# Slovakia in the Eurovision Song Contest 2010

Slovakia participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2010 with the song "Horehronie" written by Kamil Peteraj and Martin Kavulič. The song was performed by Kristina. The Slovak entry for the 2010 contest in Oslo, Norway was selected through the national final Eurosong 2010, organised by the Slovak broadcaster Slovenská televízia (STV). 60 entries competed in the national final which consisted of nine shows: six quarter-finals, two semi-finals and a final. In the quarter-finals, four entries were selected by a public vote to advance from each show. Twenty-four entries qualified to compete in the semi-finals where six entries were selected to advance from each show based on the combination of votes from a three-member jury panel and a public vote. Twelve entries ultimately qualified to compete in the final on 27 February 2010 where "Horehronie" performed by Kristina was selected as the winner after scoring the most points from the jury and public vote.
Slovakia was drawn to compete in the first semi-final of the Eurovision Song Contest which took place on 25 May 2010. Performing during the show in position 4, "Horehronie" was not announced among the top 10 entries of the second semi-final and therefore did not qualify to compete in the final. It was later revealed that Slovakia placed sixteenth out of the 17 participating countries in the semi-final with 24 points.

## Background

Prior to the 2010 contest, Slovakia had participated in the Eurovision Song Contest four times since its first entry in 1994. The nation's best placing in the contest was eighteenth, which it achieved in 1996 with the song "Kým nás máš" performed by Marcel Palonder. Following the introduction of semi-finals in 2004, Slovakia had yet to feature in a final. Slovakia achieved their least successful result in 2009, where they returned to the contest and failed to qualify to the final with the song "Leť tmou" performed by Kamil Mikulčík and Nela Pocisková.
The Slovak national broadcaster, Slovenská televízia (STV), broadcasts the event within Slovakia and organises the selection process for the nation's entry. STV had used both national finals and internal selections to select their Eurovision entries. STV confirmed their intentions to participate at the 2010 Eurovision Song Contest on 28 March 2009. In 2009, the broadcaster selected the Slovak entry via a national final, a procedure that was continued for their 2010 participation.

## Before Eurovision
### Eurosong 2010

Eurosong 2010 was the national final format developed by STV in order to select Slovakia's entry for the Eurovision Song Contest 2010. The competition consisted of nine shows which commenced on 22 January 2010 and concluded with a final on 27 February 2010. The nine shows took place at the STV studios in Bratislava and hosted by Martin Rausch with Martin Kontúr hosting segments from the green room. All shows in the competition were broadcast on Jednotka as well as online at the broadcaster's official website stv.sk. The final was also broadcast online at the official Eurovision Song Contest website eurovision.tv.

#### Format

The format of the competition consisted of nine shows: six quarter-finals on 22 January 2010, 24 January 2010, 29 January 2010, 31 January 2010, 5 February 2010 and 7 February 2010, two semi-finals on 14 and 21 February 2010, and a final on 27 February 2010. The quarter-finals each featured ten competing entries from which a public televote exclusively determined the top four entries to qualify to the semi-finals. The two semi-finals each featured twelve entries from which the 50/50 combination of votes from a public televote and a jury panel determined the top six entries to qualify to the final. Both the public and the jury assigned scores ranging from 1 (lowest) to 12 (highest) and the six entries that had the highest number of points following the combination of these scores advanced to the final. The final featured the remaining twelve entries and the winner was determined by the 50/50 combination of votes from a public televote and a jury panel. Both the public and the jury assigned scores ranging from 1 to 12 and the entry that had the highest number of points following the combination of these scores was declared the winner. Viewers were able to vote via SMS and the proceeds from the public voting were donated towards those affected by the 2010 Haiti earthquake. In the event of a tie during the semi-finals and final, the tie was decided in favour of the entry that received the highest score from the public vote.
The three-member jury panel that participated in the semi-finals and final consisted of:
* Ľubica Čekovská – Composer
* Janko Lehotský – Singer
* Martin Sarvaš – Lyricist, manager of the band Tublatanka which represented Slovakia in the Eurovision Song Contest 1994

#### Competing entries

Artists and composers were able to submit their entries between 14 July 2009 and 30 October 2009. Artists were required to hold Slovak citizenship. Songwriters were able to submit more than one song, however each artist could only perform one song in the competition. Songs were required to be performed in Slovak with an exception being made for the chorus which could be in English. The broadcaster received 239 submissions at the closing of the deadline and an expert committee selected sixty entries for the competition. The competing entries were announced on 15 December 2009 and among the artists was Marcel Palonder who represented Slovakia in the Eurovision Song Contest 1996. On 26 January 2010, "Chýrna zem" performed by Gionno and Ján Mitaľ and "Sevilla" performed by Golden Storm were withdrawn from the competition and replaced with the songs "Príčina" performed by Guru Brothers and "Dolina, dolina" performed by Lekra.
| Artist | Song | Songwriter(s) |
| Alek Malo and Dolly Booster | "Zmysel života" | Alek Malo |
| Alone | "Strašne mi chýbaš" | Michal Cabala |
| Andrea Súlovská | "Život" | Andrea Súlovská |
| Arzén | "Keď som išiel za ránky" | Pavol Cabadaj, Jaroslav Gažo |
| Aya | "Do neba volám" | Boris Lettrich |
| Barbora Šulíková | "Čelný náraz" | Ada Žigová, Jaroslav Žigo |
| Bystrík | "Slnko nespáli" | Bystrik |
| Dáška Kostovčik and Peter Bič Project | "Dážď" | Peter Bič, Stanislav Lauro |
| Dominika Mirgová | "Cesta snov" | Dominika Mirgová, Lukey |
| Dreamtouch | "Je to OK" | Anna Bajcurová, M. Lukáč, L. Liba, Martin Hybben |
| Družina | "Koniec sveta" | Izabela Bérešová, Martin Sabov, Juraj Haško |
| Exponent | "Zveste lásku z kríža" | Tomáš Kmet |
| Free Voices | "Z osnov" | Robert Bendik |
| Funny Fellows | "Obrázok" | Zuzana Haasová, Roman Féder |
| Get Explode | "Blue Sun" | Marián Čurko, Laco Kováč |
| Guru Brothers | "Príčina" | Pavel Botoš, Štefan Tomolya |
| Happyband | "Mafiánska" | Vašo Michalčik |
| Horská chata | "Myslíš, že vieš kto som" | Peter Cingel, Horská Chata |
| Hrdza | "Taká sa mi páči" | Slavomir Gibarti |
| Hudba z Marsu | "Final Song" | Michal Štofej |
| Ivana Poláčková | "So mnou všetko smieš" | Jimi Cimbala, Zoltán Tóth |
| Kristina | "Horehronie" | Kamil Peteraj, Martin Kavulič |
| Lekra | "Dolina, dolina" | Lekra |
| Lucia Olešová | "Rok a pol" | Dušan Giertl, Tibor Laurinčik |
| Marcel and Tomáš Palonder feat. Street Dance Academy | "Slová slov" | Václav Šuplata, Marcel Palonder |
| Marcel Berky | "Kým sa dá" | Miroslav Jurika, Marián Brezáni, Jimi Cimbala, Zoltán Tóth |
| Margot | "Tak ma hrej" | Andrea Zimániová, Daniel Urbán |
| Marián Bango | "Ty tu ticho spíš" | Tibor Jediný |
| Martin Konrád | "Ja viem" | Martin Konrád |
| Martina Schindlerová | "Môžeš ísť" | Peter Lehotský, Juraj Zaujec |
| Matej Koreň | "Kocka pána Rubika" | Matej Koreň |
| Matka Guráž | "Listobranie" | Robert Ruman |
| Mayo | "Tón" | Mayo |
| Metalinda | "Keď strácam dych" | Peter Sámel |
| Michaella | "O nás" | Silvia Kaščáková, Vladimir Gnepa |
| Michal Chrenko | "Kto vlastne som" | Miroslav Jurika, Marián Brezáni, Michal Chrenko |
| Miro Jaroš | "Bez siedmeho neba" | Miro Jaroš, Vladimir Gnepa |
| Mista | "Emotions" | Mista |
| Otto Weiter and Makar Čudra | "Vrtká" | Viktov Mikláš, Ivan Kutný |
| Palo Drapák Band | "Pocit vášne" | Juraj Žák, Palo Drapák |
| Pavol Kusý and No Frost | "Slzy v daždi" | Pavol Kusý |
| Pavol Remenár, Klára and Liquid Error | "Figaro" | Pavol Jursa, Peter Farnbauer |
| Peter Bažík | "Paradise vs Babylon" | Peter Bažik |
| Petra Humeňanská | "Rosa rosí" | Jana Humeňanská |
| Renáta Čonková and Martina Polievková | "Dúha" | Pavol Kubica, Emil Čonka |
| Reverz Park | "Po kvapkách" | Peter Klema, Števo Faltin, Peter Fotta |
| Richard Čanaky and FBI | "Zlomené krídla" | Richard Čanaky |
| Róbert Mikla | "Voda a oheň" | Róbert Mikla, Milan Herstek, |
| Robo Opatovský | "Niečo máš" | Peter Konečny, Robo Opatovský |
| Robo Šimko and MassRiot | "Podľa vlastnej hlavy" | Marián Brezáni, Miroslav Jurika, MassRiot |
| Save the Cookie | "My World" | Igor Baar, Save the Cookie |
| Six and Kristy | "Priestor pre dvoch" | Mário Karas |
| Smola a hrušky | "Pridaj si ma" | Jozef Kramár |
| Soňa | "Skús ma viesť" | Peter Sámel |
| Stereo | "Niekde medzi tým" | Andy Ďurica |
| Stopa | "Nightsong" | Marcel Jurčensková, Stopa |
| Sunlips | "Správy v splne" | Pavol Vozár |
| Tomáš Bezdeda | "Na strechách domov" | Monika Hajšová, Tomáš Bezdeda |
| Vierka Ayisi | "Je čas zabávať sa" | Vierka Ayisi, Jozef Šebo, Baddogzz Production |
| Viki Matušovová | "Uhol pohľadu" | Miroslav Jurika, Marián Brezáni, Brunno Oravec |

#### Quarter-finals

The six quarter-finals took place between 22 January and 7 February 2010. Four entries as determined by a public televote qualified to the semi-final from each quarter-final. On 28 January 2010, "Taká sa mi páči" performed by Hrdza which qualified from the first quarter-final was disqualified from the competition due to the song having been performed before 1 October 2009; the song "Myslíš, že vieš kto som" performed by Horská chata which placed fifth was selected as a replacement qualifier.
Quarter-final 1 – 22 January 2010 :
| Draw | Artist | Song | Televote | Place |
| 1 | Tomáš Bezdeda | "Na strechách domov" | 16.9% | 3 |
| 2 | Dreamtouch | "Je to OK" | 3.1% | 9 |
| 3 | Horská chata | "Myslíš, že vieš kto som" | 8.7% | 5 |
| 4 | Michaella | "O nás" | 15.9% | 4 |
| 5 | Hrdza | "Taká sa mi páči" | 19.5% | 1 |
| 6 | Six and Kristy | "Priestor pre dvoch" | 5.9% | 6 |
| 7 | Richard Čanaky and FBI | "Zlomené krídla" | 18.5% | 2 |
| 8 | Margot | "Tak ma hrej" | 2.5% | 10 |
| 9 | Michal Chrenko | "Kto vlastne som" | 3.9% | 8 |
| 10 | Lucia Olešová | "Rok a pol" | 5.0% | 7 |
Quarter-final 2 – 24 January 2010 :
| Draw | Artist | Song | Televote | Place |
| 1 | Matka Guráž | "Listobranie" | 10.11% | 5 |
| 2 | Dominika Mirgová | "Cesta snov" | 4.90% | 9 |
| 3 | Get Explode | "Blue Sun" | 12.70% | 4 |
| 4 | Mista | "Emotions" | 16.05% | 1 |
| 5 | Matej Koreň | "Kocka pána Rubika" | 6.57% | 7 |
| 6 | Pavol Remenár, Klára and Liquid Error | "Figaro" | 15.97% | 2 |
| 7 | Peter Bažík | "Paradise vs Babylon" | 15.09% | 3 |
| 8 | Viki Matušovová | "Uhol pohľadu" | 5.81% | 8 |
| 9 | Metalinda | "Keď strácam dych" | 9.85% | 6 |
| 10 | Funny Fellows | "Obrázok" | 2.94% | 10 |
Quarter-final 3 – 29 January 2010 :
| Draw | Artist | Song | Televote | Place |
| 1 | Robo Šimko and MassRiot | "Podľa vlastnej hlavy" | 8.1% | 7 |
| 2 | Renáta Čonková and Martina Polievková | "Dúha" | 13.6% | 3 |
| 3 | Reverz Park | "Po kvapkách" | 11.9% | 6 |
| 4 | Andrea Súlovská | "Život" | 1.2% | 10 |
| 5 | Lekra | "Dolina, dolina" | 5.7% | 8 |
| 6 | Martin Konrád | "Ja viem" | 13.5% | 4 |
| 7 | Free Voices | "Z osnov" | 14.2% | 2 |
| 8 | Hudba z Marsu | "Final Song" | 12.0% | 5 |
| 9 | Robo Opatovský | "Niečo máš" | 15.9% | 1 |
| 10 | Guru Brothers | "Príčina" | 4.0% | 9 |
Quarter-final 4 – 31 January 2010 :
| Draw | Artist | Song | Televote | Place |
| 1 | Mayo | "Tón" | 12.9% | 2 |
| 2 | Stereo | "Niekde medzi tým" | 7.9% | 7 |
| 3 | Barbora Šulíková | "Čelný náraz" | 9.9% | 6 |
| 4 | Alek Malo and Dolly Booster | "Zmysel života" | 4.6% | 9 |
| 5 | Save the Cookie | "My World" | 7.0% | 8 |
| 6 | Pavol Kusý and No Frost | "Slzy v daždi" | 10.2% | 5 |
| 7 | Petra Humeňanská | "Rosa rosí" | 11.6% | 4 |
| 8 | Palo Drapák Band | "Pocit vášne" | 3.9% | 10 |
| 9 | Alone | "Strašne mi chýbaš" | 12.0% | 3 |
| 10 | Martina Schindlerová | "Môžeš ísť" | 20.0% | 1 |
Quarter-final 5 – 5 February 2010 :
| Draw | Artist | Song | Televote | Place |
| 1 | Smola a hrušky | "Pridaj si ma" | 12.1% | 2 |
| 2 | Vierka Ayisi | "Je čas zabávať sa" | 2.2% | 9 |
| 3 | Bystrík | "Slnko nespáli" | 2.7% | 8 |
| 4 | Arzén | "Keď som išiel za ránky" | 5.7% | 6 |
| 5 | Sunlips | "Správy v splne" | 11.5% | 5 |
| 6 | Marcel Berky | "Kým sa dá" | 1.1% | 10 |
| 7 | Dáška Kostovčik and Peter Bič Project | "Dážď" | 11.6% | 4 |
| 8 | Róbert Mikla | "Voda a oheň" | 12.0% | 3 |
| 9 | Kristina | "Horehronie" | 36.7% | 1 |
| 10 | Exponent | "Zveste lásku z kríža" | 4.5% | 7 |
Quarter-final 6 – 7 February 2010 :
| Draw | Artist | Song | Televote | Place |
| 1 | Ivana Poláčková | "So mnou všetko smieš" | 3.7% | 7 |
| 2 | Marián Bango | "Ty tu ticho spíš" | 14.8% | 4 |
| 3 | Stopa | "Nightsong" | 8.5% | 6 |
| 4 | Družina | "Koniec sveta" | 14.7% | 5 |
| 5 | Soňa | "Skús ma viesť" | 17.7% | 1 |
| 6 | Marcel and Tomáš Palonder feat. Street Dance Academy | "Slová slov" | 3.4% | 8 |
| 7 | Otto Weiter and Makar Čudra | "Vrtká" | 2.3% | 10 |
| 8 | Miro Jaroš | "Bez siedmeho neba" | 16.3% | 2 |
| 9 | Happyband | "Mafiánska" | 2.9% | 9 |
| 10 | Aya | "Do neba volám" | 15.7% | 3 |

#### Semi-finals

The two semi-finals took place on 14 and 21 February 2010. The top six entries as determined by the combination of votes from a public televote and a jury panel advanced to the final.
Semi-final 1 – 14 February 2010 :
| Draw | Artist | Song | Jury | Televote | Televote | Total | Place |
| Draw | Artist | Song | Jury | Percentage | Points | Total | Place |
| 1 | Marián Bango | "Ty tu ticho spíš" | 4 | 6.8% | 8 | 12 | 6 |
| 2 | Mayo | "Tón" | 9 | 4.8% | 5 | 14 | 4 |
| 3 | Kristina | "Horehronie" | 12 | 31.2% | 12 | 24 | 1 |
| 4 | Petra Humeňanská | "Rosa rosí" | 5 | 1.9% | 1 | 6 | 11 |
| 5 | Róbert Mikla | "Voda a oheň" | 1 | 11.1% | 10 | 11 | 9 |
| 6 | Pavol Remenár, Klára and Liquid Error | "Figaro" | 7 | 6.6% | 7 | 14 | 3 |
| 7 | Renáta Čonková and Martina Polievková | "Dúha" | 8 | 4.7% | 4 | 12 | 8 |
| 8 | Michaella | "O nás" | 3 | 3.1% | 2 | 5 | 12 |
| 9 | Richard Čanaky and FBI | "Zlomené krídla" | 2 | 7.0% | 9 | 11 | 10 |
| 10 | Robo Opatovský | "Niečo máš" | 10 | 4.5% | 3 | 13 | 5 |
| 11 | Get Explode | "Blue Sun" | 6 | 6.5% | 6 | 12 | 7 |
| 12 | Miro Jaroš | "Bez siedmeho neba" | 11 | 12.0% | 11 | 22 | 2 |
Semi-final 2 – 21 February 2010 :
| Draw | Artist | Song | Jury | Televote | Televote | Total | Place |
| Draw | Artist | Song | Jury | Percentage | Points | Total | Place |
| 1 | Soňa | "Skús ma viesť" | 5 | 13.0% | 11 | 16 | 4 |
| 2 | Horská chata | "Myslíš, že vieš kto som" | 6 | 3.7% | 1 | 7 | 11 |
| 3 | Martin Konrád | "Ja viem" | 2 | 8.5% | 7 | 9 | 9 |
| 4 | Dáška Kostovčik and Peter Bič Project | "Dážď" | 8 | 6.7% | 4 | 12 | 7 |
| 5 | Peter Bažík | "Paradise vs Babylon" | 4 | 6.9% | 5 | 9 | 10 |
| 6 | Alone | "Strašne mi chýbaš" | 1 | 5.8% | 3 | 4 | 12 |
| 7 | Smola a hrušky | "Pridaj si ma" | 9 | 5.6% | 2 | 11 | 8 |
| 8 | Martina Schindlerová | "Môžeš ísť" | 7 | 7.8% | 6 | 13 | 5 |
| 9 | Free Voices | "Z osnov" | 3 | 9.1% | 9 | 12 | 6 |
| 10 | Tomáš Bezdeda | "Na strechách domov" | 10 | 9.7% | 10 | 20 | 2 |
| 11 | Aya | "Do neba volám" | 12 | 9.0% | 8 | 20 | 3 |
| 12 | Mista | "Emotions" | 11 | 14.2% | 12 | 23 | 1 |

#### Final

The final was set to take place on 28 February 2010, however it was rescheduled to 27 February 2010 instead following the recent success of the Slovak men's ice hockey team at the 2010 Winter Olympics. The twelve entries that qualified from the semi-finals competed and the combination of votes from a public vote and a jury panel selected "Horehronie" performed by Kristina as the winner. In addition to the performances of the competing entries, guest performers included Maltese singer Claudia Faniello performing "Samsara", and 2001 and 2006 Maltese Eurovision entrant Fabrizio Faniello performing "No I Can Do". Kristina and Mista were tied at 23 points each but since Kristina received the most votes from the public she was declared the winner.
Final – 27 February 2010 :
| Draw | Artist | Song | Jury | Televote | Televote | Total | Place |
| Draw | Artist | Song | Jury | Percentage | Points | Total | Place |
| 1 | Kristina | "Horehronie" | 11 | 37.6% | 12 | 23 | 1 |
| 2 | Free Voices | "Z osnov" | 1 | 2.6% | 3 | 4 | 12 |
| 3 | Robo Opatovský | "Niečo máš" | 5 | 2.1% | 2 | 7 | 10 |
| 4 | Martina Schindlerová | "Môžeš ísť" | 4 | 3.1% | 4 | 8 | 8 |
| 5 | Aya | "Do neba volám" | 9 | 5.3% | 8 | 17 | 4 |
| 6 | Marián Bango | "Ty tu ticho spíš" | 2 | 4.5% | 5 | 7 | 9 |
| 7 | Tomáš Bezdeda | "Na strechách domov" | 8 | 7.4% | 9 | 17 | 3 |
| 8 | Mista | "Emotions" | 12 | 16.5% | 11 | 23 | 2 |
| 9 | Miro Jaroš | "Bez siedmeho neba" | 10 | 5.0% | 6 | 16 | 5 |
| 10 | Soňa | "Skús ma viesť" | 3 | 9.8% | 10 | 13 | 7 |
| 11 | Mayo | "Tón" | 6 | 0.8% | 1 | 7 | 11 |
| 12 | Pavol Remenár, Klára and Liquid Error | "Figaro" | 7 | 5.2% | 7 | 14 | 6 |

## At Eurovision

According to Eurovision rules, all nations with the exceptions of the host country and the "Big Four" (France, Germany, Spain and the United Kingdom) are required to qualify from one of two semi-finals in order to compete for the final; the top ten countries from each semi-final progress to the final. The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) 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 7 February 2010, a special allocation draw was held which placed each country into one of the two semi-finals. Slovakia was placed into the first semi-final, to be held on 25 May 2010.
The running order for the semi-finals was decided through another draw on 23 March 2010 and Slovakia was set to perform in position 4, following the entry from Estonia and before the entry from Finland. Despite being one of the pre-contest favourites, at the end of the first semi-final, Slovakia was not announced among the top 10 entries in the first semi-final and therefore failed to qualify to compete in the final. It was later revealed that Slovakia placed sixteenth in the semi-final, receiving a total of 24 points. Slovakia was placed fourteenth by the public with 34 points and sixteenth by the juries with 25 points.
The two semi-finals and the final were broadcast in Slovakia on Dvojka with commentary by Roman Bomboš. The Slovak spokesperson, who announced the top 12-point score awarded by Slovakia during the final, was Ľubomír Bajaník.

### Voting

Voting during the three shows involved each country awarding points from 1-8, 10 and 12 as determined by a combination of 50% national jury and 50% televoting. Each nation's jury consisted of five music industry professionals who are citizens of the country they represent. This jury judged each entry 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 was permitted to be related in any way to any of the competing acts in such a way that they cannot vote impartially and independently. The members that comprised the Slovak jury were: Juraj Čurný, Dezider Kukoľ, Ľubica Čekovská, Marcel Palonder and Mirka Brezovská.
Below is a breakdown of points awarded to Slovakia and awarded by Slovakia in the first semi-final and grand final of the contest. The nation awarded its 12 points to Malta in the semi-final and to Germany in the final of the contest.