Estonian flag to be waved by Birgit Õigemeel in Malmö!

Broadcaster ERR is known for excellent productions, and tonight was no exception with a great show from start to finish. Eesti Laul 2013 culminated with Birgit Õigemeel being declared the winner with the song Et uus saaks alguse, and will therefore represent Estonia at the 2013 Eurovision Song Contest in Malmö in May. 

Watch Birgit sing Et uus saaks alguse at tonight's Eesti Laul final below:

The results

Tonight, the ten acts all performed before a mix of jury and televoting decided on the two that would qualify for the so-called superfinal. Over 60,000 televotes were received at this decisive stage! The qualifiers were (winner in bold):

• Birgit Õigemeel - Et uus saaks alguse
• Grete Paia - Päästke noored hinged

In the superfinal it was up to the Estonian public alone to decide the fate of the two qualifiers and as we now know, they decided that Birgit Õigemeel should represent them in Sweden in May. 

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The participants

After two Semi-Finals where a total of 20 songs participated, only 10 could be in tonight's Grand Final at the Nokia Music Hall. These were (in order of appearance):

1. Rolf Roosalu - With U
2. Liisi Koikson & Söörömöö - Üle vee
3. Rasmus Rändvee & Facelift Deer - Dance
4. Elina Born - Enough
5. Põhja-Tallinn - Meil on aega veel
6. Kõrsikud - Suuda öelda ei
7. Birgit Õigemeel - Et uus saaks alguse
8. Teele & Tuuli & Ula - Ring The Alarm
9. Winny Puhh - Meiecundimees üks Korsakov läks eile Lätti
10. Grete Paia - Päästke noored hinged

What the world thinks of Estonia

Like in many countries' national finals, each of the songs was preceeded by the customary postcard. This year, instead of featuring the artists, two of Estonia's top actors, Mait Malmsten and Jan Uuspõld, recorded skits depicting how foreigners see Estonia and the Estonians, with hilarious effects. From James Bond to an EU commissioner and a Tallinn night club, the stereotypes came flying out. Could this work at the Eurovision Song Contest, maybe?

Watch it again!

Did you miss the Estonian national final? Then look no further - you can watch it again on demand in our WebTV player!

Estonia will participate in the first Semi-Final of the 2013 Eurovision Song Contest, being held in Malmö, Sweden on the 14th of May.