Eurovision Song Contest

• 1. Introduction

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  The Eurovision Song Contest began in the spring of 1956 in Lugano, Switzerland, with broadcasters from seven countries on one stage. Each country sent two songs. That is the only year the rules ever allowed more than one entry per country. The host nation won, with a song called "Refrain", performed by Lys Assia. The contest has since been staged 70 times, and broadcasters from 52 countries have taken part at least once. Its audience runs to hundreds of millions of viewers worldwide. Some of the best-selling artists on the planet have competed. The same event has also produced boycotts, disqualifications and late withdrawals. How did a one-night experiment in live television grow into this? Who decides the winners, and why do countries argue so fiercely over a three-minute song?

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• 2. Origins and Names

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  The word Eurovision first appeared in print in 1951, when the British journalist George Campey used it in the Evening Standard. He was describing a BBC programme relayed by Dutch television. The European Broadcasting Union, or EBU, had been formed the year before among 23 broadcasting organisations. Its Eurovision network then carried events across borders through the early 1950s, including the coronation of Elizabeth II in 1953.

  In January 1955, an EBU committee headed by Marcel Bezençon began searching for new ways for broadcasters to cooperate. Among the ideas it approved for further study was a European song competition, first suggested by Sergio Pugliese, a manager at the Italian broadcaster RAI. The model was the Sanremo Music Festival, which Italy had held since 1951. In October 1955 the EBU general assembly agreed to stage the event under the title European Grand Prix. The Swiss Broadcasting Corporation offered to host it in Lugano. The goals were to test live television across borders, to promote television itself, and to encourage the writing of original songs.

  The name took decades to settle. The first contest was officially the Gran premio Eurovisione della canzone europea in Italian and the Grand Prix Eurovision de la chanson européenne in French. Swedish and Dutch broadcasters sometimes used their own versions, such as Eurovision Schlagerfestival and Eurovisie Songfestival. Eurovision Song Contest became the usual English name, and a brief rebrand to Eurosong was reversed the following year. Names were not formally standardised until 2004. On only four occasions has the official logo used neither English nor French. Italy used Italian names for two contests it hosted, and the Netherlands used a Dutch name for two of its own.

  Very little of that first night survives on film. The only footage of the 1956 contest is a Kinescope recording of Lys Assia reprising her winning song. In 2011 the EBU began gathering footage of every edition ahead of the 60th edition in 2015, and it now holds recordings of all but two.

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• 3. Rules of the Stage

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  A Eurovision song must last three minutes or less, and that limit applies only to the version performed live on the show. It must also be new. A song cannot have been released commercially before the 1st of September of the previous year. Every entry needs vocals and lyrics, so a cappella pieces and purely instrumental music are barred. Any language is allowed, natural or constructed.

  That freedom was not always there. No language rule existed at first. After criticism of one entry being sung in English, a rule limited each song to an official language of the country it represented. It was abolished, reinstated for most countries, and abolished again. Since the rule was dropped in 1999, a majority of winners have been sung in English. Only seven winning songs since then have used another language, fully or partly.

  The songwriters face almost no limits. There is no restriction on nationality, country of residence or age, and one writer may enter several songs in a single year for different acts. Ralph Siegel wrote or co-wrote the entries of two different countries in 1980. Over a 40-year career he had a hand in dozens of entries, including the winner "Ein bißchen Frieden".

  The performers have rules of their own. The first contest allowed only soloists. Duos were permitted the following year, and groups came later. Today no more than six people may be on stage, and no live animals are allowed. Contestants must be 16 or older on the day of their live show, a threshold due to rise to 18. Sandra Kim won at the age of 13 and will remain the youngest winner while the current rule stands. Performers may represent only one country per year, but they can return. Lys Assia competed again after her win, and so did Lena after hers.

  The music itself has changed shape. From 1956 to 1998 a live orchestra accompanied every act. Pre-recorded backing tracks were first allowed in 1973, but any recorded instrument had to be seen being played on stage. By 1997, all instrumental music could be recorded, though the host still had to provide an orchestra. In 1999 the orchestra became optional. The Israel Broadcasting Authority, host that year, chose to have none, so every act used backing tracks for the first time. Main vocals must still be sung live. Backing vocals may now be pre-recorded, a change meant to add flexibility and modernise the show.

  Each broadcaster chooses its own entry by its own method. Some hold a televised national final with a jury or public vote, some pick internally, and some mix the two. Sweden's Melodifestivalen, founded in 1959, has become one of the most watched television shows in the country each year. Once the songs are chosen, the producers set the running order themselves, so that songs of a similar style or tempo are not played back to back.

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• 4. Counting the Points

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  Every country hands out points on a fixed ladder: 1 to 8, then 10, and finally 12 for its favourite. Each country awards two sets of them. One comes from the public, voting by telephone, SMS or the official Eurovision app. The other comes from a jury of seven music professionals. In 2023 a Rest of the World vote opened to viewers in non-participating countries. Their votes are added together and awarded as one set of points from an extra country. The 12-point ladder dates from 1975, when it was used with a single set of points per country. Since 1957, neither juries nor the public may vote for their own country.

  The first contest kept its voting behind closed doors, and only the winner was announced on stage. A public scoreboard followed, inspired by the BBC's Festival of British Popular Songs. From 1957, each country sent a spokesperson to read out its votes, often a former Eurovision artist or a presenter. Early on, those announcements travelled over telephone lines. Live television feeds later let the audience see the spokespeople. The scoreboard stood at the side of the stage and was updated by hand until a computer graphics version replaced it.

  Who does the voting has shifted repeatedly. Juries have been made up of members of the public, of music professionals, or of both. Televoting arrived as a trial, with broadcasters in five countries letting viewers decide their votes for the first time. It spread to almost every competing country and then became mandatory. A jury returned for the final, splitting each country's points equally with the public. That mix reached the semi-finals in 2010 and ran until 2023, when the semi-finals went to a full public vote. In 2026, juries came back to the semi-finals.

  The modern reveal is staged for suspense. On screen, the jury points from 1 to 8 and 10 are added to the scoreboard automatically, and the spokesperson announces only the 12. The presenters then give out each finalist's public points as a single total. They reveal them in ascending order of jury score, so the country with the fewest jury points hears its public total first. By recent tradition, the previous host announces its jury points first and the current host last. If countries tie, the one with more public points places higher. A full breakdown, including the votes of individual jurors, goes online shortly after the final.

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• 5. Hosting the Week

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  A host venue must hold at least 10,000 spectators and include a press centre for 1,500 journalists. It should sit within easy reach of an international airport, with hotel rooms for at least 2,000 delegates, journalists and spectators. Parken Stadium in Copenhagen is the largest venue so far, with almost 38,000 spectators. The smallest host settlement was Millstreet in Ireland, with a population of just 1,500. Its Green Glens Arena can still seat up to 8,000. Almost every edition has used a venue that already existed. The exception was Baku Crystal Hall in Azerbaijan, which had not been built when the country won the year before.

  The event is non-profit. Money comes from a fee paid by each broadcaster, contributions from the host broadcaster and city, and commercial income from sponsorship, tickets, televoting and merchandise. Winning can feel like a mixed blessing. Hosting promotes a country as a tourist destination, yet popular culture holds that some broadcasters dread the expense and send deliberately weak entries to avoid victory.

  Preparation starts as soon as the previous contest ends. The winning head of delegation receives a welcome package on hosting at the winner's press conference. Work in the venue begins about six weeks before the final. Delegations arrive two to three weeks ahead. Each gets two closed rehearsals, the first lasting 30 minutes and the second 20. Three dress rehearsals follow. The second, called the jury show, is held the night before the broadcast. It serves as a recorded backup in case of technical failure, and national juries base their votes on it.

  Since 2008, a contest has typically meant three live shows in one week. Two semi-finals take place on the Tuesday and Thursday, and the final falls on the Saturday. The 10 highest-scoring entries in each semi-final qualify, and together with the automatic finalists they make up a final of 26. Countries are placed in pots by geography and recent voting history, then assigned to a semi-final by random draw. Since 2013, the final has opened with a Flag Parade, with artists walking out behind their national flags like athletes at an Olympic opening ceremony. Around the shows sit a Sunday welcome reception with a red carpet, an official nightclub called the EuroClub, and the Eurovision Village, a free public fan zone.

  For years each host designed its own logo. The EBU introduced one generic logo ahead of the 2004 contest, drawn by the London agency JM International. The Cityzen Agency of Amsterdam revamped it in 2014, and the Sheffield studio Pals did so in 2025. Each year's host adds its own theme, and since a later edition the permanent slogan has been "United by Music". The short video postcards played between songs began as an attempt to bulk up the show after a number of countries decided not to compete.

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• 6. Too Many Countries

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  By the contest's tenth edition in 1965-18 countries were competing. By 1990-22 took part each year. Apart from one non-aligned state, no socialist or communist country ever entered. That changed after the Cold War, as countries gaining or regaining independence from the breakup of Yugoslavia, Czechoslovakia and the Soviet Union applied to join. In 1993 the EBU also merged with its Eastern European counterpart, the International Radio and Television Organisation, which added more broadcasters still.

  Broadcasters from 29 countries registered for the 1993 contest, more than the EBU thought one show could hold. Its answer was a pre-selection round called Kvalifikacija za Millstreet, held in Ljubljana, Slovenia, one month before the contest. Seven new countries from Central and Eastern Europe competed, and they voted among themselves. Three were chosen to travel to Millstreet. The other three waited another year. Relegation followed. The bottom seven countries of 1993 had to sit out the next contest, replaced by four unsuccessful countries from the Ljubljana round and new entries.

  The next fix was an audio-only qualification round, held months before the contest in Oslo, Norway. It was largely meant to appease Germany, one of the contest's biggest markets and financial contributors. Twenty-nine countries competed for 22 places. Germany still failed to qualify and joined Hungary, Romania and Russia among seven absentees. It remains the only contest Germany has missed. The 1996 production was significantly compromised by that absence, which led in 1999 to an exemption from relegation for France, Germany, Spain and the United Kingdom. These top funders became the "Big Four", and the group grew to the "Big Five" when Italy returned in 2011. Spain later stayed away in protest at Israel's participation, which left four.

  The status is debated. Some say the automatic finalists suffer from resentment and less time on stage, but their results vary widely. To answer the stage-time complaint, their entries now play live in one of the semi-finals, outside the competition. This was described as giving them "a fairer playing field" in the final.

  The semi-final itself arrived in 2004, with the top 10 of the previous final and the Big Four exempt. A record 36 countries competed that year. By 2007-42 countries meant 28 entries were chasing 10 places, and critics complained that mostly Central and Eastern European countries qualified. A second semi-final was added in 2008, with countries split by location and voting history to blunt bloc voting. A record 43 countries have now taken part in a single contest, and 44 is the maximum.

  Eligibility reaches beyond the map of Europe. Active EBU members, and invited associate members, may compete. The International Telecommunication Union defines a European Broadcasting Area that includes Israel, Cyprus, Russia, Turkey and Morocco. Australia is the only entrant from outside it. Its broadcaster SBS was invited ahead of the 2015 contest as a "one-off" for the anniversary edition, then invited back and has competed every year since.

  Only one cancellation interrupts the run. In 2020, uncertainty and government restrictions linked to the COVID-19 pandemic made a competitive event impossible. In its place the organisers produced a non-competitive special, Eurovision: Europe Shine a Light, honouring the songs and artists that would have competed.

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• 7. Launchpad and Records

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  ABBA, winners of the contest, have sold an estimated 380 million albums and singles, and their winning song "Waterloo" sold over five million records. Céline Dion's win helped launch her international career, and she went on to sell an estimated 200 million records. Julio Iglesias placed fourth and was relatively unknown at the time. He later sold an estimated 100 million records. Olivia Newton-John also placed fourth, then sold an estimated 100 million records, won four Grammy Awards and starred in the film Grease. Other established stars have also entered, among them Cliff Richard, Nana Mouskouri, Bonnie Tyler and Engelbert Humperdinck.

  The songs sometimes outlast the contest. "Save Your Kisses for Me", by Brotherhood of Man, sold over six million singles, more than any other winner. "Nel blu, dipinto di blu", also known as "Volare", finished third for Domenico Modugno. It is the only Eurovision entry to win a Grammy Award, and it took both Record of the Year and Song of the Year. It topped the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States and sold over 22 million copies worldwide. Duncan Laurence's winner "Arcade" surged on TikTok and peaked at number 30 on the Billboard Hot 100. The Italian band Måneskin won with "Zitti e buoni" and drew worldwide attention across their other songs.

  Some careers extend beyond music. Annie M.G. Schmidt, lyricist of the first entry ever performed, earned the Hans Christian Andersen Award for children's literature. Dana ran twice for the Irish presidency and became a Member of the European Parliament. Ruslana joined Ukraine's parliament and became a figure in the Orange Revolution and Euromaidan protests.

  The record book is full of oddities. Seventy-three songs from 28 countries have won, and 24 of the 52 participating countries have yet to win. Two countries lead with seven victories each. Only one contest has had several winners: four entries finished level on points and all four were declared winners under the rules of the time. Ireland is the only country to win three times in a row, and it later won again to make four wins in five years. The United Kingdom has finished second 16 times. One country has finished last a record 12 times, scoring nul points on four of those occasions, a record it shares with Austria. Only two people have won more than once as performers. Johnny Logan won with "What's Another Year" and the self-penned "Hold Me Now", and he also wrote "Why Me?" for Linda Martin. Loreen won twice, with "Euphoria" among her songs.

  Since 2008 the trophy has been a handmade, sandblasted glass microphone in 1950s style, designed by Kjell Engman of the Swedish glassworks Kosta Boda. Winners usually receive it from the previous year's champion. In 2007 it was handed to Marija Šerifović by Joulupukki, the original Santa Claus in Finland.

  While the votes are counted, the stage belongs to guests. The Vienna Boys' Choir, Cirque du Soleil, Madonna and Justin Timberlake have all appeared. The best-known interval act began in 1994 in Ireland as seven minutes of traditional Irish music and dance. That was Riverdance, which became a full stage show seen by over 25 million people and launched the careers of lead dancers Michael Flatley and Jean Butler. Guest slots also react to events beyond the venue. The contest in Israel closed with every act singing the winning song "Hallelujah" in tribute to victims of the Kosovo War. A dance called "The Grey People" in a 2016 semi-final was devoted to the 2015 European migrant crisis.

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• 8. Ridicule and Politics

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  The British historian Tony Judt wrote in 2006 that in the 1970s and 1980s the contest became "the most widely celebrated object of ridicule" on public television, because it "was so stunningly banal in conception and execution as to defy parody." He dismissed the performers as "a stream of inept performers" who would mostly return to "the obscurity from whence they briefly emerged." Others complain that by the 2000s power ballads, folk rhythms and bubblegum pop had become staples. Frequent targets include key changes, lyrics about love and peace, and non-native English pronunciation. Critics also say pyrotechnics, elaborate lighting and costumes distract from weak songs. Fans see those traits as the charm. The contest is loved for its camp appeal, its international styles and its place in LGBTQ culture, and it has also hosted rock, heavy metal, jazz, country, hip-hop and avant-garde acts.

  Because every song represents a country, political tension often reaches the stage. A conflict between two competing countries brought fines and disciplinary action for both broadcasters over political stunts, and one song had to change its title over alleged political subtext. The winning song "1944" drew complaints because its lyrics referred to the deportation of the Crimean Tatars. Critics claimed a wider political meaning in light of Russia's annexation of Crimea. When the host country prepared the next contest, the Russian representative Yuliya Samoylova was barred from entering, because she had previously entered Crimea illegally under Ukrainian law. Channel One Russia pulled out after offers to let her perform remotely were refused, and the EBU reprimanded the Public Broadcasting Company of Ukraine. After the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Russia was barred from competing that year.

  Georgia's planned entry, "We Don't Wanna Put In", seemed to criticise Vladimir Putin in the aftermath of the Russo-Georgian War. The EBU asked for changes, Georgian broadcasters refused, and the Georgian Public Broadcaster withdrew. Belarus lost its place when its song "Ya nauchu tebya (I'll Teach You)" and a second potential song were judged to breach the rules on neutrality, after demonstrations over disputed election results. The Belarusian broadcaster BTRC was disqualified.

  Israel's participation has caused repeated crises. Its first appearance, less than a year after the Munich massacre, brought extra security to the venue in Luxembourg City. Arab broadcasters normally cut to advertisements whenever Israel performed, and many cut the feed before the end of voting when its first win became clear. Only one Arab state has ever entered, once, in a year when Israel was absent. Calls for a boycott grew ahead of the Tel Aviv contest, including from supporters of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement. Others argued a cultural boycott would harm efforts toward peace.

  After the Gaza war began in October 2023, the calls grew louder. Israel's entry "Hurricane" was accepted only after rewrites, because the EBU objected to original lyrics that referred to the 7th of October attacks. Israel's second-place finish and win in the public vote were contested by several participating countries, because it had run a large advertising campaign for votes. When Israel was permitted to compete again, several broadcasters announced a boycott. The 2024 winner Nemo and the 1994 winner Charlie McGettigan returned their trophies in protest. Some media outlets called it "the biggest crisis in the contest's history".

  Voting itself is also accused of politics. Academic studies have found that some countries form "clusters" or "cliques", voting alike with unusual frequency. One study concludes that bloc voting was a pivotal factor in the winner on at least two occasions. Others argue the blocs reflect shared musical tastes, cultural links and languages that are close and mutually intelligible. The most recent winner named in the record is Dara, who took the 2026 contest with "Bangaranga".

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