Eurovision Song Contest Jury Final, 2016 on:
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Each show typically begins with an opening act consisting of music and/or dance performances by invited artists, which contributes to a unique theme and identity created for that year's event; since 2013 the opening of the contest's final has included a "Flag Parade", with competing artists entering the stage behind their country's flag in a similar manner to the procession of competing athletes at the Olympic Games opening ceremony. Viewers are welcomed by one or more presenters who provide key updates during the show, conduct interviews with competing acts from the
Active members (as opposed to associate members) of the European Broadcasting Union are eligible to participate; active members are those who are located in states that fall within the
The winning country traditionally hosts the following year's event, with some exceptions since . Hosting the contest can be seen as a unique opportunity for promoting the host country as a tourist destination and can provide benefits to the local economy and tourism sectors of the host city. Preparations for each year's contest typically begin at the conclusion of the previous year's contest, with the winning country's head of delegation receiving a welcome package of information related to hosting the contest at the winner's press conference. Eurovision is a non-profit event, and financing is typically achieved through a fee from each participating broadcaster, contributions from the host broadcaster and the host city, and commercial revenues from sponsorships, ticket sales, televoting and merchandise.
The host broadcaster will subsequently select a host city, typically a national or regional capital city, which must meet certain criteria set out in the contest's rules. The host venue must be able to accommodate at least 10,000 spectators, a press centre for 1,500 journalists, should be within easy reach of an international airport and with hotel accommodation available for at least 2,000 delegates, journalists and spectators. A variety of different venues have been used for past editions, from small theatres and television studios to large arenas and stadiums. The largest host venue is
The contest is organised annually by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), together with the participating broadcaster of the host country. The event is monitored by an Executive Supervisor appointed by the EBU, and by the
Since 1957, each country's votes have been announced during a special voting segment as part of the contest's broadcast, with a selected spokesperson assigned to announce the results of their country's vote. This spokesperson is typically well known in their country; previous spokespersons have included former Eurovision artists and presenters. Historically the announcements were made through
An influx of new countries applying for the resulted in the introduction of a semi-final from 2004, with the contest becoming a two-day event. The top 10 countries in each year's final would qualify automatically to the following year's final, alongside the "Big Four", meaning all other countries would compete in the semi-final to compete for 10 qualification spots. The in
The contest has been used as a launching point for artists who went on to achieve worldwide fame, and several of the world's best-selling artists are counted among past Eurovision Song Contest participants and winning artists.
69 songs from 27 countries have won the Eurovision Song Contest has recorded the most wins, with seven in total, followed by with six, and , , the and the with five each. Of the 52 countries to have taken part, 25 have yet to win. On only one occasion have multiple winners been declared in a single contest: in , four countries finished the contest with an equal number of votes and due to the lack of a tie-break rule at the time, all four countries were declared winners. A majority of winning songs have been performed in English, particularly since the language rule was abolished in 1999. Since that contest, seven winning songs have been performed either fully or partially in a language other than English.
Two countries have won the contest on their first appearance: , by virtue of being declared the winner of the first contest in 1956; and , which won in 2007 in their first participation as an independent country, following entries in previous editions as part of the now-defunct and then . Other countries have had relatively short waits before winning their first contest, with victorious on their second contest appearance in and winning with their third entry in . Conversely, some countries have competed for many years before recording their first win: recorded their first win in , 31 years after their first appearance, while ended a 45-year losing streak in . waited the longest, recording their first win in , 53 years after their first participation. Countries have in the past had to wait many years to win the contest again: Switzerland went 32 years between winning in 1956 and ; held a 37-year gap between wins in and ; the Netherlands waited 44 years to win again in , their most recent win having been in ; and won its second contest in , 48 years after their first win in .
The United Kingdom holds the record for the highest number of second-place finishes, having come runner-up in the contest sixteen times. Meanwhile, has come last more than any other country, appearing at the bottom of the scoreboard on eleven occasions, including scoring ''nul points'' four times. A country has recorded back-to-back wins on four occasions: recorded consecutive wins in and 1969; Luxembourg did likewise in and ; Israel won the contest in and ; and Ireland became the first country to win three consecutive titles, winning in , and . Ireland's winning streak in the 1990s includes the , giving them a record four wins in five years.
The winning artists and songwriters receive a trophy, which since 2008 has followed a standard design: a handmade piece of sandblasted glass with painted details in the shape of a 1950s-style microphone, designed by Kjell Engman of the Swedish-based glassworks Kosta Glasbruk, Kosta Boda. The trophy is typically presented by the previous year's winner; others who have handed out the award in the past include representatives from the host broadcaster or the EBU, and politicians; in 2007 the fictional character, Joulupukki (original Santa Claus from Finland), presented the award to the winner Marija Šerifović.
Alongside the song contest and appearances from local and international personalities, performances from non-competing artists and musicians have been included since the first edition, and have become a staple of the live show. These performances have varied widely, previously featuring music, art, dance and circus performances, and past participants are regularly invited to perform, with the reigning champion traditionally returning each year to perform the previous year's winning song.
The contest's opening performance and the main interval act, held following the final competing song and before the announcement of the voting results, has become a memorable part of the contest and has included both internationally known artists and local stars. Contest organisers have previously used these performances as a way to explore their country's culture and history, such as in "4,000 Years of Greek Song" at the held in Greece; other performances have been more comedic in nature, featuring parody and humour, as was the case with "Love Love Peace Peace" in , a humorous ode to the history and spectacle of the contest itself. ''
As artists and songs ultimately represent a country, the contest has seen several controversial moments where political tensions between competing countries as a result of frozen conflicts, and in some cases open warfare, are reflected in the performances and voting.
The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, continuing conflict between and has affected the contest on numerous occasions. Armenia–Azerbaijan relations in the Eurovision Song Contest, Conflicts between the two countries at Eurovision escalated quickly since both countries began competing in the late 2000s, resulting in fines and disciplinary action for both countries' broadcasters over political stunts, and a forced change of title for one competing song due to allegations of political subtext. Interactions between and in the contest had originally been positive, however as Russia–Ukraine relations, political relations soured between the two countries so too have Russia–Ukraine relations in the Eurovision Song Contest, relations at Eurovision become more complex. Complaints were levied against 's winning song in , "1944 (song), 1944", whose lyrics referenced the Deportation of the Crimean Tatars, deportation of the Crimean Tatars, but which the claimed had a greater political meaning in light of Annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation, Russia's annexation of Crimea. As prepared to host the , Russia's selected representative, Yuliya Samoylova (singer), Yuliya Samoylova, was barred from entering the country due to having previously entered Crimea illegally according to Ukrainian law. Russia eventually pulled out of the contest after offers for Samoylova to perform remotely were refused by Russia's broadcaster, Channel One Russia, resulting in the EBU reprimanding the Ukrainian broadcaster, UA:PBC. In the wake of the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine and subsequent protests from other participating countries, was barred from competing in , where went on to win. 's planned entry for the in Moscow, Russia, "We Don't Wanna Put In", caused controversy as the lyrics appeared to criticise Vladimir Putin, in a move seen as opposition to the then-Prime Minister of Russia, Russian prime minister in the aftermath of the Russo-Georgian War. After requests by the EBU for changes to the lyrics were refused, Georgia's broadcaster Georgian Public Broadcasting, GPB subsequently withdrew from the event. ' planned entry in , "Ya nauchu tebya (I'll Teach You)", also caused controversy in the wake of 2020–2021 Belarusian protests, demonstrations against disputed 2020 Belarusian presidential election, election results, resulting in the country's disqualification when the aforementioned song and another potential song were deemed to breach the contest's rules on neutrality and politicisation.
's participation in the contest has resulted in several controversial moments in the past, with the country's first appearance in , less than a year after the Munich massacre, resulting in an increased security presence at the venue in Luxembourg City. 's first win in proved controversial for Arab world, Arab states broadcasting the contest which would typically cut to Television advertisement, advertisements when Israel performed due to a lack of International recognition of Israel, recognition of the country, and when it became apparent Israel would win many of these broadcasters cut the feed before the end of the voting. Arab states which are eligible to compete have declined to participate due to Israel's presence, with the only Arab state to have entered Eurovision, competing for the first, and the only time, in when Israel was absent. Israeli participation has been criticised by those who oppose current Government of Israel, government policies in the state, with calls raised by various political groups for a boycott ahead of the in Tel Aviv, including proponents of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement in response to the country's policies towards Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, Gaza, as well as groups who take issue with perceived Pinkwashing (LGBT), pinkwashing in Israel. Others campaigned against a boycott, asserting that any cultural boycott would be antithetical to advancing peace in the region.
Eurovision has had a long-held fan base in the LGBT community, and contest organisers have actively worked to include these fans in the event since the 1990s. Paul Oscar became the contest's first openly Gay men, gay artist to compete when he represented in . 's Dana International, the contest's first Transgender, trans performer, became the first LGBT artist to win in . In , Nikkie de Jager became the first trans person to host the contest.
Several open members of the LGBT community have since gone on to compete and win: Conchita Wurst, the Drag (clothing), drag persona of openly gay Thomas Neuwirth, won the for ; openly bisexual performer Duncan Laurence was the winner of the 2019 contest for the ; and rock band Måneskin, winners of the 2021 contest for , features openly bisexual Victoria De Angelis as its bassist. Marija Šerifović, who won the 2007 contest for , subsequently came out publicly as a lesbian in 2013. Past competing songs and performances have included references and allusions to same-sex relationships; "Nous les amoureux", the winning song, contained references to the difficulties faced by a homosexual relationship; Krista Siegfrids' performance of "Marry Me" at the included a same-sex kiss with one of her female backing dancers; and the stage show of 's Ryan O'Shaughnessy's "Together (Ryan O'Shaughnessy song), Together" in had two male dancers portraying a same-sex relationship. Drag queen, Drag performers, such as 's Verka Serduchka, 's DQ (artist), DQ and 's Sestre (drag act), Sestre, have appeared, including Wurst winning in 2014.
In more recent years, various political ideologies across Europe have clashed in the Eurovision setting, particularly LGBT rights in Europe, on LGBT rights. Dana International's selection for the 1998 contest in Birmingham was marked by objections and death threats from orthodox Religion in Israel, religious sections of Israeli society, and at the contest her accommodation was reportedly in the only hotel in Birmingham with bulletproof windows. , once a regular participant and a one-time winner, first pulled out of the contest in , citing dissatisfaction in the voting rules and more recently Turkish broadcaster Turkish Radio and Television Corporation, TRT have cited LGBT performances as another reason for their continued boycott, refusing to broadcast the 2013 event over 's same sex kiss. LGBT visibility in the contest has been cited as a deciding factor for 's non-participation since , although no official reason was given by the Hungarian broadcaster MTVA (Hungary), MTVA. The rise of anti-LGBT sentiment in Europe has led to a marked increase in booing from contest audiences, particularly since the introduction of a Russian gay propaganda law, "gay propaganda" law in Russia in 2013. Conchita Wurst#International response, Conchita Wurst's win was met with criticism on the Politics of Russia, Russian political stage, with several Conservatism in Russia, conservative politicians voicing displeasure in the result. Clashes on LGBT visibility in the contest have occurred in countries which do not compete, such as in , where broadcasting rights were terminated during the 2018 contest due to Censorship in China, censorship of "abnormal sexual relationships and behaviours" that went against Chinese broadcasting guidelines.
Several anniversary events, and related contests under the "Eurovision Live Events" brand, have been organised by the EBU with member broadcasters. In addition participating broadcasters have occasionally commissioned special Eurovision programmes for their home audiences, and a number of other imitator contests have been developed outside of the EBU framework, on both a national and international level.
The EBU has held several events to mark selected anniversaries in the contest's history: ''Songs of Europe (1981 concert), Songs of Europe'', held in 1981 to celebrate its twenty-fifth anniversary, had live performances and video recordings of all Eurovision Song Contest winners up to 1981; ''Congratulations: 50 Years of the Eurovision Song Contest'' was organised in 2005 to celebrate the event's fiftieth anniversary, and featured a contest to determine the most popular song from among 14 selected entries from the contest's first 50 years; and in 2015 the event's sixtieth anniversary was marked by ''Eurovision Song Contest's Greatest Hits'', a concert of performances by past Eurovision artists and video montages of performances and footage from previous contests. Following the cancellation of the , the EBU subsequently organised a special non-competitive broadcast, '' Eurovision: Europe Shine a Light'', which provided a showcase for the songs that would have taken part in the competition.
Other contests organised by the EBU include Eurovision Young Musicians, a classical music competition for European musicians between the ages of 12 and 21; Eurovision Young Dancers, a dance competition for non-professional performers between the ages of 16 and 21; Eurovision Choir, a choral competition for non-professional European choirs produced in partnership with the and modelled after the World Choir Games; and the Junior Eurovision Song Contest, a similar song contest for singers aged between 9 and 14 representing primarily European countries. The Eurovision Dance Contest was an event featuring pairs of dancers performing ballroom and Latin dancing, which took place for two editions, in 2007 and 2008.
Similar international music competitions have been organised externally to the EBU. The Sopot International Song Festival has been held annually since 1961; between 1977 and 1980, under the patronage of the International Radio and Television Organisation (OIRT), an Eastern European broadcasting network similar to the EBU, it was rebranded as the Intervision Song Contest. A Ibero-American contest, the OTI Festival, was previously held among hispanophone and lusophone countries in Europe, North America and South America; and a contest for countries and Autonomous administrative division, autonomous regions with Turkic peoples, Turkic links, the Turkvision Song Contest, has been organised since 2013. Similarly, an adaption of the contest for artists in the United States, the ''American Song Contest'', was first held in 2022 and featured songs representing U.S. states and U.S. territory, territories. Adaptions of the contest for artists in Canada and Latin America are in development.
The Eurovision Song Contest (), sometimes abbreviated to ESC and often known simply as Eurovision, is an international songwriting competition organised annually by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), featuring participants representing primarily European countries. Each participating country submits an original song to be performed on
The Eurovision Song Contest's founding stemmed from a desire to promote cooperation between European countries in the years following the Second World War through cross-border television broadcasts, which gave rise to the founding of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) in 1950. The word "Eurovision" was first used by British journalist George Campey in the ''
programme being relayed by Dutch television. Following several events broadcast internationally via the Eurovision transmission network in the early 1950s, including the live television
Live television is a television production broadcast in real-time, as events happen, in the present. In a secondary meaning, it may refer to streaming television over the Internet when content or programming is played continuously (not on deman ...
and radio
Radio is the technology of signaling and communicating using radio waves. Radio waves are electromagnetic waves of frequency between 30 hertz (Hz) and 300 gigahertz (GHz). They are generated by an electronic device called a transmi ...
, transmitted to national broadcasters via the EBU's Eurovision and Euroradio networks, with competing countries then casting votes for the other countries' songs to determine a winner.
Based on the Sanremo Music Festival
The Sanremo Music Festival, officially the Italian Song Festival () and commonly known as just (), is the most popular Italian song contest and awards ceremony, held annually in the city of Sanremo, Liguria. It is the longest-running annua ...
held in Italy since 1951, Eurovision has been held annually since 1956 (apart from ), making it the longest-running annual international televised music competition and one of the world's longest-running television programmes. Active members of the EBU, as well as invited associate members, are eligible to compete, and 52 countries have participated at least once. Each participating broadcaster sends one original song of three minutes duration or less to be performed live by a singer or group of up to six people aged 16 or older. Each country awards 1–8, 10 and 12 points to their favourite songs, based on the views of an assembled group of music professionals and the country's viewing public, with the song receiving the most points declared the winner. Other performances feature alongside the competition, including a specially-commissioned opening and interval act and guest performances by musicians and other personalities, with past acts including Cirque du Soleil
Cirque du Soleil (, ; "Circus of the Sun" or "Sun Circus") is a Canadian entertainment company and the largest contemporary circus producer in the world. Located in the inner-city area of Saint-Michel, it was founded in Baie-Saint-Paul on 16 Ju ...
, Madonna and the first performance of ''Riverdance
''Riverdance'' is a theatrical show that consists mainly of traditional Irish music and dance. With a score composed by Bill Whelan, it originated as an interval act during the Eurovision Song Contest 1994, featuring Irish dancing champions Je ...
''. Originally consisting of a single evening event, the contest has expanded as new countries joined (including countries outside of Europe, such as ), leading to the introduction of relegation procedures in the 1990s, and eventually the creation of semi-finals in the 2000s. has competed more times than any other country, having participated in all but one edition, while holds the record for the most victories, with seven wins in total.
Traditionally held in the country which won the preceding year's event, the contest provides an opportunity to promote the host country and city as a tourist destination. Thousands of spectators attend each year, and journalists are present to cover all aspects of the contest, including rehearsals in venue, press conferences with the competing acts, and other related events and performances in the host city. Alongside the generic Eurovision logo, a unique theme and slogan is typically developed for each event. The contest has aired in countries across all continents, and has been available online via the official Eurovision website since 2001. Eurovision ranks among the world's most watched non-sporting events every year, with hundreds of millions of viewers globally, and performing at the contest has often provided artists with a local career boost and in some cases long-lasting international success. Several of the best-selling music artists in the world have competed in past editions, including ABBA
ABBA ( , , formerly named Björn & Benny, Agnetha & Anni-Frid or Björn & Benny, Agnetha & Frida) are a Swedish supergroup formed in Stockholm in 1972 by Agnetha Fältskog, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson, and Anni-Frid Lyngstad. The group ...
, Celine Dion
Céline Marie Claudette Dion ( ; born 30 March 1968) is a Canadian singer. Noted for her powerful and technically skilled vocals, Dion is the best-selling Canadian recording artist, and the best-selling French-language artist of all time. Her ...
, Julio Iglesias
Julio José Iglesias de la Cueva (; born 23 September 1943) is a Spanish singer, songwriter and former professional footballer. Iglesias is recognized as the most commercially successful Spanish singer in the world and one of the top record ...
, Cliff Richard
Sir Cliff Richard (born Harry Rodger Webb; 14 October 1940) is an Indian-born British musican, singer, producer, entrepreneur and philanthropist who holds both British and Barbadian citizenship. He has total sales of over 21.5 million s ...
and Olivia Newton-John
Dame Olivia Newton-John (26 September 1948 – 8 August 2022) was a British-Australian singer, actress and activist. She was a four-time Grammy Award winner whose music career included 15 top-ten singles, including 5 number-one singles on the ...
, and some of the world's best-selling singles have received their first international performance on the Eurovision stage.
While having gained popularity with the viewing public in both participating and non-participating countries, the contest has also been the subject of criticism for its artistic quality as well as a perceived political aspect to the event. Concerns have been raised regarding political friendships and rivalries between countries potentially having an impact on the results. Controversial moments have included participating countries withdrawing at a late stage, censorship of broadcast segments by broadcasters, and political events impacting participation. Likewise, the contest has also been criticised for an over-abundance of elaborate stage shows at the cost of artistic merit. Eurovision has, however, gained popularity for its kitsch
Kitsch ( ; loanword from German) is a term applied to art and design that is perceived as naïve imitation, overly-eccentric, gratuitous, or of banal taste.
The avant-garde opposed kitsch as melodramatic and superficial affiliation wi ...
appeal, its musical span of ethnic
An ethnic group or an ethnicity is a grouping of people who identify with each other on the basis of shared attributes that distinguish them from other groups. Those attributes can include common sets of traditions, ancestry, language, history, ...
and international styles, as well as emergence as part of LGBT culture
LGBT culture is a culture shared by lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer individuals. It is sometimes referred to as queer culture (indicating people who are queer), while the term gay culture may be used to mean "LGBT culture" o ...
, resulting in a large, active fanbase and an influence on popular culture. The popularity of the contest has led to the creation of several similar events, either organised by the EBU or created by external organisations, and several special events have been organised by the EBU to celebrate select anniversaries or as a replacement due to cancellation.
Origins and history
The Eurovision Song Contest's founding stemmed from a desire to promote cooperation between European countries in the years following the Second World War through cross-border television broadcasts, which gave rise to the founding of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) in 1950. The word "Eurovision" was first used by British journalist George Campey in the ''London Evening Standard
The ''Evening Standard'', formerly ''The Standard'' (1827–1904), also known as the ''London Evening Standard'', is a local free daily newspaper in London, England, published Monday to Friday in tabloid format.
In October 2009, after be ...
'' in 1951, when he referred to a BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...Coronation of Elizabeth II
The coronation of Elizabeth II took place on 2 June 1953 at Westminster Abbey in London. She acceded to the throne at the age of 25 upon the death of her father, George VI, on 6 February 1952, being proclaimed queen by her privy and executive ...
in 1953, an EBU committee, headed by Marcel Bezençon, was formed in January 1955 to investigate new initiatives for cooperation between broadcasters, which approved for further study a European song competition from an idea initially proposed by RAI
RAI – Radiotelevisione italiana (; commercially styled as Rai since 2000; known until 1954 as Radio Audizioni Italiane) is the national public broadcasting company of Italy, owned by the Ministry of Economy and Finance. RAI operates many ter ...
manager Sergio Pugliese. The EBU's general assembly agreed to the organising of the song contest in October 1955, under the initial title of the ''European Grand Prix'', and accepted a proposal by the Swiss delegation to host the event in Lugano
Lugano (, , ; lmo, label=Ticinese dialect, Ticinese, Lugan ) is a city and municipality in Switzerland, part of the Lugano District in the canton of Ticino. It is the largest city of both Ticino and the Italian-speaking southern Switzerland. Luga ...
in the spring of 1956. The Italian Sanremo Music Festival
The Sanremo Music Festival, officially the Italian Song Festival () and commonly known as just (), is the most popular Italian song contest and awards ceremony, held annually in the city of Sanremo, Liguria. It is the longest-running annua ...
, held since 1951, was used as a basis for the initial planning of the contest, with several amendments and additions given its international nature.
Seven countries participated in the , with each country represented by two songs; the only time in which multiple entries per country were permitted. The winning song was " Refrain", representing the host country Switzerland and performed by Lys Assia
Lys Assia (born Rosa Mina Schärer; 3 March 1924 – 24 March 2018) was a Swiss singer who won the first Eurovision Song Contest in 1956. Assia was born in Rupperswil, Aargau, and began her stage career as a dancer, but changed to singing in 1940 ...
. Voting during the first contest was held behind closed doors, with only the winner being announced on stage; the use of a scoreboard and public announcement of the voting, inspired by the BBC's '' Festival of British Popular Songs'', has been used since 1957. The tradition of the winning country hosting the following year's contest, which has since become a standard feature of the event, began in 1958. Technological developments have transformed the contest: colour broadcasts began in ; satellite broadcasts in ; and streaming in . Broadcasts in widescreen
Widescreen images are displayed within a set of aspect ratios (relationship of image width to height) used in film, television and computer screens. In film, a widescreen film is any film image with a width-to-height aspect ratio greater than t ...
began in 2005 and in high-definition since 2007, with ultra-high-definition tested for the first time in 2022.
By the 1960s, between 16 and 18 countries were regularly competing each year. Countries from outside the traditional boundaries of Europe began entering the contest, and countries in Western Asia
Western Asia, West Asia, or Southwest Asia, is the westernmost subregion of the larger geographical region of Asia, as defined by some academics, UN bodies and other institutions. It is almost entirely a part of the Middle East, and includes Ana ...
and North Africa
North Africa, or Northern Africa is a region encompassing the northern portion of the African continent. There is no singularly accepted scope for the region, and it is sometimes defined as stretching from the Atlantic shores of Mauritania in ...
started competing in the 1970s and 1980s. Changes in Europe following the end of the Cold War
End, END, Ending, or variation, may refer to:
End
*In mathematics:
**End (category theory)
** End (topology)
** End (graph theory)
** End (group theory) (a subcase of the previous)
** End (endomorphism)
*In sports and games
** End (gridiron footb ...
saw an influx of new countries from Central and Eastern Europe applying for the first time. The included a separate pre-qualifying round for seven of these new countries, and from relegation systems were introduced to manage the number of competing entries, with the poorest performing countries barred from entering the following year's contest. From 2004 the contest expanded to become a multi-programme event, with a semi-final at the allowing all interested countries to compete each year; a second semi-final was added to each edition from 2008.
66 contests have been held making Eurovision the longest-running annual international televised music competition as determined by ''Guinness World Records
''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a reference book published annually, listing world ...
''. The contest has been listed as one of the longest-running television programmes in the world and among the world's most watched non-sporting events. A total of 52 countries have taken part in at least one edition, with a record 43 countries participating in a single contest, first in and subsequently in and . Australia became the first non-EBU member country to compete following an invitation by the EBU ahead of the contest's in 2015; initially announced as a "one-off" for the anniversary edition, the country was invited back the following year and has subsequently secured participation rights until 2023.
Eurovision had been held every year until 2020, when was cancelled in response to the COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...
. No competitive event was able to take place due to uncertainty caused by the spread of the virus in Europe and the various restrictions imposed by the governments of the participating countries. In its place a special broadcast, '' Eurovision: Europe Shine a Light'', was produced by the organisers, which honoured the songs and artists that would have competed in 2020 in a non-competitive format.
Naming
Over the years the name used to describe the contest, and used on the official logo for each edition, has evolved. The first contests were produced under the name of in French and as the ''Eurovision Song Contest Grand Prix'' in English, with similar variations used in the languages of each of the broadcasting countries. From 1968, the English name dropped the 'Grand Prix' from the name, with the French name being aligned as the , first used in 1973. The contest's official brand guidance specifies that translations of the name may be used depending on national tradition and brand recognition in the competing countries, but that the official name ''Eurovision Song Contest'' is always preferred; the contest is commonly referred to in English by the abbreviation "Eurovision", and in internal documents by the acronym "ESC". On only four occasions has the name used for the official logo of the contest not been in English or French: the Italian names and were used when Italy hosted the and contests respectively; and theDutch
Dutch commonly refers to:
* Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands
* Dutch people ()
* Dutch language ()
Dutch may also refer to:
Places
* Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States
* Pennsylvania Dutch Country
People E ...
name was used when the Netherlands hosted in and .
Format
Original songs representing participating countries are performed in a live television programme broadcast via the Eurovision and Euroradio networks simultaneously to all countries. A "country" as a participant is represented by one television broadcaster from that country, a member of the European Broadcasting Union, and is typically that country's nationalpublic broadcasting
Public broadcasting involves radio, television and other electronic media outlets whose primary mission is public service. Public broadcasters receive funding from diverse sources including license fees, individual contributions, public financing ...
organisation. The programme is staged by one of the participant countries and is broadcast from an auditorium
An auditorium is a room built to enable an audience to hear and watch performances. For movie theatres, the number of auditoria (or auditoriums) is expressed as the number of screens. Auditoria can be found in entertainment venues, community ...
in the selected host city. Since 2008, each contest is typically formed of three live television shows held over one week: two semi-finals are held on the Tuesday and Thursday, followed by a final on the Saturday. All participating countries compete in one of the two semi-finals, except for the host country of that year's contest and the contest's biggest financial contributors known as the "Big Five"—, , , and the . The remaining countries are split between the two semi-finals, and the 10 highest-scoring entries in each qualify to produce 26 countries competing in the final.
Each show typically begins with an opening act consisting of music and/or dance performances by invited artists, which contributes to a unique theme and identity created for that year's event; since 2013 the opening of the contest's final has included a "Flag Parade", with competing artists entering the stage behind their country's flag in a similar manner to the procession of competing athletes at the Olympic Games opening ceremony. Viewers are welcomed by one or more presenters who provide key updates during the show, conduct interviews with competing acts from the green room
In show business, the green room is the space in a theatre or similar venue that functions as a waiting room and lounge for performers before, during, and after a performance or show when they are not engaged on stage. Green rooms typically have ...
, and guide the voting procedure in English and French. Competing acts perform sequentially, and after all songs have been performed viewers are invited to vote for their favourite performances—except for the performance of their own country—via telephone
A telephone is a telecommunications device that permits two or more users to conduct a conversation when they are too far apart to be easily heard directly. A telephone converts sound, typically and most efficiently the human voice, into e ...
, SMS
Short Message/Messaging Service, commonly abbreviated as SMS, is a text messaging service component of most telephone, Internet and mobile device systems. It uses standardized communication protocols that let mobile devices exchange short text ...
and the official Eurovision app. The public vote comprises 50% of the final result alongside the views of a jury of music industry professionals from each country. An interval act is invariably featured during this voting period, which on several occasions has included a well-known personality from the host country or an internationally recognised figure. The results of the voting are subsequently announced; in the semi-finals the 10 highest-ranked countries are announced in a random order, with the full results undisclosed. In the final the presenters call upon a representative spokesperson for each country in turn who announces their jury's points, while the results of the public vote are subsequently announced by the presenters. The qualifying acts in the semi-finals, and the winning delegation in the final are invited back on stage, and in the final a trophy is awarded to the winning performers and songwriters with the previous year's winner presenting the trophy followed by a reprise of the winning song. The full results of the competition, including detailed results of the jury and public vote, are released online shortly after the final, and the participating broadcaster of the winning entry is traditionally given the honour of organising the following year's event.
Selection
Each participating broadcaster has sole discretion over the process they may employ to select their entry for the contest. Typical methods in which participants are selected include a televised national selection process using a public vote; an internal selection by a committee appointed by the broadcaster; and through a mixed format where some decisions are made internally and the public are engaged in others. Among the most successful televised selection shows is Sweden's '' Melodifestivalen'', first established in 1959 and now one of Sweden's most watched TV shows each year.Participation
Active members (as opposed to associate members) of the European Broadcasting Union are eligible to participate; active members are those who are located in states that fall within the European Broadcasting Area
The European Broadcasting Area (EBA) is defined by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) as such:
:''The "European Broadcasting Area" is bounded on the west by the western boundary of Region 1, on the east by the meridian 40° East o ...
, or are member states of the Council of Europe
The Council of Europe was founded on 5 May 1949 by ten western and northern European states, with Greece joining three months later, and Iceland, Turkey and West Germany joining the next year. It now has 46 member states, with Montenegro being th ...
. Active members include media organisations whose broadcasts are often made available to at least 98% of households in their own country which are equipped to receive such transmissions. Associate member broadcasters may be eligible to compete, dependent on approval by the contest's Reference Group.
The European Broadcasting Area is defined by the International Telecommunication Union
The International Telecommunication Union is a specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for many matters related to information and communication technologies. It was established on 17 May 1865 as the International Telegraph Unio ...
as encompassing the geographical area between the boundary of ITU Region 1 in the west, the meridian 40° East of Greenwich
Greenwich ( , ,) is a town in south-east London, England, within the ceremonial county of Greater London. It is situated east-southeast of Charing Cross.
Greenwich is notable for its maritime history and for giving its name to the Greenwich ...
in the east, and parallel 30° North
The 30th parallel north is a circle of latitude that is 30 degrees north of the Earth's equatorial plane. It stands one-third of the way between the equator and the North Pole and crosses Africa, Asia, the Pacific Ocean, North America and th ...
in the south. Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia, and the territory of Ukraine, Iraq, Jordan and Syria lying outside these limits are included in the European Broadcasting Area.
Eligibility to participate in the contest is therefore not limited to countries in Europe, as several states geographically outside the boundaries of the continent or which span more than one continent are included in the Broadcasting Area. Countries from these groups have taken part in past editions, including countries in Western Asia such as Israel and Cyprus
Cyprus ; tr, Kıbrıs (), officially the Republic of Cyprus,, , lit: Republic of Cyprus is an island country located south of the Anatolian Peninsula in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Its continental position is disputed; while it is ge ...
, countries which span Europe and Asia like Russia and Turkey, and North African countries such as Morocco
Morocco (),, ) officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is the westernmost country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria t ...
. Australia became the first country to participate from outside the European Broadcasting Area in 2015, following an invitation by the contest's Reference Group.
EBU members who wish to participate must fulfil conditions as laid down in the rules of the contest, a separate copy of which is drafted annually. A maximum of 44 countries can take part in any one contest. Broadcasters must have paid the EBU a participation fee in advance to the deadline specified in the rules for the year in which they wish to participate; this fee is different for each country based on its size and viewership.
Fifty-two countries have participated at least once. These are listed here alongside the year in which they made their debut:
Hosting
The winning country traditionally hosts the following year's event, with some exceptions since . Hosting the contest can be seen as a unique opportunity for promoting the host country as a tourist destination and can provide benefits to the local economy and tourism sectors of the host city. Preparations for each year's contest typically begin at the conclusion of the previous year's contest, with the winning country's head of delegation receiving a welcome package of information related to hosting the contest at the winner's press conference. Eurovision is a non-profit event, and financing is typically achieved through a fee from each participating broadcaster, contributions from the host broadcaster and the host city, and commercial revenues from sponsorships, ticket sales, televoting and merchandise.
The host broadcaster will subsequently select a host city, typically a national or regional capital city, which must meet certain criteria set out in the contest's rules. The host venue must be able to accommodate at least 10,000 spectators, a press centre for 1,500 journalists, should be within easy reach of an international airport and with hotel accommodation available for at least 2,000 delegates, journalists and spectators. A variety of different venues have been used for past editions, from small theatres and television studios to large arenas and stadiums. The largest host venue is Parken Stadium
Parken Stadium, also known simply as Parken and as Telia Parken (2014–2020), is a football stadium in the Indre Østerbro (''Inner Østerbro'') district of Copenhagen, Denmark, built from 1990 to 1992. The stadium, which features a retractable ...
in Copenhagen, which was attended by almost 38,000 spectators in . With a population of 1,500 at the time of the , Millstreet
Millstreet () is a town in north County Cork, Ireland, with a population of 1,555 (as of 2016).
Millstreet is within the civil parish of Drishane, and within a Poor Law Union also called Millstreet. The Millstreet Union encompasses the civil ...
, Ireland remains the smallest hosting settlement, although its Green Glens Arena
The Green Glens Arena (sometimes referred to as Millstreet Arena) is a public entertainment location in Millstreet, in County Cork, Ireland. There is a outdoor estate for equestrian sporting events and an indoor arena measuring 80 metres by 40 ...
is capable of hosting up to 8,000 spectators.
Eurovision logo and theme
Until 2004, each edition of the contest used its own logo and visual identity as determined by the respective host broadcaster. To create a consistent visual identity, a generic logo was introduced ahead of the . This is typically accompanied by a unique theme artwork and slogan designed for each individual contest by the host broadcaster, with the flag of the host country placed prominently in the centre of the Eurovision heart. The original logo was designed by the London-based agency JM International, and received a revamp in 2014 by the Amsterdam-based Cityzen Agency for the contest's . An individual slogan and theme has been associated with most editions of the contest since 2002, and is utilised by contest producers when constructing the show's visual identity, including the stage design, the opening and interval acts, and the "postcards". The short video postcards are interspersed between the entries and were first introduced in 1970, initially as an attempt to "bulk up" the contest after a number of countries decided not to compete, but has since become a regular part of the show and usually highlight the host country and introduce the competing acts.Preparations
Preparations in the host venue typically begin approximately six weeks before the final, to accommodate building works and technical rehearsals before the arrival of the competing artists. Delegations will typically arrive in the host city two to three weeks before the live show, and each participating broadcaster nominates a head of delegation, responsible for coordinating the movements of their delegation and being that country's representative to the EBU. Members of each country's delegation include performers, composers, lyricists, members of the press, and—in the years where a live orchestra was present—a conductor. Present if desired is a commentator, who provides commentary of the event for their country's radio and/or television feed in their country's own language in dedicated booths situated around the back of the arena behind the audience. Each country conducts two individual rehearsals, the first for 30 minutes and held behind closed doors, and the second for 20 minutes and open to accredited press; the latter is used as a recorded back-up if the country's representative artist is unable to perform in later rehearsals or the live shows. Technical rehearsals for the semi-finalists commence the week before the live shows, with countries typically rehearsing in the order in which they will perform during the contest; rehearsals for the host country and the "Big Five" automatic finalists are held towards the end of the week. Following rehearsals, delegations meet with the show's production team to review footage of the rehearsal and raise any special requirements or changes. "Meet and greet" sessions and press conferences with accredited fans and press are held during these rehearsal weeks. Each live show is preceded by three dress rehearsals, where the whole show is run in the same way as it will be presented on TV. The second dress rehearsal, alternatively called the "jury show" and held the night before the broadcast, is used as a recorded back-up in case of technological failure, and performances during this show are used by each country's professional jury to determine their votes. The delegations from the qualifying countries in each semi-final attend a qualifiers' press conference after their respective semi-final, and the winning delegation attends a winners' press conference following the final. A welcome reception is typically held at a venue in the host city on the Sunday preceding the live shows, which includes ared carpet
A red carpet is traditionally used to mark the route taken by heads of state on ceremonial and formal occasions, and has in recent decades been extended to use by VIPs and celebrities at formal events.
History
The earliest known reference ...
ceremony for all the participating countries and is usually broadcast online. Accredited delegates, press and fans have access to an official nightclub, the "EuroClub", and some delegations will hold their own parties. The "Eurovision Village" is an official fan zone open to the public free of charge, with live performances by the contest's artists and screenings of the live shows on big screens.
Rules
The contest is organised annually by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), together with the participating broadcaster of the host country. The event is monitored by an Executive Supervisor appointed by the EBU, and by the Reference Group
In the social sciences, social groups can be categorized based on the various group dynamics that define social organization.Boundless team.Types of Social Groups" ''Social Groups and Organization'' Open_educational_resources">OER_course.html" ...
which represents all participating broadcasters, who are each represented by a nominated Head of Delegation. The current Executive Supervisor is Martin Österdahl
Erik Martin Österdahl (; born 12 October 1973) is a Swedish television producer and author. From 2008 to 2014 he worked on broadcasts of ''Mästarnas mästare'', '' Allt för Sverige'' and '' Skavlan'' for SVT. His first book, ''Be inte om nåd ...
, who took over the role from Jon Ola Sand
Jon Ola Sand (; born 21 December 1961) is a Norwegian television executive. He was the European Broadcasting Union's Executive Supervisor of the Eurovision Song Contest from 2011 to 2020.
Personal life
He is the son of revue writer and actor Bj ...
in May 2020. A detailed set of rules is written by the EBU for each contest and approved by the Reference Group. These rules have changed over time, and typically outline, among other points, the eligibility of the competing songs, the format of the contest, and the voting system to be used to determine the winner and how the results will be presented.
Song eligibility and languages
All competing songs must have a duration of three minutes or less. This rule applies only to the version performed during the live shows. In order to be considered eligible, competing songs in a given year's contest must not have been released commercially before the first day of September of the previous year. All competing entries must include vocals and lyrics of some kind and purely instrumental pieces are not allowed. Competing entries may be performed in any language, be thatnatural
Nature, in the broadest sense, is the physical world or universe. "Nature" can refer to the phenomena of the physical world, and also to life in general. The study of nature is a large, if not the only, part of science. Although humans are ...
or constructed, and participating broadcasters are free to decide the language in which their entry may be performed.
Rules specifying in which language a song may be performed have changed over time. No restrictions were originally enacted when the contest was first founded, however following criticism over the being performed in English, a new rule was introduced for the restricting songs to be performed only in an official language of the country it represented. This rule was first abolished in , and subsequently reinstated for most countries in , with only and permitted freedom of language as their selection processes for that year's contest had already commenced. The language rule was once again abolished ahead of the .
Artist eligibility and performances
The rules for the first contest specified that only solo performers were permitted to enter; this criterion was changed the following year to permit duos to compete, and groups were subsequently permitted for the first time in . Currently the number of people permitted on stage during competing performances is limited to a maximum of six, and no live animals are allowed. Since , all contestants must be aged 16 or over on the day of the live show in which they perform.Sandra Kim
Sandra Caldarone (born 15 October 1972), better known as Sandra Kim, is a Belgian singer of Italian descent who won the Eurovision Song Contest 1986. Her father was an Italian immigrant from Torrebruna in the Province of Chieti in the Abruzzo re ...
, the winner in at the age of 13, shall remain the contest's youngest winner while this rule remains in place. There is no limit on the nationality or country of birth of the competing artists, and participating broadcasters are free to select an artist from any country; several winning artists have subsequently held a different nationality or were born in a different country to that which they represented. No performer may compete for more than one country in a given year.
The orchestra was a prominent aspect of the contest from 1956 to 1998. Pre-recorded backing tracks were first allowed for competing acts in 1973, but any pre-recorded instruments were required to be seen being "performed" on stage; in 1997, all instrumental music was allowed to be pre-recorded, however the host country was still required to provide an orchestra. In 1999, the rules were changed again, making the orchestra an optional requirement; the host broadcaster of , Israel's IBA, subsequently decided not to provide an orchestra, resulting in all entries using backing tracks for the first time. Currently all instrumental music for competing entries must now be pre-recorded, and no live instrumentation is allowed during performances.
The main vocals of competing songs must be performed live during the contest. Previously live backing vocals were also required; since these may optionally be pre-recorded – this change has been implemented on a trial basis in an effort to introduce flexibility following the cancellation of the 2020 edition and to facilitate modernisation.
Running order
Since , the order in which the competing countries perform has been determined by the contest's producers, and submitted to the EBU Executive Supervisor and Reference Group for approval before public announcement. This was changed from a random draw used in previous years in order to provide a better experience for television viewers and ensure all countries stand out by avoiding instances where songs of a similar style or tempo are performed in sequence. Since the creation of a second semi-final in , a semi-final allocation draw is held each year. Countries are placed into pots based on their geographical location and voting history in recent contests, and are assigned to compete in one of the two semi-finals through a random draw. Countries are then randomly assigned to compete in either the first or second half of their respective semi-final, and once all competing songs have been selected the producers then determine the running order for the semi-finals. The automatic qualifiers are assigned at random to a semi-final for the purposes of voting rights. Semi-final qualifiers make a draw at random during the winners' press conference to determine whether they will perform during the first or second half of the final; the automatic finalists then randomly draw their competing half in the run-up to the final, except for the host country, whose exact performance position is determined in a separate draw. The running order for the final is then decided following the second semi-final by the producers. The running orders are decided with the competing songs' musical qualities, stage performance, prop and lighting set-up, and other production considerations taken into account.Voting
Starting in 2023, the voting system used to determine the results of the contest works on the basis ofpositional voting
Positional voting is a ranked voting electoral system in which the options or candidates receive points based on their rank position on each ballot and the one with the most points overall wins. The lower-ranked preference in any adjacent pair i ...
. Each country awards 1–8, 10 and 12 points to the ten favourite songs as voted for by that country's general public or assembled jury, with the most preferred song receiving 12 points. In the semi-finals, each country awards one set of points based primarily on the votes cast by that country's viewing public via telephone
A telephone is a telecommunications device that permits two or more users to conduct a conversation when they are too far apart to be easily heard directly. A telephone converts sound, typically and most efficiently the human voice, into e ...
, SMS or the official Eurovision app, while in the final, each country awards two sets of points, with one set awarded each by the viewers and a jury panel comprising five music professionals from that country. Starting in 2023, viewers in selected non-participating countries are also able to vote during the contest, with those viewers able to cast votes via an online platform, which are then aggregated and awarded as one set of points from an "extra country" for the overall public vote. This system is a modification of that used since 1975, when the "12 points" system was first introduced but with one set of points per country, and a similar system used since 2016 where two sets of points were awarded in both the semi-finals and final. National juries and the public in each country are not allowed to vote for their own country, a rule first introduced in 1957.
Historically, each country's points were determined by a jury, consisting at various times of members of the public, music professionals, or both in combination. With advances in telecommunication technology, televoting was first introduced to the contest in on a trial basis, with broadcasters in five countries allowing the viewing public to determine their votes for the first time. From , televoting was extended to almost all competing countries, and subsequently became mandatory from . A jury was reintroduced for the final in , with each country's points comprising both the votes of the jury and public in an equal split; this mix of jury and public voting was expanded into the semi-finals from 2010, and was used until 2023, when full public voting was reintroduced to determine the results of the semi-finals. The mix of jury and public voting continues to be used in the final as of 2023.
Should two or more countries finish with the same number of points, a tie-break procedure is employed to determine the final placings. a combined national televoting and jury result is calculated for each country, and the country which has obtained more points from the public voting following this calculation is deemed to have placed higher.
Presentation of the votes
Since 1957, each country's votes have been announced during a special voting segment as part of the contest's broadcast, with a selected spokesperson assigned to announce the results of their country's vote. This spokesperson is typically well known in their country; previous spokespersons have included former Eurovision artists and presenters. Historically the announcements were made through telephone line
A telephone line or telephone circuit (or just line or circuit industrywide) is a single-user circuit on a telephone communication system. It is designed to reproduce speech of a quality that is understandable. It is the physical wire or ot ...
s from the countries of origin, with satellite link
Satellite link is – according to ''article 1.113'' of the International Telecommunication Union's (ITU) ITU Radio Regulations (RR)ITU Radio Regulations, Section IV. Radio Stations and Systems – Article 1.113, definition: ''satellite link'' ...
s employed for the first time in , allowing the spokespersons to be seen visually by the audience and TV spectators.
Scoring is done by both a national jury and a national televote. Each country's jury votes are consecutively added to the totals scoreboard
A scoreboard is a large board for publicly displaying the score in a game. Most levels of sport from high school and above use at least one scoreboard for keeping score, measuring time, and displaying statistics. Scoreboards in the past used ...
as they are called upon by the contest presenter(s). The scoreboard was historically placed at the side of the stage and updated manually as each country gave their votes; in a computer graphics
Computer graphics deals with generating images with the aid of computers. Today, computer graphics is a core technology in digital photography, film, video games, cell phone and computer displays, and many specialized applications. A great de ...
scoreboard was introduced. The jury points from 1–8 and 10 are displayed on screen and added automatically to the scoreboard, then the country's spokesperson announces which country will receive the 12 points. Once jury points from all countries have been announced, the presenter(s) announce the total public points received for each finalist, with the votes for each country being consolidated and announced as a single value. Since , the public points have been revealed in ascending order based on the jury vote, with the country that received the fewest points from the jury being the first to receive their public points. A full breakdown of the results across all shows is published on the official Eurovision website after the final, including each country's televoting ranking and the votes of its jury and individual jury members. Each country's individual televoting points in the final are typically displayed on-screen by that country's broadcaster following the announcement of the winner.
Broadcasting
Participating broadcasters are required to air live the semi-final in which they compete, or in the case of the automatic finalists the semi-final in which they are required to vote, and the final, in its entirety; this includes all competing songs, the votingrecap
Free Law Project is a United States federal 501(c)(3) an Oakland-based nonprofit that provides free access to primary legal materials, develops legal research tools, and supports academic research on legal corpora. Free Law Project has several i ...
containing short clips of the performances, the voting procedure or semi-final qualification reveal, and the reprise
In music, a reprise ( , ; from the verb 'to resume') is the repetition or reiteration of the opening material later in a composition as occurs in the recapitulation of sonata form, though—originally in the 18th century—was simply any repe ...
of the winning song in the final. Since 1999, broadcasters who wished to do so were given the opportunity to provide advertising
Advertising is the practice and techniques employed to bring attention to a product or service. Advertising aims to put a product or service in the spotlight in hopes of drawing it attention from consumers. It is typically used to promote a ...
during short, non-essential hiatuses in the show's schedule. In exceptional circumstances, such as due to developing emergency situations, participating broadcasters may delay or postpone broadcast of the event. Should a broadcaster fail to air a show as expected in any other scenario they may be subject to sanctions by the EBU. Several broadcasters in countries that are unable to compete have previously aired the contest in their markets.
As national broadcasters join and leave the Eurovision feed transmitted by the EBU, the EBU/Eurovision network logo ident (not to be confused with the logo of the song contest itself) is displayed. The accompanying music (used on other Eurovision broadcasts) is the Prelude ''(Marche en rondeau)'' to Marc-Antoine Charpentier
Marc-Antoine Charpentier (; 1643 – 24 February 1704) was a French Baroque composer during the reign of Louis XIV. One of his most famous works is the main theme from the prelude of his ''Te Deum'', ''Marche en rondeau''. This theme is still us ...
's ''Te Deum
The "Te Deum" (, ; from its incipit, , ) is a Latin Christian hymn traditionally ascribed to AD 387 authorship, but with antecedents that place it much earlier. It is central to the Ambrosian hymnal, which spread throughout the Latin Ch ...
''. Originally, the same logo was used for both the Eurovision network and the European Broadcasting Union, however, they now have two different logos; the latest Eurovision network logo was introduced in 2012, and when the ident is transmitted at the start and end of programmes it is this Eurovision network logo that appears.
The EBU now holds the recordings of all but two editions of the contest in its archives, following a project initiated in 2011 to collate footage and related materials of all editions ahead of the event's 60th anniversary in 2015. Although cameras were present to practice pan-European broadcasting for the first contest in 1956 to the few Europeans who had television sets, its audience was primarily over the radio. The only footage available is a Kinescope
Kinescope , shortened to kine , also known as telerecording in Britain, is a recording of a television program on motion picture film, directly through a lens focused on the screen of a video monitor. The process was pioneered during the 194 ...
recording of Lys Assia's reprise of her winning song. No full recording of the exists, with conflicting reports of the fate of any copies that may have survived. Audio recordings of both contests do however exist, and some short pieces of footage from both events have survived.
Expansion of the contest
From the original seven countries which entered the first contest in 1956, the number of competing countries has steadily grown over time. 18 countries participated in the contest's tenth edition in 1965, and by 1990, 22 countries were regularly competing each year. Besides slight modifications to the voting system and other contest rules, no fundamental changes to the contest's format were introduced until the early 1990s, when events in Europe in the late 1980s and early 1990s resulted in a growing interest from new countries in the former Eastern Bloc, particularly following the merger of the Eastern European rival OIRT network with the EBU in 1993.Pre-selections and relegation
29 countries registered to take part in the 1993 contest, a figure the EBU considered unable to fit reasonably into a single TV show. A preselection method was subsequently introduced for the first time in order to reduce the number of competing entries, with seven countries in Central and Eastern Europe participating in ''Kvalifikacija za Millstreet
( en, Preselection for Millstreet, i=yes; french: Présélection pour Millstreet) was a televised song contest held as a qualifying round for the Eurovision Song Contest 1993. Organised by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and host broadcas ...
'', held in Ljubljana
Ljubljana (also known by other historical names) is the capital and largest city of Slovenia. It is the country's cultural, educational, economic, political and administrative center.
During antiquity, a Roman city called Emona stood in the are ...
, Slovenia one month before the event. Following a vote among the seven competing countries, , and were chosen to head to the contest in Millstreet
Millstreet () is a town in north County Cork, Ireland, with a population of 1,555 (as of 2016).
Millstreet is within the civil parish of Drishane, and within a Poor Law Union also called Millstreet. The Millstreet Union encompasses the civil ...
, Ireland, and , , and were forced to wait another year before being allowed to compete. A new relegation system was introduced for entry into the 1994 contest, with the lowest-placed countries being forced to sit out the following year's event to be replaced by countries which had not competed in the previous contest. The bottom seven countries in 1993 were required to miss the following year's contest, and were replaced by the four unsuccessful countries in ''Kvalifikacija za Millstreet'' and new entries from , and .
This system was used again in 1994 for qualification for the , but a new system was introduced for the , when an audio-only qualification round held in the months before the contest in Oslo
Oslo ( , , or ; sma, Oslove) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population ...
, Norway; this system was primarily introduced in an attempt to appease Germany, one of Eurovision's biggest markets and financial contributors, which would have otherwise been relegated under the previous system. 29 countries competed for 22 places in the main contest alongside the automatically qualified Norwegian hosts, however Germany would ultimately still miss out, and joined Hungary, Romania, Russia, , , and as one of the seven countries to be absent from the Oslo contest. For the , a similar relegation system to that used between 1993 and 1995 was introduced, with each country's average scores in the preceding five contests being used as a measure to determine which countries would be relegated. This was subsequently changed again in 2001, back to the same system used between 1993 and 1995 where only the results from that year's contest would count towards relegation.
The "Big Four" and "Big Five"
In 1999, an exemption from relegation was introduced for France, Germany, Spain and the United Kingdom, giving them an automatic right to compete in the 2000 contest and in all subsequent editions. This group, as the highest-paying EBU members which significantly fund the contest each year, subsequently became known as the "Big Four" countries. This group was expanded in 2011 when Italy began competing again, becoming the "Big Five". Originally brought in to ensure that the financial contributions of the contest's biggest financial backers would not be missed, since the introduction of the semi-finals in 2004, the "Big Five" now instead automatically qualify for the final along with the host country. There remains debate on whether this status prejudices the countries' results, based on reported antipathy over their automatic qualification and the potential disadvantage of having spent less time on stage through not competing in the semi-finals, however this status appears to be more complex given results of the "Big Five" countries can vary widely. This status has caused consternation from other competing countries, and was cited, among other aspects, as a reason why had ceased participating after .Introduction of semi-finals
An influx of new countries applying for the resulted in the introduction of a semi-final from 2004, with the contest becoming a two-day event. The top 10 countries in each year's final would qualify automatically to the following year's final, alongside the "Big Four", meaning all other countries would compete in the semi-final to compete for 10 qualification spots. The in Istanbul
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, Turkey saw a record 36 countries competing, with new entries from , , and and the return of previously relegated countries. The format of this semi-final remained similar to the final proper, taking place a few days before the final; following the performances and the voting window, the names of the 10 countries with the highest number of points, which would therefore qualify for the final, were announced at the end of the show, revealed in a random order by the contest's presenters.
The single semi-final continued to be held between 2005 and 2007; however, with 42 countries competing in the in Helsinki
Helsinki ( or ; ; sv, Helsingfors, ) is the capital, primate, and most populous city of Finland. Located on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, it is the seat of the region of Uusimaa in southern Finland, and has a population of . The city ...
, Finland, the semi-final had 28 entries competing for 10 spots in the final. Following criticism over the mainly Central and Eastern European qualifiers at the 2007 event and the poor performance of entries from Western European countries, a second semi-final was subsequently introduced for the in Belgrade, Serbia, with all countries now competing in one of the two semi-finals, with only the host country and the "Big Four", and subsequently the "Big Five" from 2011, qualifying automatically. 10 qualification spots would be available in each of the semi-finals, and a new system to split the competing countries between the two semi-finals was introduced based on their geographic location and previous voting patterns, in an attempt to reduce the impact of bloc voting and to make the outcome less predictable.
Entries and participants
The contest has been used as a launching point for artists who went on to achieve worldwide fame, and several of the world's best-selling artists are counted among past Eurovision Song Contest participants and winning artists. ABBA
ABBA ( , , formerly named Björn & Benny, Agnetha & Anni-Frid or Björn & Benny, Agnetha & Frida) are a Swedish supergroup formed in Stockholm in 1972 by Agnetha Fältskog, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson, and Anni-Frid Lyngstad. The group ...
, the winners for Sweden, have recorded an estimated 380 million albums and singles sales since their contest win brought them to worldwide attention, with their winning song " Waterloo" selling over five million records. Celine Dion
Céline Marie Claudette Dion ( ; born 30 March 1968) is a Canadian singer. Noted for her powerful and technically skilled vocals, Dion is the best-selling Canadian recording artist, and the best-selling French-language artist of all time. Her ...
's win for Switzerland in helped launch her international career, particularly in the anglophone
Speakers of English are also known as Anglophones, and the countries where English is natively spoken by the majority of the population are termed the ''Anglosphere''. Over two billion people speak English , making English the largest language ...
market, and she would go on to sell an estimated 200 million records worldwide. Julio Iglesias
Julio José Iglesias de la Cueva (; born 23 September 1943) is a Spanish singer, songwriter and former professional footballer. Iglesias is recognized as the most commercially successful Spanish singer in the world and one of the top record ...
was relatively unknown when he represented Spain in and placed fourth, but worldwide success followed his Eurovision appearance, with an estimated 100 million records sold during his career. Australian singer Olivia Newton-John
Dame Olivia Newton-John (26 September 1948 – 8 August 2022) was a British-Australian singer, actress and activist. She was a four-time Grammy Award winner whose music career included 15 top-ten singles, including 5 number-one singles on the ...
represented the United Kingdom in 1974, placing fourth behind ABBA, but went on to sell an estimated 100 million records, win four Grammy Award
The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pr ...
s, and star in the critically and commercially successful musical film '' Grease''.
A number of performers have competed in the contest after having already achieved considerable success. These include winning artists Lulu
Lulu may refer to:
Companies
* LuLu, an early automobile manufacturer
* Lulu.com, an online e-books and print self-publishing platform, distributor, and retailer
* Lulu Hypermarket, a retail chain in Asia
* Lululemon Athletica or simply Lulu, ...
, Toto Cutugno
Salvatore "Toto" Cutugno (; born 7 July 1943) is an Italian pop singer-songwriter and musician. He is best known for his worldwide hit song, "L'Italiano", released on his 1983 album of the same title. Cutugno also won the Eurovision Song Conte ...
, and Katrina and the Waves, and acts that failed to win such as Nana Mouskouri
Ioanna "Nana" Mouskouri ( el, Ιωάννα "Νάνα" Μούσχουρη ) (born 13 October 1934) is a Greek singer. Over the span of her career, she has released over 200 albums in at least twelve languages, including Greek, French, English, Germ ...
, Cliff Richard
Sir Cliff Richard (born Harry Rodger Webb; 14 October 1940) is an Indian-born British musican, singer, producer, entrepreneur and philanthropist who holds both British and Barbadian citizenship. He has total sales of over 21.5 million s ...
, Baccara
Baccara was a female vocal duo formed in 1977 by Spanish artists Mayte Mateos (born 7 February 1951) and María Mendiola (4 April 1952 – 11 September 2021). The duo rapidly achieved international success with their debut single " Yes Sir, I C ...
, Umberto Tozzi
Umberto Antonio Tozzi (; born 4 March 1952) is an Italian pop and rock singer and composer. Over the course of his career, he has sold over 70 million records in different languages internationally, and his biggest international hits are:
"Stel ...
, Plastic Bertrand
Roger François Jouret (born 24 February 1954), better known as Plastic Bertrand, is a Belgian musician, songwriter, producer, editor and television presenter, best known for the 1977 international hit single " Ça plane pour moi".
Biography ...
, t.A.T.u.
t.A.T.u. (russian: Тату, ) were a Russian music duo that consisted of Lena Katina and Julia Volkova. The singers were part of children's music group Neposedy before being managed by producer and director Ivan Shapovalov and signing with ...
, Las Ketchup
Las Ketchup is a Spanish girl group founded by flamenco record producer Manuel "Queco" Ruiz. The group, which consists of sisters Lucía, Lola, and Pilar Muñoz (later to be joined by a fourth sister Rocío), is best known for the 2002 hit singl ...
, Patricia Kaas
Patricia Kaas (; born 5 December 1966) is a French singer. Her music is a mix of pop, cabaret, jazz, and chanson.
Since the appearance of her 1988 debut album '' Mademoiselle chante...'', Kaas has sold over 17 million records worldwide. She h ...
, Engelbert Humperdinck, Bonnie Tyler
Gaynor Sullivan (née Hopkins; born 8 June 1951), known professionally as Bonnie Tyler, is a Welsh singer who is known for her distinctive husky voice. Tyler came to prominence with the release of her 1977 album '' The World Starts Tonight'' a ...
, and Flo Rida. Many well-known composers and lyricists have penned entries of varying success over the years, including Serge Gainsbourg, Goran Bregović
Goran Bregović (born 22 March 1950) is a recording artist from Bosnia and Herzegovina. He is one of the most internationally known modern musicians and composers of the Slavic-speaking countries in the Balkans, and is one of the few former Yug ...
, Diane Warren, Andrew Lloyd Webber, Pete Waterman
Peter Alan Waterman, (born 15 January 1947) is an English record producer, songwriter, radio and club DJ, television presenter, president of Coventry Bears rugby league club and a keen railway enthusiast. As a member of the Stock Aitken Water ...
, and Tony Iommi
Anthony Frank Iommi () (born 19 February 1948) is a British musician. He co-founded the pioneering heavy metal band Black Sabbath, and was the band's guitarist, leader and primary composer and sole continuous member for nearly five decades. I ...
, as well as producers Timbaland
Timothy Zachery Mosley (born March 10, 1972), known professionally as Timbaland, is an American record producer, rapper, singer, songwriter, and record executive. He has received widespread acclaim for his innovative production work and distinc ...
and Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo
Guillaume Emmanuel "Guy-Manuel" de Homem-Christo (; born 8 February 1974) is a French musician, record producer, singer, songwriter, DJ and composer. He is known as one half of the former French house music duo Daft Punk, along with Thomas Ba ...
.
Past participants have contributed to other fields in addition to their music careers. The Netherlands' Annie Schmidt
Anna Maria Geertruida "Annie" Schmidt (20 May 1911 – 21 May 1995) was a Dutch writer. She is called the mother of the Dutch theatrical song, and the queen of Dutch children's literature, praised for her "delicious Dutch idiom," and considered o ...
, lyricist of the first entry performed at Eurovision, has gained a worldwide reputation for her stories and earned the Hans Christian Andersen Award for children's literature. French "yé-yé
''Yé-yé'' () (''yeyé'' in Spanish) was a style of pop music that emerged in Western-Southern Europe in the early 1960s. The French term "''yé-yé''" was derived from the English "yeah! yeah!", popularized by British beat music bands such as ...
girls" Françoise Hardy
Françoise Madeleine Hardy (; born 17 January 1944) is a French former singer and songwriter. Mainly known for singing melancholic sentimental ballads, Hardy has been an important figure in French pop music since her debut, spanning a career o ...
and contest winner France Gall
Isabelle Geneviève Marie Anne Gall (9 October 1947 – 7 January 2018), known professionally as France Gall, was a French ''yé-yé'' singer. In 1965, aged 17, she won the Eurovision Song Contest for Luxembourg. Between 1973 and 1992, ...
are household names of 1960s pop culture, with Hardy also being a pioneer of street style fashion trends and an inspiration for the global youthquake movement. Figures who carved a career in politics and gained international acclaim for humanitarian achievements include contest winner Dana as a two-time Irish presidential candidate and Member of the European Parliament
A Member of the European Parliament (MEP) is a person who has been elected to serve as a popular representative in the European Parliament.
When the European Parliament (then known as the Common Assembly of the ECSC) first met in 1952, its ...
(MEP); Nana Mouskouri as Greek MEP and a UNICEF international goodwill ambassador; contest winner Ruslana
Ruslana Stepanivna Lyzhychko ( uk, Руслана Степанівна Лижичко, ''Ruslana Lyzhychko''; born 24 May 1973), known mononymously as Ruslana, is a World Music Award and Eurovision Song Contest winning recording artist, holdi ...
as member of Verkhovna Rada
The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine ( uk, Верхо́вна Ра́да Украї́ни, translit=, Verkhovna Rada Ukrainy, translation=Supreme Council of Ukraine, Ukrainian abbreviation ''ВРУ''), often simply Verkhovna Rada or just Rada, is the ...
, Ukraine's parliament and a figure of the Orange Revolution
The Orange Revolution ( uk, Помаранчева революція, translit=Pomarancheva revoliutsiia) was a series of protests and political events that took place in Ukraine from late November 2004 to January 2005, in the immediate afterm ...
and Euromaidan protests, who gained global honours for leadership and courage; and North Macedonia's Esma Redžepova
Esma Redžepova-Teodosievska ( mk, Есма Реџепова-Теодосиевска, ; 8 August 1943 – 11 December 2016) was a Macedonian Romani vocalist, songwriter and humanitarian. Because of her prolific repertoire, which included hund ...
as member of political parties and a two-time Nobel Peace Prize
The Nobel Peace Prize is one of the five Nobel Prizes established by the will of Swedish industrialist, inventor and armaments (military weapons and equipment) manufacturer Alfred Nobel, along with the prizes in Chemistry, Physics, Physiolog ...
nominee.
Competing songs have occasionally gone on to become successes for their original performers and other artists, and some of the best-selling singles globally received their first international performances at Eurovision. "Save Your Kisses for Me
"Save Your Kisses for Me" was the winning song of the Eurovision Song Contest 1976, performed for the by Brotherhood of Man in The Hague, Netherlands. The lyrics and music were written by Tony Hiller, Lee Sheriden, and Martin Lee, the latter two ...
", the winning song in for the United Kingdom's Brotherhood of Man
Brotherhood of Man are a British pop group who achieved success in the 1970s. They won the 1976 Eurovision Song Contest with " Save Your Kisses for Me".
Created in 1969 by songwriter and record producer Tony Hiller, Brotherhood of Man was initi ...
, went on to sell over six million singles, more than any other winning song. " Nel blu, dipinto di blu", also known as "Volare", Italy's third-placed song in performed by Domenico Modugno, is the only Eurovision entry to win a Grammy Awards, Grammy. It was the first Grammy winner for both Grammy Award for Record of the Year, Record of the Year and Grammy Award for Song of the Year, Song of the Year and it has since been recorded by various artists, topped the Billboard Hot 100, ''Billboard'' Hot 100 in the United States and achieved combined sales of over 22 million copies worldwide. "Eres tú", performed by Spain's Mocedades and runner-up in , became the first Spanish-language song to reach the top 10 of the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, and the Grammy-nominated "Ooh Aah... Just a Little Bit", which came eighth in for the United Kingdom's Gina G, sold 790,000 records and achieved success across Europe and the US, reaching #1 on the UK Singles Chart and peaking at #12 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100.
The turn of the century has also seen numerous competing songs becoming successes. "Euphoria (Loreen song), Euphoria", Loreen (singer), Loreen's winning song for Sweden in , achieved Europe-wide success, reaching number one in several countries and by 2014 had become the most Music download, downloaded Eurovision song to date. The video for "Occidentali's Karma" by Francesco Gabbani, which placed sixth for Italy in , became the first Eurovision song to reach more than 200 million views on YouTube, while "Soldi" by Mahmood (singer), Mahmood, the Italian runner-up in , was the most-streamed Eurovision song on Spotify until it was overtaken by that year's winner for the Netherlands, "Arcade (song), Arcade" by Duncan Laurence, following Viral phenomenon, viral success on TikTok in late 2020 and early 2021; "Arcade" later became the first Eurovision song since "Ooh Aah... Just a Little Bit" and the first Eurovision winning song since "Save Your Kisses for Me" to chart on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, eventually peaking at #30. The saw the next major breakthrough success from Eurovision, with Måneskin, that year's winners for Italy with "", attracting worldwide attention across their repertoire immediately following their victory.
Johnny Logan (singer), Johnny Logan remains the only artist to have won multiple contests as a performer, winning for Ireland in with "What's Another Year", written by Shay Healy, and in with the self-penned "Hold Me Now (Johnny Logan song), Hold Me Now". Logan was also the winning songwriter in for the Irish winner, "Why Me? (Linda Martin song), Why Me?" performed by Linda Martin, and has therefore achieved three contest victories as either a performer or writer. Four further songwriters have each written two contest-winning songs: Willy van Hemert, Yves Dessca, Rolf Løvland, and Brendan Graham. Following their introduction in , Alexander Rybak became the first artist to win multiple Eurovision semi-finals, finishing in first at the second semi-finals in and ; he remains the only entrant to have done so to date.
Winners
69 songs from 27 countries have won the Eurovision Song Contest has recorded the most wins, with seven in total, followed by with six, and , , the and the with five each. Of the 52 countries to have taken part, 25 have yet to win. On only one occasion have multiple winners been declared in a single contest: in , four countries finished the contest with an equal number of votes and due to the lack of a tie-break rule at the time, all four countries were declared winners. A majority of winning songs have been performed in English, particularly since the language rule was abolished in 1999. Since that contest, seven winning songs have been performed either fully or partially in a language other than English.
Two countries have won the contest on their first appearance: , by virtue of being declared the winner of the first contest in 1956; and , which won in 2007 in their first participation as an independent country, following entries in previous editions as part of the now-defunct and then . Other countries have had relatively short waits before winning their first contest, with victorious on their second contest appearance in and winning with their third entry in . Conversely, some countries have competed for many years before recording their first win: recorded their first win in , 31 years after their first appearance, while ended a 45-year losing streak in . waited the longest, recording their first win in , 53 years after their first participation. Countries have in the past had to wait many years to win the contest again: Switzerland went 32 years between winning in 1956 and ; held a 37-year gap between wins in and ; the Netherlands waited 44 years to win again in , their most recent win having been in ; and won its second contest in , 48 years after their first win in .
The United Kingdom holds the record for the highest number of second-place finishes, having come runner-up in the contest sixteen times. Meanwhile, has come last more than any other country, appearing at the bottom of the scoreboard on eleven occasions, including scoring ''nul points'' four times. A country has recorded back-to-back wins on four occasions: recorded consecutive wins in and 1969; Luxembourg did likewise in and ; Israel won the contest in and ; and Ireland became the first country to win three consecutive titles, winning in , and . Ireland's winning streak in the 1990s includes the , giving them a record four wins in five years.
The winning artists and songwriters receive a trophy, which since 2008 has followed a standard design: a handmade piece of sandblasted glass with painted details in the shape of a 1950s-style microphone, designed by Kjell Engman of the Swedish-based glassworks Kosta Glasbruk, Kosta Boda. The trophy is typically presented by the previous year's winner; others who have handed out the award in the past include representatives from the host broadcaster or the EBU, and politicians; in 2007 the fictional character, Joulupukki (original Santa Claus from Finland), presented the award to the winner Marija Šerifović.
Interval acts and guest appearances
Alongside the song contest and appearances from local and international personalities, performances from non-competing artists and musicians have been included since the first edition, and have become a staple of the live show. These performances have varied widely, previously featuring music, art, dance and circus performances, and past participants are regularly invited to perform, with the reigning champion traditionally returning each year to perform the previous year's winning song.
The contest's opening performance and the main interval act, held following the final competing song and before the announcement of the voting results, has become a memorable part of the contest and has included both internationally known artists and local stars. Contest organisers have previously used these performances as a way to explore their country's culture and history, such as in "4,000 Years of Greek Song" at the held in Greece; other performances have been more comedic in nature, featuring parody and humour, as was the case with "Love Love Peace Peace" in , a humorous ode to the history and spectacle of the contest itself. ''Riverdance
''Riverdance'' is a theatrical show that consists mainly of traditional Irish music and dance. With a score composed by Bill Whelan, it originated as an interval act during the Eurovision Song Contest 1994, featuring Irish dancing champions Je ...
'', which later became one of the most successful dance productions in the world, first began as the interval performance at the 1994 contest in Ireland; the seven-minute performance of Irish traditional music, traditional Irish music and Irish dance, dance was later expanded into a full stage show that has been seen by over 25 million people worldwide and provided a launchpad for its lead dancers Michael Flatley and Jean Butler.
Among other artists who have performed in a non-competitive manner are Danish Europop group Aqua (band), Aqua in , Russian pop duo t.A.T.u.
t.A.T.u. (russian: Тату, ) were a Russian music duo that consisted of Lena Katina and Julia Volkova. The singers were part of children's music group Neposedy before being managed by producer and director Ivan Shapovalov and signing with ...
in , and American entertainers Justin Timberlake and Madonna in and respectively. Other notable artists, including Cirque du Soleil
Cirque du Soleil (, ; "Circus of the Sun" or "Sun Circus") is a Canadian entertainment company and the largest contemporary circus producer in the world. Located in the inner-city area of Saint-Michel, it was founded in Baie-Saint-Paul on 16 Ju ...
(), Alexandrov Ensemble (), Vienna Boys' Choir ( and ) and Fire of Anatolia (), also performed on the Eurovision stage, and there have been guest appearances from well-known faces from outside the world of music, including actors, athletes, and serving astronauts and cosmonauts. Guest performances have been used as a channel in response to global events happening concurrently with the contest. The in Israel closed with all competing acts performing a rendition of Israel's winning song "Hallelujah (Milk and Honey song), Hallelujah" as a tribute to the victims of the Kosovo War, war in the Balkans, a dance performance entitled "The Grey People" in 2016's first semi-final was devoted to the 2015 European migrant crisis, European migrant crisis, and the featured known anti-war songs "Fragile (Sting song), Fragile", "People Have the Power" and "Give Peace a Chance" in response to the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, Russian invasion of Ukraine that same year.
Criticism and controversy
The contest has been the subject of considerable criticism regarding both its musical content and what has been reported to be a political element to the event, and several controversial moments have been witnessed over the course of its history.Musical style and presentation
Criticism has been levied against the musical quality of past competing entries, with a perception that certain music styles seen as being presented more often than others in an attempt to appeal to as many potential voters as possible among the international audience. Sentimental ballad#Power ballads, Power ballads, Folk music#Europe, folk rhythms and bubblegum pop have been considered staples of the contest in recent years, leading to allegations that the event has become formulaic. Other traits in past competing entries which have regularly been mocked by media and viewers include an abundance of Modulation (music), key changes and lyrics about love and/or peace, as well as the Non-native pronunciations of English, pronunciation of English by non-native users of the language. Given Eurovision is principally a television show, over the years competing performances have attempted to attract the viewers' attention through means other than music, and elaborate Stage lighting, lighting displays, pyrotechnics, and Extravaganza, extravagant on-stage theatrics and costumes having become a common sight at recent contests; criticism of these tactics have been levied as being a method of distracting the viewer from the weak musical quality of some of the competing entries. Although many of these traits are ridiculed in the media and elsewhere, for others these traits are celebrated and considered an integral part of what makes the contest appealing. Although many of the competing acts each year will fall into some of the categories above, the contest has seen a diverse range of musical styles in its history, including Rock music, rock, Heavy metal music, heavy metal, jazz, Country music, country, Electronic music, electronic, Contemporary R&B, R&B, Hip hop music, hip hop and Avant-garde music, avant-garde.Political controversies
As artists and songs ultimately represent a country, the contest has seen several controversial moments where political tensions between competing countries as a result of frozen conflicts, and in some cases open warfare, are reflected in the performances and voting.
The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, continuing conflict between and has affected the contest on numerous occasions. Armenia–Azerbaijan relations in the Eurovision Song Contest, Conflicts between the two countries at Eurovision escalated quickly since both countries began competing in the late 2000s, resulting in fines and disciplinary action for both countries' broadcasters over political stunts, and a forced change of title for one competing song due to allegations of political subtext. Interactions between and in the contest had originally been positive, however as Russia–Ukraine relations, political relations soured between the two countries so too have Russia–Ukraine relations in the Eurovision Song Contest, relations at Eurovision become more complex. Complaints were levied against 's winning song in , "1944 (song), 1944", whose lyrics referenced the Deportation of the Crimean Tatars, deportation of the Crimean Tatars, but which the claimed had a greater political meaning in light of Annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation, Russia's annexation of Crimea. As prepared to host the , Russia's selected representative, Yuliya Samoylova (singer), Yuliya Samoylova, was barred from entering the country due to having previously entered Crimea illegally according to Ukrainian law. Russia eventually pulled out of the contest after offers for Samoylova to perform remotely were refused by Russia's broadcaster, Channel One Russia, resulting in the EBU reprimanding the Ukrainian broadcaster, UA:PBC. In the wake of the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine and subsequent protests from other participating countries, was barred from competing in , where went on to win. 's planned entry for the in Moscow, Russia, "We Don't Wanna Put In", caused controversy as the lyrics appeared to criticise Vladimir Putin, in a move seen as opposition to the then-Prime Minister of Russia, Russian prime minister in the aftermath of the Russo-Georgian War. After requests by the EBU for changes to the lyrics were refused, Georgia's broadcaster Georgian Public Broadcasting, GPB subsequently withdrew from the event. ' planned entry in , "Ya nauchu tebya (I'll Teach You)", also caused controversy in the wake of 2020–2021 Belarusian protests, demonstrations against disputed 2020 Belarusian presidential election, election results, resulting in the country's disqualification when the aforementioned song and another potential song were deemed to breach the contest's rules on neutrality and politicisation.
's participation in the contest has resulted in several controversial moments in the past, with the country's first appearance in , less than a year after the Munich massacre, resulting in an increased security presence at the venue in Luxembourg City. 's first win in proved controversial for Arab world, Arab states broadcasting the contest which would typically cut to Television advertisement, advertisements when Israel performed due to a lack of International recognition of Israel, recognition of the country, and when it became apparent Israel would win many of these broadcasters cut the feed before the end of the voting. Arab states which are eligible to compete have declined to participate due to Israel's presence, with the only Arab state to have entered Eurovision, competing for the first, and the only time, in when Israel was absent. Israeli participation has been criticised by those who oppose current Government of Israel, government policies in the state, with calls raised by various political groups for a boycott ahead of the in Tel Aviv, including proponents of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement in response to the country's policies towards Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, Gaza, as well as groups who take issue with perceived Pinkwashing (LGBT), pinkwashing in Israel. Others campaigned against a boycott, asserting that any cultural boycott would be antithetical to advancing peace in the region.
Political and geographical voting
The contest has been described as containing political elements in its voting process, a perception that countries will give votes more frequently and in higher quantities to other countries based on political relationships, rather than the musical merits of the songs themselves. Numerous studies and academic papers have been written on this subject, which have corroborated that certain countries form "clusters" or "cliques" by frequently voting in the same way; one study concludes that voting blocs can play a crucial role in deciding the winner of the contest, with evidence that on at least two occasions bloc voting was a pivotal factor in the vote for the winning song. Other views on these "blocs" argue that certain countries will allocate high points to others based on similar musical tastes, shared cultural links and a high degree of similarity and mutual intelligibility between languages, and are therefore more likely to appreciate and vote for the competing songs from these countries based on these factors, rather than political relationships specifically. Analysis on other voting patterns have revealed examples which indicate voting preferences among countries based on shared religion, as well as "patriotic voting", particularly since the introduction of televoting in , where Expatriate, foreign nationals vote for their country of origin. Voting patterns in the contest have been reported by news publishers, including ''The Economist'' and ''BBC News''. Criticism of the voting system was at its highest in the mid-2000s, resulting in a number of calls for countries to boycott the contest over reported voting biases, particularly following the where Eastern European countries occupied the top 15 places in the final and dominated the qualifying spaces. The poor performance of the entries from more traditional Eurovision countries had subsequently been discussed in European national parliaments, and the developments in the voting was cited as among the reasons for the resignation of Terry Wogan as commentator for the UK, a role he had performed at every contest from . In response to this criticism, the EBU introduced a second semi-final in , with countries split based on geographic proximity and voting history, and juries of music professionals were reintroduced in , in an effort to reduce the impacts of bloc voting.LGBT visibility
Eurovision has had a long-held fan base in the LGBT community, and contest organisers have actively worked to include these fans in the event since the 1990s. Paul Oscar became the contest's first openly Gay men, gay artist to compete when he represented in . 's Dana International, the contest's first Transgender, trans performer, became the first LGBT artist to win in . In , Nikkie de Jager became the first trans person to host the contest.
Several open members of the LGBT community have since gone on to compete and win: Conchita Wurst, the Drag (clothing), drag persona of openly gay Thomas Neuwirth, won the for ; openly bisexual performer Duncan Laurence was the winner of the 2019 contest for the ; and rock band Måneskin, winners of the 2021 contest for , features openly bisexual Victoria De Angelis as its bassist. Marija Šerifović, who won the 2007 contest for , subsequently came out publicly as a lesbian in 2013. Past competing songs and performances have included references and allusions to same-sex relationships; "Nous les amoureux", the winning song, contained references to the difficulties faced by a homosexual relationship; Krista Siegfrids' performance of "Marry Me" at the included a same-sex kiss with one of her female backing dancers; and the stage show of 's Ryan O'Shaughnessy's "Together (Ryan O'Shaughnessy song), Together" in had two male dancers portraying a same-sex relationship. Drag queen, Drag performers, such as 's Verka Serduchka, 's DQ (artist), DQ and 's Sestre (drag act), Sestre, have appeared, including Wurst winning in 2014.
In more recent years, various political ideologies across Europe have clashed in the Eurovision setting, particularly LGBT rights in Europe, on LGBT rights. Dana International's selection for the 1998 contest in Birmingham was marked by objections and death threats from orthodox Religion in Israel, religious sections of Israeli society, and at the contest her accommodation was reportedly in the only hotel in Birmingham with bulletproof windows. , once a regular participant and a one-time winner, first pulled out of the contest in , citing dissatisfaction in the voting rules and more recently Turkish broadcaster Turkish Radio and Television Corporation, TRT have cited LGBT performances as another reason for their continued boycott, refusing to broadcast the 2013 event over 's same sex kiss. LGBT visibility in the contest has been cited as a deciding factor for 's non-participation since , although no official reason was given by the Hungarian broadcaster MTVA (Hungary), MTVA. The rise of anti-LGBT sentiment in Europe has led to a marked increase in booing from contest audiences, particularly since the introduction of a Russian gay propaganda law, "gay propaganda" law in Russia in 2013. Conchita Wurst#International response, Conchita Wurst's win was met with criticism on the Politics of Russia, Russian political stage, with several Conservatism in Russia, conservative politicians voicing displeasure in the result. Clashes on LGBT visibility in the contest have occurred in countries which do not compete, such as in , where broadcasting rights were terminated during the 2018 contest due to Censorship in China, censorship of "abnormal sexual relationships and behaviours" that went against Chinese broadcasting guidelines.
Cultural influence
The Eurovision Song Contest has amassed a global following and sees annual audience figures of between 100 million and 600 million. The contest has become a cultural influence worldwide since its first years, is regularly described as havingkitsch
Kitsch ( ; loanword from German) is a term applied to art and design that is perceived as naïve imitation, overly-eccentric, gratuitous, or of banal taste.
The avant-garde opposed kitsch as melodramatic and superficial affiliation wi ...
appeal, and is included as a topic of parody in television Sketch comedy, sketches and in stage performances at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, Edinburgh Fringe and Melbourne International Comedy Festival, Melbourne Comedy festivals among others. Several films have been created which celebrate the contest, including Eytan Fox's 2013 Israeli comedy ''Cupcakes (film), Cupcakes'', and the Netflix 2020 musical comedy, ''Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga'', produced with backing from the EBU and starring Will Ferrell and Rachel McAdams.
Eurovision has a large online following and multiple independent websites, news blogs and fan clubs are dedicated to the event. One of the oldest and largest Eurovision fan clubs is OGAE, founded in 1984 in Finland and currently a network of over 40 national branches across the world. National branches regularly host events to promote and celebrate Eurovision, and several participating broadcasters work closely with these branches when preparing their entries.
In the run-up to each year's contest, several countries regularly host smaller events between the conclusion of the national selection shows in March and the contest proper in May, known as the "pre-parties". These events typically feature the artists which will go on to compete at that year's contest, and consist of performances at a venue and meet-and-greets with fans and the press. ''Eurovision in Concert'', held annually in Amsterdam, was one of the first of these events to be created, holding its first edition in 2008. Other events held regularly include the ''London Eurovision Party'', ''PrePartyES'' in Madrid, and ''Israel Calling'' in Tel Aviv. Several community events have been held virtually, particularly since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in Europe in 2020. ''EurovisionAgain'', an initiative where fans watched and discussed past contests in sync on YouTube and other social media platforms, was launched during the first COVID-19 lockdowns and subsequently became a Twitter trends, top trend on Twitter across Europe, catching the attention of Eurovision organisers who began to broadcast the contests through their official YouTube channel. Through the EBU, the initiative was able to secure the rights to show several older editions for the first time on their YouTube channel, and over £20,000 was raised for UK-based LGBT, LGBTQ+ charities.
Special events and related competitions
Several anniversary events, and related contests under the "Eurovision Live Events" brand, have been organised by the EBU with member broadcasters. In addition participating broadcasters have occasionally commissioned special Eurovision programmes for their home audiences, and a number of other imitator contests have been developed outside of the EBU framework, on both a national and international level.
The EBU has held several events to mark selected anniversaries in the contest's history: ''Songs of Europe (1981 concert), Songs of Europe'', held in 1981 to celebrate its twenty-fifth anniversary, had live performances and video recordings of all Eurovision Song Contest winners up to 1981; ''Congratulations: 50 Years of the Eurovision Song Contest'' was organised in 2005 to celebrate the event's fiftieth anniversary, and featured a contest to determine the most popular song from among 14 selected entries from the contest's first 50 years; and in 2015 the event's sixtieth anniversary was marked by ''Eurovision Song Contest's Greatest Hits'', a concert of performances by past Eurovision artists and video montages of performances and footage from previous contests. Following the cancellation of the , the EBU subsequently organised a special non-competitive broadcast, '' Eurovision: Europe Shine a Light'', which provided a showcase for the songs that would have taken part in the competition.
Other contests organised by the EBU include Eurovision Young Musicians, a classical music competition for European musicians between the ages of 12 and 21; Eurovision Young Dancers, a dance competition for non-professional performers between the ages of 16 and 21; Eurovision Choir, a choral competition for non-professional European choirs produced in partnership with the and modelled after the World Choir Games; and the Junior Eurovision Song Contest, a similar song contest for singers aged between 9 and 14 representing primarily European countries. The Eurovision Dance Contest was an event featuring pairs of dancers performing ballroom and Latin dancing, which took place for two editions, in 2007 and 2008.
Similar international music competitions have been organised externally to the EBU. The Sopot International Song Festival has been held annually since 1961; between 1977 and 1980, under the patronage of the International Radio and Television Organisation (OIRT), an Eastern European broadcasting network similar to the EBU, it was rebranded as the Intervision Song Contest. A Ibero-American contest, the OTI Festival, was previously held among hispanophone and lusophone countries in Europe, North America and South America; and a contest for countries and Autonomous administrative division, autonomous regions with Turkic peoples, Turkic links, the Turkvision Song Contest, has been organised since 2013. Similarly, an adaption of the contest for artists in the United States, the ''American Song Contest'', was first held in 2022 and featured songs representing U.S. states and U.S. territory, territories. Adaptions of the contest for artists in Canada and Latin America are in development.
References
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* * * * * {{Authority control Eurovision Song Contest, 1956 establishments in Europe Eurovision events, Song Contest Music television series Pop music festivals Recurring events established in 1956 Song contests Annual television shows