The was the third time that '''
Estonia ''' entered the
Eurovision Song Contest , and was their first participation since their last place in the
1994 Final . The entrant was again selected by a panel of expert judges, with thirteen entrants into the preselection final. The preselection would end up tied on points, with
Maarja-Liis Ilus and
Ivo Linna 's duet "Kaelakee hääl" winning on the basis of being awarded more maximum points than the runner-up
Kadri Hunt . In the final, Ilus and Linna finished 5th.
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.
Estonia had missed the
Eurovision Song Contest 1995 final due to a low score in the 1994 event, which allowed other countries the chance of compete in 1995. Likewise, low scoring countries at the 1995 final missed out for 1996, allowing Estonia to get back in. In the final, Estonia would not have to worry about low scoring putting them out for
1997 , with Ilus and Linna performing strongly and receiving maximum points from
Sweden , Finland and
Iceland . With the scores received from other countries steady also, Estonia managed to finish 5th, their highest ever placing at the time.
