122-416: EVSC may refer to: Eurovision Song Contest , an annual European television competition Evansville Vanderburgh School Corporation , a school district in southern Indiana Topics referred to by the same term [REDACTED] This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the title EVSC . If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change
244-599: A TV commentator was sent to the contest in Tallinn. RTÉ has hosted the contest on seven occasions; all were held in the Irish capital Dublin except for the 1993 contest , which was staged in Millstreet , a town in north-west County Cork with a population of 1,500 people. All of Ireland's entries have been performed in English with the exception of the 1972 entry, " Ceol an Ghrá ", which
366-455: A committee appointed by the broadcaster; and 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 television shows each year. Each show typically begins with an opening act consisting of music and/or dance performances by invited artists, which contributes to
488-479: 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. There is no restriction regarding performers who have participated in past events competing again – whether for the same country or a different one. It is even possible for a winning performer to try and defend their title in the next edition, as happened when 2010 winner Lena competed again in 2011. However, in
610-556: 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, a cappella songs and purely instrumental pieces are not allowed. Competing entries may be performed in any language, be that natural or constructed , and participating broadcasters are free to decide
732-593: 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; several special events have been organised by the EBU to celebrate select anniversaries or as a replacement due to cancellation. The Eurovision Song Contest was developed by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) as an experiment in live television broadcasting and
854-423: A late stage, censorship of broadcast segments by broadcasters, as well as 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 camp appeal, its musical span of ethnic and international styles, as well as emergence as part of LGBT culture , resulting in
976-467: 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 , Celine Dion , Julio Iglesias , Cliff Richard and Olivia Newton-John ; some of the world's best-selling singles have received their first international performance on the Eurovision stage. While having gained popularity with
1098-539: A non-competitive format. 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 Grand Prix Eurovision de la Chanson Européenne 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,
1220-517: A one-off revival in 2008) saw the participation of NATO and EEC members – including some from outside Europe like Canada – in addition to the Eastern Bloc countries of Intervision that had set up the contest. Only after the end of the Cold War did other countries from Central and Eastern Europe participate for the first time – some of those countries having gained or regained their independence in
1342-527: 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. In recent years, it has been tradition that the first country to announce its jury points is the previous host, whereas the last country is the current host (with the exception of 2023 , when the United Kingdom hosted the contest on behalf of Ukraine, which went first). The qualifying acts in
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#17328811948891464-403: A similar style or tempo are performed in sequence. Since the creation of a second semi-final in 2008 , 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
1586-614: A singer or group of up to six people aged 16 or older. Each country awards 1–8, 10 and 12 points to their ten 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 , Madonna , Justin Timberlake , Mika , Rita Ora and
1708-584: A single TV show. A pre-selection 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 , held in Ljubljana , Slovenia one month before the event. Following a vote amongst the seven competing countries, Bosnia and Herzegovina , Croatia and Slovenia were chosen to head to
1830-451: A soloist in 1973 and as part of Sheeba in 1981 ) and Jedward in 2011 and 2012 . Eight people have written and composed more than one Irish entry: Brendan Graham (1976, 1985, 1994, 1996), Johnny Logan (1984, 1987, 1992), Jonas Gladnikoff (2009, 2010, 2014), Tommy and Jimmy Swarbrigg (1975, 1977), Liam Reilly (1990, 1991), Joe Burkett (composer 1972, lyricist 1981), Niall Mooney (2009, 2010) and Jörgen Elofsson (2017, 2023). In
1952-456: A standard feature of the event, began in 1958. Technological developments have transformed the contest: colour broadcasts began in 1968 ; satellite broadcasts in 1985 ; and streaming in 2000 . Broadcasts in widescreen 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
2074-499: 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
2196-599: A way to produce cheaper programming for national broadcasting organisations. The word "Eurovision" was first used by British journalist George Campey in the London Evening Standard in 1951, when he referred to a BBC programme being relayed by Dutch television. Following several events broadcast internationally via the Eurovision transmission network in the early 1950s, including the coronation of Elizabeth II in 1953, an EBU committee, headed by Marcel Bezençon ,
2318-558: Is Martin Österdahl , who took over the role from Jon Ola Sand 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. All competing songs must have
2440-467: Is Parken Stadium in Copenhagen, which was attended by almost 38,000 spectators in 2001 . With a population of 1,500 at the time of the 1993 contest , Millstreet , Ireland remains the smallest hosting settlement, although its Green Glens Arena is capable of hosting up to 8,000 spectators. Unlike the Olympic Games or FIFA World Cup , whose host venues are announced several years in advance, there
2562-406: 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
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#17328811948892684-401: 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 2021 these may optionally be pre-recorded – this change has been implemented in an effort to introduce flexibility following the cancellation of the 2020 edition and to facilitate modernisation. Since 2013 ,
2806-448: Is an international song competition organised annually by the European Broadcasting Union . Each participating country submits an original song to be performed live and transmitted to national broadcasters via the Eurovision and Euroradio networks , with competing countries then casting votes for the other countries' songs to determine a winner. The contest was inspired by and based on Italy's national Sanremo Music Festival , held in
2928-528: 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. 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,
3050-414: 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 until after the final. In the final, the presenters call upon
3172-511: Is limited to a maximum of six, and no live animals are allowed. Since 1990 , all contestants must be aged 16 or over on the day of the live show in which they perform. Sandra Kim , the winner in 1986 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
3294-550: Is mentioned in Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga (2020) and a plot point in the Father Ted episode " A Song for Europe " (1996). 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
3416-445: Is one of the few countries to have achieved consecutive wins (along with Spain, Luxembourg and Israel) and the only country to win consecutively three times, and the nation won again in 1996, thereby accumulating four victories in five years. Ireland is the only country to host the contest consecutively and is one of eight countries never to turn down the chance to host the event. Out of 55 appearances and 45 finals, Ireland has reached
3538-425: 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. Participating broadcasters are required to air live the semi-final in which they compete, or in
3660-695: Is the only country to have hosted multiple contests in succession; three in a row between 1993 and 1995. Six of the seven contests held in Ireland have been held in Dublin ; three at the Point Theatre , two at the RDS Simmonscourt and one at the Gaiety Theatre . In addition, the 1993 contest was held in Millstreet , County Cork . Dublin holds the record for hosting the most contests of any Eurovision host city. For
3782-498: Is typically held at a venue in the host city on the Sunday preceding the live shows, which includes a red carpet 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
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3904-533: Is typically that country's national public broadcasting organisation. The programme is staged by one of the participant countries and is broadcast from an auditorium 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
4026-528: Is usually no purpose-built infrastructure whose construction is justified with the needs of hosting the Eurovision Song Contest. However, the 2012 edition , hosted in Baku , Azerbaijan, was held at Baku Crystal Hall , a venue that had not existed when Azerbaijan won the previous year. Most other editions have been held in pre-existing venues, but renovations or modifications have sometimes been undertaken in
4148-458: The 1984 entry " Terminal 3 ", performed by Linda Martin , which finished second. In 1987 , Logan returned to the contest as a performer, and became the first entrant to win the contest twice, achieving his second victory with the self-penned " Hold Me Now ". Ireland's most successful decade to date is the 1990s, beginning with Liam Reilly finishing joint second in 1990 . Ireland subsequently achieved an unequalled three consecutive victories in
4270-405: The 1987 " Hold Me Now ". Co-host of the 1997 contest Ronan Keating appeared. Johnny Logan performed his single "When a Woman Loved a Man". Irish winners Eimear Quinn , Charlie McGettigan and Linda Martin performed as backing singers to most of the songs with Jakob Sveistrup who represented Denmark in 2005. Marty Whelan provided commentary of the contest for Ireland on RTÉ . Ireland
4392-499: The COVID-19 pandemic . 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
4514-602: The Dutch name Eurovisiesongfestival was used when the Netherlands hosted in 1976 and 1980 . 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
4636-471: The European Broadcasting Union (EBU), thus eligible to participate in the Eurovision Song Contest . They have participated representing Ireland since RÉ's first entry in the tenth edition of the contest in 1965. RTÉ broadcasts the semi-finals on RTÉ2 , and the final on RTÉ One . Ireland has sent 57 entries to the Eurovision Song Contest; of these, seven have won and eighteen have finished in
4758-555: 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 's Te Deum . Originally, the same logo was used for both the Eurovision network and the European Broadcasting Union, but they now have two different logos;
4880-488: The International Radio and Television Organisation (OIRT), which further expanded the number of broadcasters by including those from countries of the former Eastern Bloc . These events impacted the contest as they expanded the number of broadcasters eligible to participate with those from new countries. 29 countries registered to take part in the 1993 contest, a figure the EBU considered unable to fit reasonably into
5002-583: The Italian Riviera since 1951. Eurovision has been held annually since 1956 (except for 2020 due to the COVID-19 restrictions ), making it the longest-running international music competition on television and one of the world's longest-running television programmes. Active members of the EBU and invited associate members are eligible to compete; as of 2024, 52 countries have participated at least once. Each participating broadcaster sends an original song of three minutes duration or less to be performed live by
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5124-466: The green room , 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 , SMS 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
5246-559: The iTunes charts in Austria, Germany, Ireland and Sweden. Jedward represented Ireland again in 2012 with " Waterline ", but after making it through to the final, they were awarded only 46 points, finishing in 19th place. In 2013 , Ireland came last in the final for the second time. In 2018, Ireland qualified for the final for the first time since 2013 with Ryan O'Shaughnessy and " Together ", but four more non-qualifications followed in 2019 , 2021 , 2022 and 2023 . The country returned to
5368-458: The 1992 winning entry. Ireland, who also finished second with "If I Could Choose" by Sean Dunphy ( 1967 ), " Terminal 3 " by Linda Martin ( 1984 ), "Somewhere in Europe" by Liam Reilly ( 1990 ), and "Mysterious Woman" by Marc Roberts ( 1997 ), has a total of 18 top five results. Since the introduction of the qualifying round in 1994 , Ireland has won the contest twice. Since the introduction of semi-finals in 2004 , Ireland has failed to reach
5490-466: The English name dropped the 'Grand Prix' from the name, with the French name being aligned as the Concours Eurovision de la Chanson , 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;
5612-716: 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 , countries which span Europe and Asia like Russia and Turkey, and North African countries such as Morocco . Australia became
5734-399: The announcements were made through telephone lines from the countries of origin, with satellite links employed for the first time in 1994 , 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 as they are called upon by
5856-404: 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
5978-431: 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
6100-465: 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 voting recap containing short clips of the performances, the voting procedure or semi-final qualification reveal, and the reprise of the winning song in the final. Since 1999, broadcasters who wished to do so were given the opportunity to provide advertising during short, non-essential hiatuses in
6222-407: The competing songs' musical qualities, stage performance, prop and lighting set-up, and other production considerations taken into account. Since 2023, the voting system used to determine the results of the contest has worked on the basis of positional voting . 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
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#17328811948896344-431: 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. However, there is a perception reflected in popular culture that some countries wish to avoid the costly burden of hosting – sometimes resulting in them sending deliberately subpar entries with no chance of winning. This belief
6466-449: The contest in 1997 on a trial basis, with broadcasters in five countries allowing the viewing public to determine their votes for the first time. From 1998 , televoting was extended to almost all competing countries, and subsequently became mandatory from 2004 . A jury was reintroduced for the final in 2009 , 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
6588-450: The contest in Millstreet , Ireland, whilst Estonia , Hungary , Romania and Slovakia 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
6710-691: The contest is Raidió Teilifís Éireann (RTÉ). Ireland shares a joint record total of seven wins with Sweden , and is the only country to have won three times consecutively. Ireland has finished second four times, while Sweden has done that just once. Ireland's seven wins were achieved by the following songs: " All Kinds of Everything " performed by Dana ( 1970 ), " What's Another Year ?" ( 1980 ) and " Hold Me Now " ( 1987 ) both by Johnny Logan , " Why Me ?" by Linda Martin ( 1992 ), " In Your Eyes " by Niamh Kavanagh ( 1993 ), " Rock 'n' Roll Kids " by Paul Harrington and Charlie McGettigan ( 1994 ), and " The Voice " by Eimear Quinn ( 1996 ). Logan also wrote
6832-472: 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 Gran Premio Eurovisione della Canzone and Concorso Eurovisione della Canzone were used when Italy hosted the 1965 and 1991 contests respectively; and
6954-448: 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 1988 a computer graphics 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,
7076-518: The contest's Reference Group. The European Broadcasting Area is defined by the International Telecommunication Union as encompassing the geographical area between the boundary of ITU Region 1 in the west, the meridian 40° East of Greenwich in the east, and parallel 30° North in the south. Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, and the parts of Iraq, Jordan, Syria, Turkey and Ukraine lying outside these limits, are also included in
7198-517: The contest's artists and screenings of the live shows on big screens. 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 which represents all participating broadcasters, who are each represented by a nominated Head of Delegation. The current Executive Supervisor
7320-446: 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
7442-482: The contest, 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. A unique slogan for each edition, first introduced in 2002 ,
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#17328811948897564-415: 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
7686-498: The contest: in 1992 , the 1984 runner-up Linda Martin returned to win with " Why Me ?" – penned once again by Johnny Logan, giving him a total of three victories as either a performer or writer; in 1993 , Niamh Kavanagh was victorious over the United Kingdom 's Sonia with " In Your Eyes "; and in 1994 , Paul Harrington and Charlie McGettigan won with Brendan Graham 's " Rock 'n' Roll Kids ". The winning streak
7808-427: The country it represented. This rule was first abolished in 1973 , and subsequently reinstated for most countries in 1977 , with only Belgium and Germany 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 1999 contest . There is no restriction on the national origin, country of residence or age of
7930-531: The course of the breakup of Yugoslavia, Czechoslovakia, and the Soviet Union. As a consequence, more countries were now applying than could feasibly participate in a one-night-event of reasonable length. Numerous solutions to this problem were tried out over the years. The 1993 contest included a contest called Kvalifikacija za Millstreet which was a pre-qualifying round for seven of these new countries, and from 1994 , relegation systems were introduced to manage
8052-403: 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: The winning country traditionally hosts the following year's event, with some exceptions since 1958 . Hosting
8174-423: The end of Irish domination of the contest. In the 21st century, Ireland has fared less well, achieving considerably poorer results in comparison to the 1990s. The country's only top 10 placement of the 2000s came when Brian Kennedy finished tenth in 2006 . At the 2007 contest , Ireland's representatives were Irish folk group Dervish performing " They Can't Stop The Spring "; having automatically qualified for
8296-468: The event in Lugano in the spring of 1956. The Italian Sanremo Music Festival , 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 first contest , with each country represented by two songs; the only time in which multiple entries per country were permitted. The winning song
8418-468: The final 11 times, and has twice finished last in the final, in 2007 and 2013 . Ireland's only top 10 results between 2007 and 2024 were an eighth-place finish with " Lipstick " by Jedward in 2011 , and a sixth-place finish with " Doomsday Blue " by Bambie Thug in 2024 . Radio Éireann (RÉ) in 1965 and 1966, Radio Telefís Éireann (RTÉ) between 1967 and 2009, and Raidió Teilifís Éireann (RTÉ) since 2010, have been consecutively full members of
8540-420: The final and failing to make it past the national selection, including the winning entry in 1982. 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 1971 . Currently the number of people permitted on stage during competing performances
8662-570: The final in 2024 with Bambie Thug and " Doomsday Blue ", and finished in sixth place with 278 points, achieving Ireland's best result since 2000 and breaking Paul Harrington and Charlie McGettigan 's record for the most points achieved by an Irish entry in the final. Seven singers have represented Ireland more than once at the contest: Johnny Logan ( 1980 , 1987 ), Linda Martin ( 1984 , 1992 ), Niamh Kavanagh ( 1993 , 2010 ), Tommy and Jimmy Swarbrigg (as "The Swarbriggs" in 1975 and part of "The Swarbriggs Plus Two" in 1977 ), Maxi (as
8784-637: The final, the group finished last with five points (all from Albania , whose jury votes prevented Ireland from achieving its first no-point score), becoming the first Irish entrants to come last in a final. In 2008 , Dustin the Turkey failed to qualify for the final with his song " Irelande Douze Pointe "; the same fate befell Sinéad Mulvey and Black Daisy in 2009 . In 2011 , Ireland's luck changed when X Factor finalists Jedward finished in eighth place with 119 points, thus making them Ireland's most successful entry in 11 years. Their song " Lipstick " topped
8906-474: 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 recording of Lys Assia's reprise of her winning song. No full recording of the 1964 contest 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. Until 2004,
9028-424: 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
9150-400: The first non-EBU member country to compete following an invitation by the EBU ahead of the contest's 60th edition in 2015; initially announced as a "one-off" for the anniversary edition, the country was invited back the following year and has subsequently participated every year since. Eurovision had been held every year until 2020, when that year's contest was cancelled in response to
9272-406: 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 qualifiers' press conference to determine whether they will perform during
9394-485: The first performance of Riverdance . Originally consisting of a single evening event, the contest has expanded as new countries joined (including countries outside of Europe, such as Israel and Australia ), leading to the introduction of relegation procedures in the 1990s, before the creation of semi-finals in the 2000s. As of 2024, Germany has competed more times than any other country, having participated in all but one edition, while Ireland and Sweden both hold
9516-430: The first, second half, or a producer-determined position of the final, while the automatic finalists randomly draw their competing half or producer-determined position 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
9638-523: The following year's contest, and were replaced by the four unsuccessful countries in Kvalifikacija za Millstreet and new entries from Lithuania , Poland and Russia . This system was used again in 1994 for qualification for the 1995 contest , but a new system was introduced for the 1996 contest , when an audio-only qualification round was held in the months before the contest in Oslo , Norway; this system
9760-420: The highest average, two points above the United Kingdom . During the first semi-final of the 2014 contest, it was revealed that the duo Jedward hold two Eurovision records: the highest hair (18.9 cm) and the biggest shoulder pads. Ireland was one of two countries to have two entries entered into Congratulations: 50 Years of the Eurovision Song Contest , with the 1980 entry " What's Another Year ?" and
9882-458: The history of the contest only two individuals have won more than once as a performer – Johnny Logan in 1980 and 1987 for Ireland, and Loreen in 2012 and 2023 for Sweden. 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
10004-443: The host broadcaster owned the copyright of the contest that they produced, with the EBU owning the copyright of all subsequent editions. 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
10126-534: 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 60th edition . An individual theme is utilised by contest producers when constructing the visual identity of each edition of
10248-429: The host city. Alongside the generic Eurovision logo, a unique theme is typically developed for each event. The contest has aired in countries across all continents; it 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. Performing at the contest has often provided artists with
10370-415: 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 1965 Swedish entry being performed in English, a new rule was introduced for the 1966 contest restricting songs to be performed only in an official language of
10492-480: 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 edition in 2015. Although cameras were present to practice pan-European broadcasting for
10614-485: The link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=EVSC&oldid=932820102 " Category : Disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages Eurovision Song Contest The Eurovision Song Contest ( French : Concours Eurovision de la chanson ), often known simply as Eurovision ,
10736-470: The longest-running annual international televised music competition as determined by Guinness World Records . 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 2008 and subsequently in 2011 and 2018 . Australia became
10858-500: 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 , SMS or the official Eurovision app , while in the final, each country awards two sets of points, with one set awarded by the viewers and another awarded by a jury panel comprising five music professionals from that country. Since 2023, viewers in non-participating countries have also been able to vote during
10980-406: 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 49th contest allowing all interested countries to compete each year; a second semi-final was added to each edition from 2008. There have been 68 contests as of 2024, making Eurovision
11102-466: 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
11224-417: 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 2019 , 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
11346-412: 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 behind closed doors, the first for 30 minutes and
11468-470: The record for the most victories, with seven wins each in total. Traditionally held in the country that 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, along with journalists who cover all aspects of the contest, including rehearsals in venue, press conferences with the competing acts, in addition to other related events and performances in
11590-406: The rehearsal and raise any special requirements or changes. "Meet and greet" sessions 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" or "evening preview show" and held the night before
11712-523: The same system used between 1993 and 1995 where only the results from that year's contest would count towards relegation. Ireland in the Eurovision Song Contest Ireland has participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 57 times since making its debut at the 1965 contest in Naples , missing only two contests since, in 1983 and 2002 . The current Irish participant broadcaster in
11834-413: The second for 20 minutes. Individual 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
11956-442: The semi-final round in 2004, Luxembourg and Ukraine are the only countries outside of the "Big Five" to have qualified for the final of every contest they have competed in. Each participating broadcaster has sole discretion over the process it may employ to select its entry for the contest. Typical methods in which participants are selected include a televised national final using a jury and/or public vote; an internal selection by
12078-405: 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
12200-412: The semi-finals, and the winning delegation in the final are invited back on stage; in the final, a trophy is awarded to the winning performers and songwriters by the previous year's winner, 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
12322-467: The seven countries to be absent from the Oslo contest. As of 2024 this is the only ESC Germany has not participated in. For the 1997 contest , 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
12444-613: The show's broadcast on RTÉ, various commentators have provided commentary on the contest in the English language . At the Eurovision Song Contest after all points are calculated, the presenters of the show call upon each voting country to invite each respective spokesperson to announce the results of their vote on-screen. Over the years RTÉ commentary has been provided by several experienced radio and television presenters, including Larry Gogan , Jimmy Greeley , Gay Byrne , Ronan Collins , Pat Kenny , and Mike Murphy . Marty Whelan has provided
12566-453: 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
12688-423: The songwriter(s). Furthermore, unlike performers who may only represent one country in any given year, songwriters are free to enter multiple songs in a single year sung by different acts. For example, in the 1980 edition, both Germany's and Luxembourg's entry were (co-)written by Ralph Siegel , who – in a career spanning over 40 years – was involved in some form in the writing of dozens of entries — both advancing to
12810-657: The top five, making Ireland the most successful country in the contest overall as of 2021. Since its debut in 1965 , the country has missed only two contests: the 1983 contest in Munich and the 2002 contest in Tallinn . A strike at RTÉ in 1983 meant that the station lacked the resources to send a participant, so it broadcast the contest with the BBC commentary feed. Ireland was relegated in 2002, but in keeping with EBU rules since they intended to return in 2003, RTÉ broadcast that year's event and
12932-407: The top ten 31 times and the top five 18 times. As of 2024, Ireland has not reached the top five since 1997. Ireland holds the record for most points from one country in a year (alongside France) in the 'one point per juror' voting system, achieving nine votes out of a possible ten from Belgium (in 1970 ). France had achieved this same feat in 1958 . Ireland has an average of 74 points per contest,
13054-483: The traditional boundaries of Europe began entering the contest, and countries in Western Asia and North Africa started competing in the 1970s and 1980s. Apart from Yugoslavia (a member of the non-aligned movement and not seen as part of the Eastern Bloc at the time) no socialist or communist country ever participated. However, the Intervision Song Contest which held four editions in the 1970s and 1980s (and
13176-399: 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"— France , Germany , Italy , Spain and the United Kingdom . 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. Since the introduction of
13298-413: 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
13420-409: 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 led to the breakup of Yugoslavia , with the subsequent admission into the EBU of the broadcasters of the countries that emerged from the breakup, and to the merger in 1993 of the EBU with its Eastern European counterpart,
13542-750: The winning entry is traditionally given the honour of organising the following year's event. 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 , or are member states of the Council of Europe . 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
13664-405: The year prior to the contest which are justified with the needs of Eurovision. 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 2004 contest . This is typically accompanied by a unique theme artwork designed for each individual contest by
13786-449: The years when the live orchestra was present in the contest, almost all of Ireland's Eurovision entries were conducted by Noel Kelehan . The exceptions were 1965 (Italian host conductor Gianni Ferrio ), 1970 (Dutch host conductor Dolf van der Linden ), from 1972 to 1975 ( Colman Pearce ), 1979 (Proinnsias Ó Duinn), 1994 (no conductor, although Kelehan conducted three other entries from Romania, Greece and Poland) and in 1997 ( Frank McNamara
13908-493: Was " Refrain ", representing the host country Switzerland and performed by Lys Assia . 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
14030-478: Was allowed to be pre-recorded, although 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 that year's contest , 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
14152-470: Was also an integral part of each contest's visual identity, which was replaced by a permanent slogan from 2024 onwards. The permanent slogan, "United by Music", had previously served as the slogan for the 2023 contest before being retained for all future editions as part of the contest's global brand strategy. Preparations in the host venue typically begin approximately six weeks before the final, to accommodate building works and technical rehearsals before
14274-440: Was broken in 1995 when Hiberno-Nordic group Secret Garden , representing Norway, won with the almost entirely instrumental "Nocturne". The group does contain an Irish member, Naas -born Fionnuala Sherry . The decade would see yet another victory for Ireland in 1996 when Eimear Quinn won with another successful Brendan Graham composition, " The Voice "; Marc Roberts would also finish second for Ireland in 1997 , which marked
14396-426: 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. Should two or more countries finish with the same number of points, a tie-break procedure is employed to determine the final placings. As of 2016, a combined national televoting and jury result
14518-635: 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 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
14640-438: 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, Denmark , Israel , and Macedonia as one of
14762-672: Was sung in Irish . Seán Dunphy finished second at the 1967 contest , behind Sandie Shaw , followed by Pat McGeegan finishing fourth in 1968 , before Dana gave Ireland its first victory in 1970 with " All Kinds of Everything ". The country's next best result of the 1970s was in 1977 , when The Swarbriggs Plus Two finished third. This was followed by fifth-place finishes for both Colm C.T. Wilkinson ( 1978 ) and Cathal Dunne ( 1979 ). Johnny Logan brought Ireland its second victory in 1980 with " What's Another Year ?". Girl group Sheeba then finished fifth in 1981 . Logan went on to write
14884-553: Was the musical director for the contest staged in Dublin, but the Irish entry was played with a backing track with no orchestra). Ronan Keating (who presented the 1997 contest) collaborated on the 2009 entry for Denmark . RTÉ presenter Marty Whelan has been the national commentator since 2000 . Ireland holds the record for the most victories (joint with Sweden): seven wins including three consecutive wins. The country has also achieved second place four times and third once. Ireland
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