Entertainment/Eurovision Song Contest

At a committee meeting of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) held in Monaco in 1955, director general of Swiss television and committee chairman Marcel Bezençon conceived the idea of an international song contest where countries would participate in one television programme, to be transmitted simultaneously to all countries of the union. The competition was based upon the existing Sanremo Music Festival held in Italy. The name "Eurovision" was first used in relation to the EBU's network by George Campey in the London Evening Standard in 1951. The programme was first known as the Eurovision Grand Prix

Each submission must have vocals; purely instrumental music has never been allowed. Originally, competitors were required to sing in their own national language, but this rule has been changed several times over the years

The voting system used in the contest has changed over the years. The current system has been in place since 1975, and is a positional voting system. Countries award 12 points to their favourite song, then 10 to the second favourite, and then scores from 8 down to 1 to another eight songs

1950s

1956

The first contest was held in the town of Lugano, Switzerland, on 24 May 1956. Seven countries participated (Switzerland, Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands and Luxembourg) – each submitting two songs, for a total of 14. This was the only contest in which more than one song per country was performed. Refrain, performed in French by Lys Assia won the contest, representing Switzerland

1957

UK, Austria and Denmark made their debuts. Patricia Bredin was the very first United Kingdom entrant. She took part in the 1957 contest, held in Frankfurt, and finished in seventh place out of ten entries with the song All. The contest was won by the Netherlands with Net als toen (Just like then) performed by Corry Brokken

1958

The contest took place in Hilversum, Netherlands, following the country's win at the 1957 Contest, forming the convention that the winning country of the previous Eurovision Song Contest hosts the following year's contest. Ten countries participated. Sweden made its debut while the United Kingdom did not enter the contest for the second and last time to date. The winner was France with the song Dors, mon amour (Sleep, my love), performed by André Claveau

1959

The contest was held in Cannes. Luxembourg withdrew, the UK returned, and Monaco made its debut. The contest was won by the Netherlands with the song Een beetje (A little bit), performed by Teddy Scholten. Sing, little birdie, performed by Pearl Carr and Teddy Johnson finished as runner-up for the UK

1960s

1960

Hosted by the BBC when the Netherlands declined due to expense. Held at the Royal Festival Hall in London. The UK was chosen to host because it had come second in 1959. The BBC chose Katie Boyle to be the mistress of ceremonies at the contest for the first time. Luxembourg returned, and Norway made its debut. The contest was won by France with the song Tom Pillibi, performed by Jacqueline Boyer. Looking High, High, High, performed by Bryan Johnson, finished as runner-up for the UK

1961

First contest to take place on a Saturday night. Held in Cannes. Luxembourg won for its first time with the song Nous les amoureux (We the lovers) performed in French by Jean-Claude Pascal. Finland, Spain and Yugoslavia made their debuts. 16 entries. Are You Sure?, performed by The Allisons, finished as runner-up for the UK

1962

The contest was won for a third time by France with the song Un premier amour (A first love), performed by Isabelle Aubret. This marked the first time a country had won three contests. Austria, Belgium, Netherlands, and Spain all scored "nul points" for the first time. Ring-A-Ding Girl, performed by Ronnie Carroll, finished in fourth place for the UK

1963

France were unable to host the event, due to financial difficulties. The BBC stepped in, and the event was held at BBC Television Centre. The contest was won by Denmark with the song Dansevise (Dance ballad), performed by Grethe & Jørgen Ingmann. Netherlands scored no points for the second year in a row. Say Wonderful Things, performed by Ronnie Carroll, finished in fourth place for the UK.  Nana Mouskouri finished in eighth place for Luxembourg

1964

Sweden withdrew, and Portugal made their debut. Italy won the contest for the first time with the song Non ho l'età (I’m not old enough), performed by Gigliola Cinquetti. I Love the Little Things, performed by Matt Munro, finished as runner-up for the UK

1965

The contest was held in Naples. Sweden returned, and Ireland made their debut. Luxembourg won with the song Poupée de cire, poupée de son (Wax doll, sawdust doll), performed by France Gall and composed by Serge Gainsbourg. I Belong, performed by Kathy Kirby, finished as runner-up for the UK

1966

The winner was Austria with the song Merci, Chérie (Thank you, darling) performed and composed by Udo Jürgens. The rule stating that a country could only sing in any of its national languages was originally created in this year. A Man Without Love, performed by Kenneth McKellar, finished in ninth place for the UK

1967

17 entries, as Denmark withdrew. The winning entry Puppet on a String, sung by Sandie Shaw had one of the widest margins of victory ever witnessed in the competition. First win for the United Kingdom. Rolf Harris provided the commentary for BBC Television viewers. Portugal was represented by Eduardo Nascimento who was the first black male singer in the history of Eurovision Song Contest

1968

Held at the Royal Albert Hall, and hosted by Michael Aspel. The contest was won by the Spanish song La, la, la performed by Massiel, beating Congratulations, performed by Cliff Richard, by one vote. Originally Spain entered Joan Manuel Serrat to sing La La La, but his demand to sing in Catalan was an affront to Francoist Spain. Serrat was withdrawn and replaced by Massiel, who sang the same song in Spanish. First time that the Eurovision Song Contest was broadcast in colour

1969

Austria withdrew. Four countries won the contest, the first time ever a tie-break situation had occurred. However, there was no rule at the time to cover such an eventuality, so all four countries were declared joint winners. It was the first time that any country (Spain) had a winning entry two years in a row. The tie was between Lulu , performing Boom Bang-a-Bang, France, Spain and Netherlands. The metal sculpture used on the stage was designed by Salvador Dali

1970s

1970

Held in Amsterdam. With the UK having hosted the 1968 Contest and Spain the 1969 Contest, only France and Netherlands were in consideration. A toss of a coin resulted in the host country being decided as the Netherlands. Finland, Norway, Portugal and Sweden withdrew. Ireland won the contest with All Kinds of Everything, sung by Dana, an 18-year-old schoolgirl from Derry. Knock, Knock Who’s There? sung by Mary Hopkin finished as runner-up. The then unknown Julio Iglesias finished fourth for Spain

1971

The contest was held at the Gaiety Theatre in Dublin. Groups of up to six people were allowed to perform for the first time. Malta made their debut in this year's contest, along Austria, Finland, Norway, Portugal, and Sweden, who all returned. The winner was Monaco with the song Un Banc, un Arbre, une Rue (A bench, a tree, a street) performed in French by Severine.  Monaco's win was their first and only victory. Jack in the Box, performed by Cloadagh Rodgers, finished in fourth place for the UK

1972

Monaco was unable to meet the demands of hosting the event, which was held at Usher Hall in Edinburgh. Presented by Moira Shearer. The winner was Luxembourg with the song Apres toi (After you) performed in French by Vicky Leandros. Beg, Steal or Borrow, performed by The New Seekers, finished as runner-up for the UK

1973

Austria and Malta withdrew. Israel entered for the first time. The language rule forcing countries to enter songs sung in any of their national languages was dropped, so performers from some countries sang in English. The winner was Luxembourg with the song Tu te reconnaîtras (You will recognize yourself) performed in French by Anne-Marie David. Spain finished second, and Cliff Richard finished third performing Power to all Our Friends. Luxembourg became the first country to win successive outright Eurovision Song Contests

1974

Luxembourg declined to host the event on the grounds of expense. It was held at The Dome, in Brighton. France withdrew as a mark of respect following the death of French President, Georges Pompidou. Greece entered for the first time. The winner was Sweden with the song Waterloo performed by ABBA. Long Live Love, performed by Olivia Newton-John, finished in fourth place for the UK. . The interval act was The Wombles. The UK jury gave ABBA no votes

1975

France and Malta returned, and Turkey entered for the first time. Greece withdrew from this contest in response to the 1974 Turkish invasion of Cyprus, in protest of Turkey's participation. A new scoring system was implemented, one which is still used today. Each jury would now give 12 points to the best song, 10 to the second best, then 8 to the third, 7 to the fourth, 6 to the fifth and so forth until the tenth best song received a single point. The contest was won by Teach-In, who sang Ding-a-dong in English, representing the Netherlands. The Portuguese entry was a celebration of the Carnation Revolution. Let Me Be The One, performed by The Shadows, finished as runner-up for the UK

1976

The contest was held in The Hague. Sweden, Malta and Turkey withdrew from this contest. Austria and Greece returned to the contest. Liechtenstein attempted to submit an entry to the contest, but as they had no broadcasting service of their own, they were not allowed to. It was won by the United Kingdom with Brotherhood of Man, singing Save Your Kisses for Me. Brotherhood of Man members – Martin Lee, Lee Sheriden, Nicky Stevens and Sandra Stevens. The entry from Greece was about the Turkish invasion of Cyprus. Romina Power, the daughter of Tyrone Power, represented Italy in 1976 and 1985

1977

Presented by Angela Rippon, the contest was held at the Wembley Conference Centre. Sweden returned to the contest, and Yugoslavia withdrew. The language rule was brought back in this contest, four years after it had been dropped in 1973. The contest was postponed by a month because of a strike of BBC cameramen and technicians. The contest was won by Marie Myriam who represented France, with her song L'oiseau et l'enfant (The Bird and the Child). This was France's fifth victory. Rock Bottom, performed by Lynsey De Paul and Mike Moran, finished as runner-up for the UK

1978

Denmark and Turkey returned to the contest. The contest was won by Izhar Cohen & the Alphabeta who represented Israel, with their song A-Ba-Ni-Bi (I love you), sung in Hebrew. The Bad Old Days, performed by Co-co, finished in eleventh place for the UK. At the time, this was the worst showing yet for the UK in Eurovision. Cheryl Baker was a member of Co-Co. Jahn Teigen debuted on the Eurovision stage, performing the song Mil etter mil (Mile after mile) for Norway, which gained the first’ nul points’ since the current voting system was implemented in 1975

1979

The contest was held in Jerusalem. Turkey withdrew. The winner was Israel with the song Hallelujah, performed by Gali Atari and Milk and Honey. France's representative Anne-Marie David, who finished third, was the winner for Luxembourg in 1973. Mary Ann, performed by Black Lace, finished in fourth place for the UK

1980s

1980

Israel, winners in 1979, declined to host the show for the second time in a row, as the Israel Broadcasting Authority could not fund another international production. Netherlands finally agreed to host the show in a small-scale production, and it wsa held in The Hague. Israel and Monaco withdrew, and Turkey returned.  Morocco competed for the first and only time, and is the only African country to have competed in the Eurovision Song Contest. Australian-born Johnny Logan representing Ireland was the winner with the song, What's Another Year. This was Ireland’s second win. Love Enough for Two, performed by Prima Donna, finished as runner-up for the UK

1981

Italy and Morocco withdrew, Israel and Yugoslavia returned, and Cyprus made their debut. The contest was won by Bucks Fizz for the United Kingdom, singing Making Your Mind Up. The dance routine which accompanied the song involved a skirt-rip. Bucks Fizz members – Bobby G, Cheryl Baker, Mike Nolan and Jay Aston. Finn Kalvic scored ‘nul points’ for Norway

1982

Presented by Jan Leeming, the contest was held at Harrogate International Centre. France and Greece withdrew. The German entrant, Nicole, was winner with the song Ein bißchen Frieden (A little peace). This was the first time that Germany won the contest. One Step Further, performed by Bardo, finished in seventh place for the UK. Sally Ann Triplett, who was a member of Prima Donna in 1980, was a member of Bardo

1983

The contest was held in Munich. Ireland withdrew due to a strike at RTE. France, Greece and Italy returned. First contest to be televised in Australia. Corinne Hermes was the winner with the song, Si la vie est cadeau (If life is a gift). This was Luxembourg's fifth victory in the contest. I’m Never Giving Up, performed by Sweet Dreams, finished in seventh place for the UK. Jahn Teigen finished in ninth place for Norway

1984

Greece and Israel withdrew, Ireland returned. Iceland was going to participate but withdrew due to lack of financial support. Herreys consisting of three brothers were the winners of this contest with the song Diggi-Loo Diggi-Ley, representing Sweden. Love Games, performed by Sweet Dreams, finished in seventh place for the UK

1985

Held in Gothenburg. Netherlands and Yugoslavia withdrew, Greece and Israel returned. Bobbysocks! (Hanne Krogh and Elisabeth Andreassen) from Norway were the winners of the contest with the song La det swinge (Let it swing). Elisabeth Andreassen had represented Sweden in the 1982 contest, and finished second for Norway in 1996. Love Is, performed by Vikki, finished in fourth place for the UK. Izhar Cohen finished in fifth place for Israel

1986

The contest was held in the Grieg Hall in Bergen. Members of the Norwegian royal family attended. Greece and Italy withdrew, Netherlands and Yugoslavia returned, and Iceland made their debut. Sandra Kim was the winner of this Eurovision with the song J'aime la vie (I love life), representing Belgium. Aged 13, Kim was the youngest ever Eurovision winner. Current rules (introduced in 1990) require Eurovision Song Contest participants to be at least 16. Runner in the Night, performed by Ryder, finished in seventh place for the UK

1987

22 countries took part, as Italy and Greece returned. Due to the time it took for the contest to be held, the EBU set the limit of competing countries to 22. Johnny Logan was the winner for Ireland with the song Hold Me Now, becoming the first performer to win the contest twice, as he had won also in 1980. Controversy erupted in Israel after their song was selected, Shir Habatlanim by the Lazy Bums – the comedic performance was criticised by the country's culture minister. Only the Light, performed by Rikki, finished in thirteenth place for the UK – the lowest placement the UK had received up to that time. German group Wind were runners- up, having also finished second in 1985. Plastic Bertrand represented Luxembourg and finished in 21st place

1988

Cyprus were forced to withdraw for submitting a song that had been entered into a previous contest. Celine Dion won the contest for Switzerland with the song Ne partez pas sans moi (Do not leave without me), one point ahead of Scott Fitzgerald with the song Go, which was written and composed by Julie Forsyth, daughter of Bruce Forsyth

1989

The contest was held in Lausanne. Cyprus returned. Riva, representing Yugoslavia, won with the song Rock Me, sung in Croatian. This was the only victory for Yugoslavia as a unified state. Ray Caruana, lead singer with Live Report was outspoken about coming second for the UK with Why Do I Always Get It Wrong? to what he considered a much less worthy song. Celine Dion opened the show with a live performance of her winning song and a mime performance of her first English-language single, Where Does My Heart Beat Now. The song launched her into international success

1990s

1990

Held in Zagreb. Malta had wished to return to the contest, but Eurovision rules prevented them from returning due to a maximum of 22 entries allowed to compete. Toto Cutugno was the winner of this contest with the song Insieme: 1992 (Together: 1992). This was the second victory for Italy. Give a Little Love Back to the World, performed by Emma, finished in sixth place for the UK

1991

Due to the Gulf War and mounting tensions in Yugoslavia, RAI decided to move the contest from Sanremo to Rome. The Netherlands did not participate in this contest as it conflicted with the Remembrance of the Dead national holiday, and so Malta was allowed to participate. Carola was the winner of this Contest for Sweden with the song Fångad av en stormvind (Captured by a stormwind). There was a tie between Carola and France's Amina, as both had received 146 points. This necessitated a 'count-back'.  Both Sweden and France had received four lots of 12 points, but Sweden had received five lots of 10 points to France's two. A Message to Your Heart, performed by Samantha Janus, finished in tenth place for the UK

1992

Held at the Malmo Ice Stadium. The contest marked the last participation of Yugoslavia, although it was not the same country that has participated from 1961 to 1991, but actually, Serbia and Montenegro. This was the country's last entry until 2004, as it was banned from the contest. Netherlands returned to the contest. Linda Martin, representing Ireland, was the winner with the song Why Me?. The song was written by Johnny Logan. Linda Martin had been runner-up in the 1984 contest. One Step Out Of Time, performed by Michael Ball, finished as runner-up for the UK

1993

For the first time, then, a pre-qualifying round was introduced, but only for countries that had either never participated in the contest at all, or in the case of former republics of Yugoslavia, had not previously competed as nations in their own right. The number of entrants increased to 25, with the debuts of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, and Slovenia. The contest was held in Millstreet, County Cork. Niamh Kavanagh was the winner for Ireland with the song In Your Eyes. Better the Devil You Know, performed by Sonia, finished as runner-up for the UK

1994

To cope with the increasing number of countries wishing to participate in the contest, for 1994 the European Broadcasting Union ruled that the five lowest-placed countries from the preceding year's contest would not participate. Luxembourg withdraw from Eurovision indefinitely. For the first time in Eurovision history, voting was done via satellite instead of by telephone. Held in the Point Theatre in Dublin. Paul Harrington and Charlie McGettigan from Ireland were the winners with the song Rock 'N' Roll Kids. This was a record sixth victory for Ireland and the only time that the contest had been won by the same country in three consecutive years. Poland were runners-up on their debut in Eurovision. We Will Be Free (Lonely Symphony), performed by Frances Ruffelle, finished in tenth place for the UK

1995

Held in the Point Theatre in Dublin. The EBU decreased the number of participants back to 23 to make sure the show would not last longer than 3 hours. Secret Garden, representing Norway, was the winner with the song Nocturne. Rap song Love City Groove, performed by Love City Groove, finished in tenth place for the UK

1996

An audio-only pre-qualification round, which was never televised, was used by the EBU in order to shortlist the number of participating nations that would compete in the televised final. Eimear Quinn from Ireland was the winner with the song The Voice. The song was written by Brendan Graham, who also composed the 1994 winner Rock 'n' Roll Kids. It was also a record seventh win for Ireland. Ooh Aah... Just a Little Bit, performed by Gina G, finished in tenth place for the UK

1997

The European Broadcasting Union introduced a new system: countries with the lowest average scores over the previous four years would be excluded from the 1997 contest, and those with the lowest averages over the previous five years would be excluded from future contests (but every country so excluded for one year would automatically be allowed to participate the following year). Televoting was tested in five countries. Ronan Keating was co-presenter of the contest, held in the Point Theatre in Dublin. Katrina & The Waves won the contest for the United Kingdom with the song Love Shine a Light, giving the UK a fifth win in Eurovision

1998

Held at the National Indoor Arena, Birmingham. 25 countries participated in the contest with Macedonia making their official debut. This was the first year in which televoting was used en masse. Dana International won the contest for Israel with the song Diva. Dana International was first openly transgender performer to enter the competition. Where are You?, performed by Imaani, finished as runner-up for the UK

1999

Rules that each country had to sing in one of their national languages were abolished for the first time since 1977. Live music became optional for the first time in the Contest's history. All entries used backing track during their performances. In was announced that, as of the 2000 Contest, the four biggest financial contributors to the EBU – Germany, Spain, France and the United Kingdom – would all be given automatic entry into the Contest, regardless of their average scores over the past five years. Charlotte Nilsson won for Sweden, with the song Take Me to Your Heaven. Presenting the trophy to the winners, Dana International fell to the stage, bringing down the winning composers with her. Say It Again, performed by Precious, finished in twelfth place for the UK

2000s

2000

The contest was won by the Olsen Brothers who represented Denmark with the song Fly on the Wings of Love. Latvia made their debut, and finished in third place. Don’t Play That Song Again, performed by Nicki French, finished in sixteenth place for the UK

2001

The contest was won by Estonia who were represented by Tanel Padar, Dave Benton & 2XL with the song Everybody. Dave Benton, who was born and raised in Aruba, was the first black person and, at the age of 50 years and 101 days, the oldest contestant at the time to win the contest. Terry Wogan repeatedly made critical comments about the Danish hosts and dubbed them "Doctor Death and the Tooth Fairy/The Little Mermaid". No Dream Possible, performed by Lindsay Dracass, finished in fifteenth place for the UK

2002

Held at the at the Saku Suurhall Arena in Tallinn. The contest was won by Latvia's Marie N and her song I Wanna. Malta were runners-up. Come Back, performed by Jessica Garlick, tied for third place (with Estonia) for the UK

2003

This was the last contest to take place on one evening. The EBU revealed that it would be adding a semi-final show to the competition in order to accommodate the growing number of interested countries wishing to take part in the contest. This was also the last contest in which a relegation system was used to determine which countries would participate in the following year's contest. Ukraine made their debut. Turkey won for the first time, with the song Everyway That I Can sung by Sertab Erener. t.A.T.u. represented Russia, finishing in third place. The UK achieved their worst result to date, coming in last place (26th) and scoring no points, with the song Cry Baby, performed by Jemini (Chris Crosby and Gemma Abbey)

2004

36 counties competed, with debuts for Albania, Andorra, Belarus, and Serbia and Montenegro. Monaco returned after a 25 year absence. A semi-final was held on the Wednesday before the final. Held in Istanbul. Ruslana from Ukraine won the contest with Wild Dances. Hold On to Our Love, performed by James Fox, finished in sixteenth place for the UK

2005

Thirty-nine countries participated, including the debuts of Bulgaria and Moldova and the return of Hungary, which was last represented in 1998. Because the show overran so badly, the EBU changed the way the votes were announced in 2006 into a much shorter method, where only the top 3 scores were read out. Greece won for the first time with the song My Number One performed by Helena Paparizou. The "Big Four" countries (France, Germany, Spain and United Kingdom) all placed in the bottom four positions, with the UK finishing 22nd. Javine Hylton won Eurovision: Making Your Mind Up, singing Touch My Fire. The other contestants included Gina G and Katie Price

2006

Armenia made their debut. The Finnish band Lordi won the contest with the song Hard Rock Hallelujah, the first ever hard rock song to win the contest and the first ever win for Finland. Teenage Life, performed by Daz Sampson, finished in nineteenth place for the UK. Congratulations, sung by Silvia Night for Iceland, was distributed on the Internet before the competition, which should have led to the song being banned. Silvia Night called journalists “Fucking amateurs”, and claimed the only reason Swedish singer Carola qualified for the Grand Final was that she had sex with the head of the EBU in a car before the competition

2007

A record number of 42 countries participated, as Czech Republic, Georgia, Montenegro, and Serbia made their debuts. Serbia won the Contest on their first appearance as in independent country, with the song Molitva (Prayer), performed by Marija Šerifović. Eurovision: Making Your Mind Up ended in controversy as the final result was announced. Fearne Cotton revealed the winner to be Scooch while, simultaneously in a much louder voice, co-host Terry Wogan announced the winner to be fellow entry Cyndi. After several seconds of confusion it was revealed that Scooch were the actual winners. They finished in 22nd place in the final with the song Flying the Flag (for You)

2008

Azerbaijan and San Marino made their debuts. This year was the first contest to have two semi-finals. Russia won the Contest for the first time, with the song Believe, performed by Dima Bilan. Bilan had represented Russia at the Eurovision Song Contest 2006 with Never Let You Go, finishing second. Dustin the Turkey represented Ireland with the song Irelande Douze Pointe, though he did not progress past the first semi-final stage. Even If, performed by Andy Abraham, finished in 25th and last place for the UK

2009

Changes in the voting procedure were made with the re-introduction of a national jury alongside televoting. The EBU rejected the Georgian song We Don’t Wanna Put In due to perceived political connotations within its lyrics relating to Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin. After the first semi-final, representatives for Azerbaijan complained to the EBU over the introductory "postcard" preceding the Armenian entry, since the video clip had included a depiction of We Are Our Mountains, a monumental statue located in the unrecognized Nagorno-Karabakh republic. The contest was won by Norway's Alexander Rybak with Fairytale, which received a record-breaking 387 points out of 492, the highest total score in the history of the contest at that time. Graham Norton took over from Terry Wogan as UK presenter. It’s My Time, performed by Jade Ewen and written by Andrew Lloyd Webber, finished in fifth place for the UK.

2010s

2010

The EBU announced that the voting system used in the semi-finals would change from previous years to balance jury voting with televoting. A return of accompaniment by orchestra was also proposed, but did not happen. The contest was won by Germany’s Lena with Satellite. That Sounds Good to Me, performed by Josh Dubovie and written by Pete Waterman and Mike Stock, finished in 25th and last place for the UK

2011

Held in the Esprit Arena in Dusseldorf. 43 countries participated in the contest, with those returning including Austria, Hungary, and San Marino. Italy also returned to the Contest, marking its first participation since 1997. On 31 December 2010, it was announced that Italy would also automatically qualify for the final, joining the other four qualifiers to become the "Big Five". The winner was Azerbaijan with the song Running Scared performed by Ell & Nikki. Italy finished second. Dana International failed to qualify for the final. Jedward finished in eighth place for Ireland, singing Lipstick. Last year’s winner, Lena, finished in tenth place, one place ahead of Blue singing I Can for the UK. It was the first time in Eurovision Song Contest history that the British entry has been decided internally by the BBC

2012

Held at the newly constructed Baku Crystal Hall. Armenia withdrew due to security concerns in relation to ongoing conflicts with Azerbaijan over the Nagorno-Karabakh region. The contest was won by Loreen from Sweden with the song Euphoria. Jedward finished in nineteenth place for Ireland singing Waterline. Love Will Set You Free, performed by Engelbert Humperdinck, finished in 25th place (out of 26) for the UK

2013

Hosted by Petra Mede, the event was held in Malmo. For the first time since 1985, no country of the former Yugoslav federation participated in the final. The contest was won by Emmelie de Forest from Denmark with the song Only Teardrops. Believe in Me, performed by Bonnie Tyler, finished in nineteenth place for the UK. Only Love Survives, sung by Ryan Dolan, finished in 26th and last place for Ireland

2014

San Marino and Montenegro both qualified for the final for the first time. The winner was Conchita Wurst with the song Rise Like a Phoenix, for Austria. This was Austria's first win in the competition since 1966. Wurst is a drag queen portrayed by Thomas "Tom" Neuwirth. Children of the Universe, sung by Molly (Smitten-Downes), finished in seventeenth place for the UK

2015

The contest was won by Mans Zelmerlow from Sweden, singing Heroes. This was Sweden's sixth win in the competition. Australia made their debut as a guest entrant, with Guy Sebastian singing Tonight finishing fifth. Austria became the first host country to score no points. Germany also scored no points. Still in Love with You, sung by Electro Velvet, finished in 24th place for the UK

2016

The winner of the contest was Ukraine with the song 1944, performed by Jamala. The lyrics for 1944 concern the deportation of the Crimean Tatars, in the 1940s, by the Soviet Union at the hands of Joseph Stalin because of their alleged collaboration with the Nazis. Australia finished as runners-up. Romania was forced to withdraw due to repeated non-payment of debts by their national broadcaster to the EBU. The contest was the first to implement a voting system change since 1975: each country's professional jury points were announced largely as before, while the results of each national televote were combined and announced in reverse order. The final was the first to be broadcast on live television in the United States. You’re Not Alone, sung by Joe & Jake, finished in 24th place for the UK

2017

Portugal won the contest for the first time, with the song Amar pelos dois (To Love for the Both of Us) performed by Salvador Sobral and written by his sister Luisa. Bulgaria finished as runners-up. UK finished in 15th place, with the song Never Give Up on You, sung by Lucie Jones

2018

Israel won with the song Toy, performed by Netta. This was Israel’s fourth win in the contest. Cyprus finished in second place. Portugal finished last. The UK entry, Storm by SuRie (Susanna Marie Cork), finished in 24th place

2019

Held in Tel Aviv. The winner was the Netherlands with the song Arcade, performed by Duncan Laurence. Fifth victory for the Netherlands. An incorrect counting of the jury votes by the Belarusian delegation caused the televised results to be amended three days later. Bigger than Us, sung by Michael Rice for the UK, finished in last place (26th)

2020s

2020

The contest would have taken place in Rotterdam, but was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic

2021

The contest was held at the Rotterdam Ahoy convention centre. The winner was Italy with the song Zitti e buoni (Quiet and Good), performed by Måneskin. UK entry James Newman received nul points with the song Embers. Belarus was disqualified as their song did not comply with the contest's rules against political entries

2022

The contest was held at the at the PalaOlimpico in Turin. Ukraine won with the song Stefania, performed by Kalush Orchestra. Third victory for Ukraine. UK finished in second place with the song Space Man, performed by Sam Ryder. Best result for the UK since 1988. Finland was represented by The Rasmus. Norway was represented by Subwoolfer, whose two members perform in black suits with white shirts with distinctive yellow wolf-head masks and yellow gloves and ties and go by the pseudonyms Keith and Jim. Mika was one of the presenters

2023

Ukraine was unable to host the contest due to the war with Russia. UK hosted the contest on behalf of Ukraine, with Glasgow and Liverpool in the final shortlist. In October 2022, the EBU and the BBC announced Liverpool as the host city, with the Liverpool Arena as the chosen venue for the contest. Sweden won with the song Tattoo, performed by Loreen, who became the first woman to win the contest twice. Seventh win for Sweden. Finland's Käärijä finished in second place with his song Cha Cha Cha and topped the public vote. I Wrote a Song, performed by Mae Muller, finished in 25th place (out of 26) for the UK. The presenters were Graham Norton, Alesha Dixon, Hannah Waddingham, and Ukrainian singer Julia Sanina. The interval acts included Sam Ryder performing his new single Mountain with Queen's Roger Taylor. The Princess of Wales played the piano with last year's winners Kalush Orchestra

2024

The contest was held at the Malmo Arena in Malmo. Switzerland won with the song The Code, performed by Nemo. First openly non-binary performer to win the contest. Croatia, represented by Baby Lasagna, finished in second place and won the televote. The UK entry, Dizzy by Olly Alexander, finished in 18th place but received nul points in the televote. The Dutch representative, Joost Klein, was disqualified after the semi-final for a backstage incident. The inclusion of Israeli contestant Eden Golan became controversial due to the Israel–Hamas war. Ireland was represented by Bambie Thug. Finland was represented by Windows95man. Luxembourg returned to the contest 31 years after its last participation in 1993

Trivia

Ireland and Sweden have both won the contest seven times. France, Luxembourg, Netherlands and the United Kingdom are joint third with five wins. Israel has won four times

Germany has officially participated in every Eurovision Song Contest since its beginning in 1956, except in 1996 when its entry did not qualify past the audio-only pre‐selection round, and consequently was not seen in the broadcast final. France and the United Kingdom have only missed two contests each

The United Kingdom holds the record for the highest number of runner-up placings, coming in second on no less than 16 occasions

Malta is the most successful country without a win, achieving two second places and two third places

Ireland won three times in a row, in 1992, 1993, and 1994

Johnny Logan is the only male performer to win twice, winning in 1980 and 1987

Loreen is the only female performer to win twice, winning in 2012 and 2023

Marcel Bezençon Awards were first handed out during the Eurovision Song Contest in 2002 honouring the best competing songs in the final. The awards are divided into 3 categories: Press Award, Artistic Award, and Composer Award

Barbara Dex Award is an annual fan award for the worst dressed artist in the Eurovision Song Contest. It is named after Barbara Dex, who represented Belgium in the 1993 contest

Junior Eurovision Song Contest has been organized by the EBU annually since 2003. Each participating broadcaster sends an act, the members of which are aged 10 to 15 on the day of the contest. The UK entered for the first three years, and Cory Spedding finished as runner-up in 2004

Ronnie Hazlehurst was the musical director when the event was hosted by the United Kingdom in 1974, 1977 and 1982. He also conducted the British entry on seven occasions

Between 1957 and 1966, David Jacobs presented A Song for Europe and provided the UK commentary at Eurovision Song Contests

Pete Murray hosted the UK heat of the Eurovision Song Contest in 1959 and provided the UK commentary for the contest itself both on radio and television on a number of occasions between 1959 and 1977

In 1971 and from 1974 until 1977, Terry Wogan provided the BBC's radio commentary for the Eurovision Song Contest. He became better known for his television commentary, which he handled first in 1973 and then again in 1978. From 1980 until 2008, he provided the BBC's television commentary every year

Eurovision: Your Country Needs You was a BBC TV show broadcast annually to select the United Kingdom's entry into the Eurovision Song Contest. The show had previously gone under several other names, including Festival of British Popular Songs, Eurovision Song Contest British Final, The Great British Song Contest, Eurovision: Making Your Mind Up and Eurovision: Your Decision but was known, for most of its history, as A Song for Europe

Graham Norton has provided the BBC's television commentary since 2009

The short clips before each contestant’s performance are known as ‘postcards’

Cyprus has competed at 40 Eurovision Song Contests without winning

Norway has finished in last place on most occasions