This article is more than 3 years old

This article is more than 3 years old

Australia will be competing at Eurovision for the third consecutive year in 2017, after Brisbane contestant Dami Im reached the grand final of the 2016 contest, which was broadcast on SBS.

The former Australian X Factor winner was runner-up in Stockholm this year, with a performance of Sound of Silence that the managing director of SBS, Michael Ebeid, called “magnificent”. If the voting system hadn’t been changed to “inject new excitement” into the broadcast, she would have won.

“[Im’s performance] secured Australia the runner-up position on the world’s largest stage, a testament not only to her amazing singing prowess but the humbling way the European community has embraced our entry into the competition,” Ebeid said on Tuesday.

Dami Im reveals ambitions to crack Europe after close finish at Eurovision Read more

The relationship between Eurovision and Australia has grown in recent years. In 2014, at the interval of the second semi-final, Australian singer Jessica Mauboy became the first non-European solo artist to be invited to perform.

In 2015 the Australian singer Guy Sebastian became the country’s first ever contestant, with a wild-card entry that sent him straight through to the finals. He came fifth.

In May this year SBS announced it had an exclusive deal with the European Broadcasting Union to develop an Asia Pacific version of the contest, Eurovision Asia, which would bring together up to 20 competing countries in the Asia Pacific region. At the time, they said the inaugural event would be hosted by Australia in 2017 but, on Tuesday, could offer no further updates.

“We are still in a development stage of an Asian Eurovision and hope to have more to share soon,” a spokesperson said.

Eurovision 2017 will be held in Ukraine and broadcast on SBS in May.

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