Alika was the fifth member of the Estonian jury for Eurovision 2025, who was removed from the jury due to a rule breach.
Estonian media reports that Alika was due to be a member of the Estonian jury for Eurovision 2025, but was removed from the final result due to a breach of EBU rules. The official results for Estonia show that only four jurors voted in the final:
Inderk Sarrap
Ott Lepland – Eurovision 2012 representative
Owe Petersell
Elina Nechayeva – Eurovision 2018 representative
Both Kroonika and Postimees report that Alika was due to be the fifth juror, completing the line-up of the Estonian jury. In a statement to Kroonika, ERR did not confirm the name of the juror but explained:
“Votes for the four members were taken into account because one member violated EBU’s rules and their votes were not taken into account.”
While ERR does not state what the rule breach is, Postimees states that Alika may have revealed her views on some of the acts ahead of the final. This is a breach of the juror rules and normally sees the juror replaced should her views have been shared far enough in advance of the contest.
Estonia finished 3rd in the Eurovision Song Contest 2025, the countries best result since the 2002 contest in Tallinn. Tommy Cash performed “Espresso Macchiato” scoring 356 points, including 12 points from the public in Armenia, Croatia, Latvia, Malta and Serbia.
Image source: Sarah Louise Bennett / EBU | Source: Kroonika / Postimees / Eesti Laul Updates
Estonia debuted in the Eurovision Song Contest in 1994 alongside six other countries. In 2001, Estonia won the Eurovision Song Contest in Copenhagen, Denmark, the country’s only victory to date. They won with the song “Everybody”, performed by Tanel Padar, Dave Benton & 2XL, who took a surprise victory in Copenhagen. After the success of the late-90s and early 00s, Estonia failed to qualify for the final from 2004-2008. In 2009, Estonia launched a new selection show, Eesti Laul. They have qualified for the final on 11 out of 17 attempts since.
