finals was decided by the show's producers rather than through another draw, so that similar songs were not placed next to each other. The Netherlands was set to perform in position 14, after the entry from and before the entry from.

All three shows were broadcast by Nederland 1 and satellite channel BVN, with commentary provided by Cornald Maas and Jan Smit. The Dutch spokesperson, who announced the Dutch votes during the final, was Tim Douwsma.

Semi-final
The Common Linnets took part in technical rehearsals on 29 April and 2 May, followed by dress rehearsals on 5 and 6 May. This included the jury final where professional juries of each country, responsible for 50 percent of each country's vote, watched and voted on the competing entries.

The Dutch stage show featured DeLange and Waylon using a specially-designed microphone stand to allow them to face each other, both playing guitars, while a bassist, a drummer and a cellist performed in the background. Low lighting was used throughout the performance, with large swooping camera shots at the beginning and end of the song implemented along with several close-ups during the rest of the performance. On the floor of the stage LED screens simulated road markings, while further screens on the background showed a rainy forest scene, transforming into a dry forest scene towards the end of the song's performance.

At the end of the show, the Netherlands was announced as having finished in the top ten and subsequently qualifying for the grand final. It was later revealed that the Netherlands won the semi-final, receiving a total of 150 points.

Final
Shortly after the first semi-final, a winner's press conference was held for the ten qualifying countries. As part of this press conference, the qualifying artists took part in a draw to determine which half of the grand final they would subsequently participate in. This draw was done in the order the countries were announced during the semi-final. The Netherlands was drawn to compete in the second half. Following the second semi-final, where the remaining ten qualifiers for the final were decided, the show's producers decided upon the running order of the final, as they had done for the semi-finals. The Netherlands were subsequently placed to perform in position 24, following the entry from and before the entry from. Following their qualification, the Netherlands was considered to be a major competitor for the Eurovision title, with bookmakers on the day of the final considering the Netherlands to be the third most likely country to win the competition.

The Common Linnets once again took part in dress rehearsals on 9 and 10 May before the final, including the jury final where the professional juries cast their final votes before the live show. After a short technical delay following the Danish entry, the group performed a repeat of their semi-final performance during the final, and finished in second place at the end of the voting behind the winning entry from, receiving a total of 238 points and having received 12 points, the maximum number of points a country can give to another, from eight countries. The broadcast of the final was watched by 5.1 million people in the Netherlands, representing a 65 percent market share, while during the Dutch performance a peak of 6.2 million people was registered.

Marcel Bezençon Awards
The Marcel Bezençon Awards, first awarded during the, are awards honouring the best competing songs in the final each year. Named after the creator of the annual contest, Marcel Bezençon, the awards are divided into three categories: the Press Award, given to the best entry as voted on by the accredited media and press during the event; the Artistic Award, presented to the best artist as voted on by the shows' commentators; and the Composer Award, given to the best and most original composition as voted by the participating composers. The Netherlands was voted the winners of two of the awards: The Common Linnets received the Artistic Award; and DeLange, Rob and Matthew Crosby, Meijers, and Etheridge received the Composer Award for "Calm After the Storm". DeLange and Waylon were in attendance at the award ceremony to receive the awards.

Voting
Voting during the three shows consisted of 50 percent public televoting and 50 percent from a jury deliberation. The jury consisted of five music industry professionals who were citizens of the country they represent, with their names published before the contest to ensure transparency. This jury was asked to judge each contestant based on: vocal capacity; the stage performance; the song's composition and originality; and the overall impression by the act. In addition, no member of a national jury could be related in any way to any of the competing acts in such a way that they cannot vote impartially and independently. The individual rankings of each jury member were released shortly after the grand final.

Below is a breakdown of points awarded to and from the Netherlands in the first semi-final and grand final of the contest, and the breakdown of the jury voting and televoting conducted during the two shows:
 * In the semi-final 1 the public placed Netherlands 1st with 147 points, the jury gave Netherlands 130 points placing it also 1st. Overall Netherlands placed 1st with 150 points.
 * In the Final the public awarded Netherlands 222 points placing 2nd, the jury gave Netherlands 200 points placing 3rd. Overall Netherlands placed 2nd with 238 points.

Detailed voting results
The following five members comprised the Dutch jury:
 * Antonius van de Berkt – Chairperson – record company CEO
 * Freek Bartels – singer, musical actor
 * Marlayne – singer, television host, represented the Netherlands in the 1999 Contest
 * Ruth Jacott – singer, represented the Netherlands in the 1993 Contest
 * Sander Lantinga – radio DJ 3FM