Eurovision Song Contest 2003 took place in Riga, Latvia, on 24 May 2003. Twenty-six countries competed at Skonto Hall, following Marie N’s win for Latvia in the 2002 contest with “I Wanna”. Turkey won the contest with Sertab Erener’s “Everyway That I Can”, earning 167 points.
Latvia hosted Eurovision for the first time after winning the contest on only its third participation. Latvijas Televīzija (LTV) chose Skonto Hall as the venue after a bidding process among several Latvian cities and venues. The hosts were the previous year’s winner Marie N and Renārs Kaupers, who represented Latvia in 2000 as part of the band Brainstorm. The contest’s theme was “Magical rendez-vous”, representing the meeting of European nations in Latvia and the country’s varied landscapes.
Turkey’s victory was its first at the Eurovision Song Contest. Belgium finished second with 165 points, two points behind Turkey, while Russia placed third with 164 points. Norway and Sweden completed the top five in fourth and fifth place respectively.
The United Kingdom finished last in 26th place, receiving no points from any of the twenty-six voting nations. Eurovision 2003 was the last contest to take place on a single evening, before the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) introduced a semi-final to accommodate the growing number of participating countries. It was also the last contest to use a relegation system to determine participation in the following year’s contest. All 26 acts were participating artists for the first time; there were no returning artists who had previously competed in the contest.
| Draw | Country | Language | Artist | Song | Place | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Iceland | English | Birgitta | “Open Your Heart” | 8 | 81 |
| 02 | Austria | German | Alf Poier | “Weil der Mensch zählt” | 6 | 101 |
| 03 | Ireland | English | Mickey Harte | “We’ve Got the World” | 11 | 53 |
| 04 | Turkey | English | Sertab Erener | “Everyway That I Can” | 1 | 167 |
| 05 | Malta | English | Lynn Chircop | “To Dream Again” | 25 | 4 |
| 06 | Bosnia and Herzegovina | Croatian, English | Mija Martina | “Ne brini” | 16 | 27 |
| 07 | Portugal | Portuguese, English | Rita Guerra | “Deixa-me sonhar” | 22 | 13 |
| 08 | Croatia | Croatian, English | Claudia Beni | “Više nisam tvoja” | 15 | 29 |
| 09 | Cyprus | English | Stelios Constantas | “Feeling Alive” | 20 | 15 |
| 10 | Germany | English | Lou | “Let’s Get Happy” | 11 | 53 |
| 11 | Russia | Russian | t.A.T.u. | “Ne ver’, ne boisia” (Не верь, не бойся) | 3 | 164 |
| 12 | Spain | Spanish | Beth | “Dime” | 8 | 81 |
| 13 | Israel | Hebrew | Lior Narkis | “Words for Love” | 19 | 17 |
| 14 | Netherlands | English | Esther Hart | “One More Night” | 13 | 45 |
| 15 | United Kingdom | English | Jemini | “Cry Baby” | 26 | 0 |
| 16 | Ukraine | English | Olexandr | “Hasta la Vista” | 14 | 30 |
| 17 | Greece | English | Mando | “Never Let You Go” | 17 | 25 |
| 18 | Norway | English | Jostein Hasselgård | “I’m Not Afraid to Move On” | 4 | 123 |
| 19 | France | French | Louisa Baïleche | “Monts et merveilles” | 18 | 19 |
| 20 | Poland | German, Polish, Russian | Ich Troje | “Keine Grenzen – Żadnych granic” | 7 | 90 |
| 21 | Latvia | English | F.L.Y. | “Hello From Mars” | 24 | 5 |
| 22 | Belgium | Imaginary | Urban Trad | “Sanomi” | 2 | 165 |
| 23 | Estonia | English | Ruffus | “Eighties Coming Back” | 21 | 14 |
| 24 | Romania | English | Nicola | “Don’t Break My Heart” | 10 | 73 |
| 25 | Sweden | English | Fame | “Give Me Your Love” | 5 | 107 |
| 26 | Slovenia | English | Karmen | “Nanana” | 23 | 7 |
