Map showing debuts in the Contest by decade:
1950s
1960s
1970s
1980s
1990s
2000s
2010s
1: Participated as part of Yugoslavia between 1961 and 1991
2: Participated as part of Yugoslavia and later Serbia & Montenegro until 2005
Fifty-one countries have participated in the Eurovision Song Contest since it started in 1956. Of these, twenty-five have won the Contest. The Contest, organised by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), is held annually between members of the Union. Broadcasters from different countries submit songs to the event, and cast votes to determine the most popular in the competition.
Participation in the Contest is open to all active member broadcasters of the EBU. To be an active member, broadcasters must be in the European Broadcasting Area, or be in a Council of Europe member country.[1] Eligibility to participate is not determined by geographic inclusion within the continent of Europe, despite the "Euro" in "Eurovision" — nor does it have a direct connection with the European Union. Several countries geographically outside the boundaries of Europe have competed: Israel, Cyprus and Armenia, in Western Asia, since 1973, 1981 and 2006 respectively; and Morocco, in North Africa, in the 1980 competition alone. In addition, several transcontinental countries with only part of their territory in Europe have competed: Turkey, since 1975; Russia, since 1994; Georgia, since 2007; and Azerbaijan, which made its first appearance in the 2008 edition. Two of the countries that have previously sought to enter the competition, Lebanon and Tunisia, in Western Asia and North Africa respectively, are also outside of Europe. The Gulf state of Qatar, in Western Asia, announced in 2009 its interest in joining the Contest in time for the 2011 edition.[2] However, this did not materialise, and there are no known plans for a future Qatari entry the Eurovision Song Contest.
The number of countries participating each year has grown steadily, from seven in 1956 to over twenty in the late 1980s. As the number of contestants has risen, preliminary competitions and relegation have been introduced, to ensure that as many countries as possible get the chance to compete. In 1993, a preliminary show, Kvalifikacija za Millstreet ("Qualification for Millstreet"), was held to select three Eastern European countries to compete for the first time at the main Contest.[3] After the 1993 Contest, a relegation rule was introduced; the six lowest-placed countries in the Contest would not compete the following year.[4] In 1996, a new system was introduced. Audio tapes of all twenty-nine entrants were submitted to national juries. The twenty-two highest-placed songs after the juries voted reached the Contest itself. Norway, as host country, was given a bye to the final.[5] From 1997 to 2001 a system was used whereby the countries with the lowest average scores over the previous five years were relegated. Countries could not be relegated for more than one year.[6]
Between 2001 and 2003, the relegation system used in 1994 and 1995 was used. In 2004, a semi-final was introduced. The ten highest-placed countries in the previous year's Contest qualified for the final, along with the "Big Four": the largest financial contributors to the EBU. All other countries entered the semi-final. Ten countries qualified from the semi, leaving a final of twenty-four.[7] In 2008, two semi-finals were held with all countries, except the host country and the Big Four, participating in one of the semi-finals.[8]
Some countries, such as Germany and the United Kingdom, have entered on all but a handful of occasions; Morocco, on the other hand, has only entered once. Two countries, Tunisia and Lebanon, have attempted to enter the Contest but withdrew before making a debut. Liechtenstein, a country without an eligible television service, tried unsuccessfully to enter in 1976.[9]
[edit] Participants
Jari Sillanpää represented Finland in the first Eurovision semi-final in 2004, failing to qualify.
Lys Assia, the first Eurovision winner, was a special guest in 2008.
The following table lists the countries that have participated in the Contest at least once. Shading indicates countries that have withdrawn from the Contest. Morocco participated in the Contest once, in 1980. Luxembourg, one of the original seven participants, has not been seen at the Contest since 1993. Italy withdrew from the Contest in 1997 and returned in 2011. Slovakia previously competed three times between 1994 and 1998, failing to break into the top ten, but returned in 2009.[11] Monaco returned to the Contest in 2004, after over two decades out of the Contest. However, the country failed to advance from the semi-final with each of its first three entries post-return, and withdrew after the 2006 Contest.[12] Yugoslavia and Serbia and Montenegro were both dissolved, in 1991 and 2006 respectively. Serbia and Montenegro in the attempt to mask as Yugoslavia, participated in the 1992 Contest under its name but representing the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia which consisted of only the two republics. Both Montenegro and Serbia have competed as separate countries since 2007.[13] Austria, having returned from a one-year absence, withdrew from the 2008 Contest; Edgar Bohm of ORF said "We've already seen in 2007 that it's not the quality of the song, but the country of origin that determines the result."[14] Austria returned in 2011.
[edit] Participating countries in the decades
The table lists the participating countries in each decade since the first ESC was held in 1956.
Seven countries participated in the first Contest, in 1956. Since then, the number of entries has increased steadily. In 1970, a Nordic-led boycott of the Contest reduced the number of countries entering to twelve.[16] By the late 1980s, over twenty countries had become standard. In 1993, the collapse of Communism in Eastern Europe gave many new countries the opportunity to compete. Three countries—Croatia, Slovenia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, all of them former Yugoslav republics, won through from a pre-qualifier to compete. After the 1993 event, a relegation system was introduced, allowing even more Eastern European countries to compete: seven more made their debut in 1994. In 2003, three countries applied to make their debut: Albania, Belarus and Ukraine. In addition, Serbia and Montenegro, who had not competed since 1992, applied to return. The EBU, having originally accepted the four countries' applications, later rejected all but Ukraine; allowing four extra countries to compete would have meant relegating too many countries.[17][18] The semi-final was introduced in 2004 in an attempt to prevent situations like this. The Union set a limit of forty countries,[19] but by 2005 thirty-nine were competing. In 2007, the EBU lifted the limit, allowing forty-two countries to compete. Two semi-finals were held for the first time in 2008.[8]
[edit] Table key
- Winner - The country won the ESC that year.
- Second place - The country was ranked second that year.
- Third place - The country was ranked third that year.
- Remaining places - The country placed from fourth to second last this year.
- Last - The country was ranked last that year.
- Non-qualified - The country did not qualify to the final (1996, 2004-).
- Undecided - The country has confirmed participation for the next ESC, however, the competition has not yet taken place.
- Debutant - The country made its debut during the decade.
- Did not participate - The country did not participate in the ESC that year.
- A cross (X) mean that the country participated in the contest that year.
[edit] Unsuccessful attempts to participate
To participate in the Contest, a broadcaster must register their intention to compete before the deadline specified in the rules of that year's event. Each participating broadcaster pays a fee towards the organisation of the Contest. Should a country withdraw from the Contest after the deadline, they will still need to pay these fees, and may also incur a fine or temporary ban.[20]
| Country |
Year |
Broadcaster |
Notes |
Ref |
 Liechtenstein |
1976, 2011 |
1FLTV (pending) |
Liechtenstein did not have an EBU-member broadcaster and was therefore ineligible to enter the Contest. However, Liechtenstein now has a broadcaster, which would allow it become an EBU member should it so wish. |
[9][21]
|
 Tunisia |
1977 |
ERTT |
Tunisia was to perform fourth in the 1977 Contest's running order. The reason for the country's withdrawal was never officially established; rumours suggest ERTT did not want to compete with Israel. |
[9][22]
|
 Soviet Union |
1987 |
CT USSR |
in 1987 George Veselov, the Minister of Education for the Soviet Union, brought forward the idea of a participation of the Soviet Union at the Eurovision Song Contest due to the number of political reforms made by the President of the Soviet Union Mikhail Gorbachev during the late 1980s. The idea was mainly a political one, with the thought that a win in the contest for the Soviet Union would impact on the relationships between the Soviet Union and the capitalist countries of the west. Valery Leontyev was suggested as a name for the Soviet Union's first participation, however Veselov's ideas were not shared by the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, or by Gorbachev himself, believing it to be too radical a step to take, and so no Soviet participation was ever made. |
[23]
|
 Lebanon |
2005 |
Télé Liban |
Lebanon withdrew from the 2005 Contest because Télé Liban could not guarantee that they would broadcast the Israeli entry, after the EBU had sought assurances that they would show the Contest in full. This would have violated the Contest's rules. |
[24][25][26]
|
 Kosovo |
2009 |
RTK (pending) |
After declaring independence, Kosovo sought to enter the 2009 contest, but as Radio Television of Kosovo was not a member of the EBU, it could not participate. |
[27][28]
|
 Scotland |
2009 |
BBC Scotland or STV |
The Scottish National Party (SNP) has campaigned for a place in Eurovision for Scotland but had been rejected numerous times owing to the fact that Scotland is represented as a part of the British entry and is represented by the BBC. On 11 February 2008 the EBU stated that a Scottish broadcaster could apply for EBU membership, but under the current rules could not enter the Eurovision Song Contest as the BBC currently has exclusive rights to represent the entire United Kingdom. |
[29]
. However, they would be eligible to enter the contest should Scotland gain independence as a result of the Scottish Independence Referendum, as Scotland would therefore be a separate country. |
[edit] References
[edit] Bibliography
- O'Connor, John Kennedy (2005). The Eurovision Song Contest 50 Years The Official History. London: Carlton Books Limited. ISBN 1-84442-586-X.
Austria
Belgium
Denmark
France
Italy
Luxembourg
Monaco
Netherlands
Switzerland
Sweden
United Kingdom
West Germany
Finland
Ireland
Norway
Portugal
Spain
Yugoslavia
Greece
Israel
Malta
Turkey
Cyprus
Iceland
Morocco
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Croatia
Estonia
Hungary
Lithuania
Macedonia
Poland
Romania
Russia
Slovakia
Slovenia
Albania
Andorra
Armenia
Azerbaijan
Belarus
Bulgaria
Czech Republic
Georgia
Latvia
Moldova
Montenegro
San Marino
Serbia
Serbia and Montenegro
Ukraine
Liechtenstein
Tunisia
Soviet Union
Lebanon
Kosovo
Scotland
