Eurovision Song Contest: discover Vienna in a fun way with the ESC Challenge
Want to experience the Eurovision Song Contest 2026 in Vienna in a fun, interactive way? You can do that with ivie, the official Host City app. The ESC Challenge lets you follow in the footsteps of the Eurovision Song Contest using your smartphone. An exciting digital treasure hunt awaits, taking you all across Vienna.
As part of the challenge, you’ll need to visit special places in Vienna that are closely connected to the Eurovision Song Contest. This is how it works: To collect points for the challenge, use your smartphone to check in digitally at 6 ESC locations in Vienna and answer 3 quiz questions at each location.
Click here to go to the ESC Challenge in ivie
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Exclusive prizes await: Participants who reach the minimum number of points will receive one of 400 Eurovision Song Contest hand fans (while supplies last). You need to score maximum points in order to be eligible for the main prize. The grand prize is a weekend in Vienna for two people at Jaz in the City Wien, one of the city’s most musical hotels. It’s located in Vienna’s trendy 6th district, Mariahilf.
Must-visit locations
Numerous places in Vienna are closely connected to the Eurovision Song Contest – for instance the House of Austrian History, where, for example, Conchita Wurst’s winning dress from 2014 and many other ESC items are on display. Just a stone’s throw away, the Hofburg Vienna is one of Vienna’s most important convention centers and is where the first ESC on Austrian soil took place in 1967. The ESC Challenge also takes you to the intersection where the first “traffic light couple” was installed in the run-up to the 2015 Eurovision Song Contest – an initiative that playfully promotes greater tolerance in public spaces.
You’ll also visit the Wiener Stadthalle, where the ESC final shows took place in 2015. The Eurovision Song Contest will likewise take place at the Stadthalle in 2026. You’ll also discover the grave of Udo Jürgens at the Vienna Central Cemetery. In 1966, Jürgens gave Austria its first win in the music competition. And if you’d like to know which opera stage Song Contest winner Johannes Pietsch, a.k.a. JJ, was regularly heard on, the ESC Challenge is just what you’re looking for.
These 6 locations must be visited if you want to score maximum points. You don’t need to enter the museums and event venues to complete the check-in. The check-in will work within a distance of 100 meters from the locations.
- House of Austrian History
- Hofburg Vienna
- Traffic-light couple
- Wiener Stadthalle
- Vienna State Opera
- Udo Jürgens’ grave
How many points you need to win
To qualify for the drawing for the grand prize (a weekend in Vienna for two at the Jaz in the City Wien hotel from Friday to Sunday), you need the full total of 30 points. You need to be signed in to the ivie app.
You’ll reach this if you answer all the quiz questions correctly (3 questions per location) and check in on site at all 6 ESC locations of the ESC Challenge. The digital check-in for each location can be done within a radius of about 100 meters.
- Answer all 3 quiz questions about a location correctly to earn 3 points. What if you answer one of them wrongly? You can repeat each quiz as many times as you like.
- The digital check-in will give you 2 points per location.
- Each location therefore gives you a maximum of 5 points.
To receive an ESC hand fan (a limited quantity of 400 is available), you need at least 20 points. You can do this by, for instance, answering all the quiz questions correctly (there are 3 questions per location) and completing at least one check-in (2 points).
You can pick up the ESC hand fan at the Tourist Info Albertinaplatz (Albertinaplatz 1, 1010 Vienna). The staff there will ask to see your points score in the ivie app.
FAQs – ESC Challenge
The challenge is being organized by the Vienna Tourist Board, Invalidenstraße 6, 1030 Vienna. Apple and Google are not associated with this giveaway in any way.
What will I need before I can take part in the challenge?
- You will need an up-to-date smartphone and the free ivie app (available in the Apple and Google Play stores).
- You can find the ESC Challenge on the ivie home screen or in the ivie main menu.
- You will need to accept the conditions of participation and switch on location-sharing in order to start the quiz.
Do I need to be in Vienna in order to take part in the challenge?
- Location-sharing on your smartphone is required in order to take part in the challenge. You do not have to be in Vienna, however, if you just want to answer the quiz questions. But to qualify for the ESC hand fan or the grand prize, you do need to be in Vienna and visit the ESC locations.
Do I have to reveal the location of my smartphone, and if so why?
- To secure your chances of winning, you need to visit the ESC locations of the ESC Challenge in Vienna and check in via the ivie app when you’re nearby. This requires location-sharing to be activated on your phone.
How do I check in at the various locations?
- You must be in the immediate vicinity of the particular location. Open the respective location in the ivie app and click on Check-In. When ivie asks you to identify your location, you must confirm this in order to complete the check-in. The check-in will work within a distance of 100 meters from the locations. You do not have to enter the premises.
How do I qualify to win a Eurovision Song Contest hand fan?
- You need to score at least 20 points. You can do this by, for example, answering all the quiz questions correctly (there are 3 questions per location) and check in to at least one location.
How do I get the Eurovision Song Contest hand fan?
- You must pick up the hand fan at the Tourist Info Albertinaplatz (Albertinaplatz 1, 1010 Vienna) and show your points balance in the ivie app there. Please be aware that the prizes are limited in number! A total of 400 hand fans are available.
- A maximum of one hand fan may be picked up per person.
How do I qualify for the grand prize, a weekend at the Jaz in the City Wien hotel?
- If you want to enter the draw for the main prize, you need to score the maximum 30 points. You’ll reach this if you answer all quiz questions correctly (3 questions per location) and check in at all 6 ESC locations of the ESC Challenge.
- You need to be signed in to the ivie app.
When will the winner of the main prize be announced?
- The prize draw will take place after the challenge ends. The winner(s) will be informed by email.
When does the ivie ESC Challenge end?
- The challenge runs through May 31, 2026, inclusive.
What’s included in the grand prize?
The weekend at the Jaz in the City Wien hotel includes two nights (Friday to Sunday) for two people, including breakfast.
