Netherlands in the Eurovision Song Contest 2006
The Dutch participating broadcaster, Nederlandse Omroep Stichting (NOS), organised the national final Nationaal Songfestival 2006 in order to select its entry for the contest.The Dutch broadcasters has used various methods to select its entry in the past, such as the Nationaal Songfestival, a live televised national final to choose the performer, song or both to compete at Eurovision.Nine entries competed in the competition that consisted of a final on 12 March 2006 which took place at the Heineken Music Hall in Amsterdam, hosted by Paul de Leeuw.Each juror awarded a point for their favourite song of each artist in the first round, while viewers were able to vote via telephone and SMS in the superfinal.[12] The jury panel consisted of:[12] On 22 November 2005, the three selected competing artists were announced during a press conference that took place in Amsterdam.[21] According to Eurovision rules, all nations with the exceptions of the host country, the "Big Four" (France, Germany, Spain and the United Kingdom) and the ten highest placed finishers in the 2005 contest are required to qualify from the semi-final on 18 May 2006 in order to compete for the final on 20 May 2006; the top ten countries from the semi-final progress to the final.