History Recap / EurovisionSongContest

-->The upcoming edition features the return of four Eastern European nations (with the 2015 junior contest being apparently a huge factor to the return of host Bulgaria in particular; perhaps not coincidentally, their representative was 2015 juniors presenter and 2011 seniors semifinalist Poli Genova), while Portugal withdraws due to dissatisfaction with their current preselection process and Romania gets expelled as the first penalty against host broadcaster TVR for repeated failure to pay its debts to the EBU. Starting this year, jury and televote results from each country are to be treated separately, though still under the traditional 1-8-, 10- and 12-point scoring matrix also introduced in Stockholm in 1975. Also, extended clips of dress rehearsal footage from the Big Five and the host are to be shown in the semifinal they are voting in (in contrast to just showing clips of their music videos as in previous years). Australia participates for another year, despite initially being offered for a one-off participation, but this time would have to compete at the semifinals. This is also the first Eurovision Song Contest to be aired live in the United States, on cable network LOGO (home of ''Series/RuPaulsDragRace'', because [[LGBTFanbase obviously]]), with the connection further reinforced with a Music/JustinTimberlake interval at the grand final.

-->The upcoming edition matches Belgrade 2008 and Düsseldorf 2011 for most participating countries with the return of no less than four Eastern European nations, with the 2015 junior contest being apparently a huge factor to the return of host Bulgaria in particular (perhaps not coincidentally, their representative was the 2015 JESC hostess Poli Genova[[note]]she had previously represented Bulgaria in the ESC before, during the 2011 contest in Düsseldorf[[/note]]), while Portugal withdraws due to dissatisfaction with their current preselection process. Starting this year, jury and televote results from each country are to be treated separately, though still under the traditional 1-8-, 10- and 12-point scoring matrix also introduced in Stockholm in 1975. Also, extended clips of dress rehearsal footage from the Big Five and the host are to be shown in the semifinal they are voting in (in contrast to just showing clips of their music videos as in previous years). Australia participates for another year, despite initially being offered for a one-off participation, but this time as a semifinalist. Romania was expelled from the competition as the first penalty to Romania's TVR for non-payment of debts to the EBU. This is also the first Eurovision Song Contest to be aired live in the United States, on cable network LOGO (home of ''Series/RuPaulsDragRace'', because [[LGBTFanbase obviously]]).

-->The upcoming edition matches Belgrade 2008 and Düsseldorf 2011 for most participating countries with the return of no less than four Eastern European nations, with the 2015 junior contest being apparently a huge factor to the return of host Bulgaria in particular (perhaps not coincidentally, their representative was the 2015 JESC hostess Poli Genova[[note]]she had previously represented Bulgaria in the ESC before, during the 2011 contest in Düsseldorf[[/note]]), while Portugal withdraws due to dissatisfaction with their current preselection process. Starting this year, jury and televote results from each country are to be treated separately, though still under the traditional 1-8-, 10- and 12-point scoring matrix also introduced in Stockholm in 1975. Also, extended clips of dress rehearsal footage from the Big Five and the host are to be shown in the semifinal they are voting in (in contrast to just showing clips of their music videos as in previous years). Australia participates for another year, despite initially being offered for a one-off participation, but this time as a semifinalist. Romania was expelled from the competition as the first penalty to Romania's TVR for non-payment of debts to the EBU.

'''Participating Countries:''' 43 -- Bosnia & Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia and Ukraine return; Portugal withdraws
-->The upcoming edition matches Belgrade 2008 and Düsseldorf 2011 for most participating countries with the return of no less than four Eastern European nations, with the 2015 junior contest being apparently a huge factor to the return of host Bulgaria in particular (perhaps not coincidentally, their representative was the 2015 JESC hostess Poli Genova[[note]]she had previously represented Bulgaria in the ESC before, during the 2011 contest in Düsseldorf[[/note]]), while Portugal withdraws due to dissatisfaction with their current preselection process. Starting this year, jury and televote results from each country are to be treated separately, though still under the traditional 1-8-, 10- and 12-point scoring matrix also introduced in Stockholm in 1975. Also, extended clips of dress rehearsal footage from the Big Five and the host are to be shown in the semifinal they are voting in (in contrast to just showing clips of their music videos as in previous years). Australia participates for another year, despite initially being offered for a one-off participation, but this time as a semifinalist.

-->The upcoming edition matches Belgrade 2008 and Düsseldorf 2011 for most participating countries with the return of no less than four Eastern European nations, with the 2015 junior contest being apparently a huge factor to the return of host Bulgaria in particular, while Portugal withdraws due to dissatisfaction with their current preselection process. Starting this year, jury and televote results from each country are to be treated separately, though still under the traditional 1-8-, 10- and 12-point scoring matrix also introduced in Stockholm in 1975. Also, extended clips of dress rehearsal footage from the Big Five and the host are to be shown in the semifinal they are voting in (in contrast to just showing clips of their music videos as in previous years). Australia participates for another year, despite initially being offered for a one-off participation, but this time as a semifinalist.

-->The upcoming edition matches Belgrade 2008 and Düsseldorf 2011 for most participating countries with the return of no less than four Eastern European nations, with the 2015 junior contest being apparently a huge factor to the return of host Bulgaria in particular, while Portugal withdraws due to dissatisfaction with their current preselection process. Starting this year, the Big Five and the host, though automatic finalists, "perform" in the semifinals they are voting in by way of rehearsal footage (in contrast to showing their music videos as in previous years). Australia participates for another year, despite initially being offered for a one-off participation, and unlike the previous contest in Vienna they are no longer automatic qualifiers.

-->'''Slogan''': TBA

-->Marsa's venue is one of the more interesting ones: it's actually three ship houses converted into a soundstage for the edition (and consequently, the 2014 Maltese national final). Italy becomes the first debutant since the inaugural season to win the trophy. Returnee Bulgaria, one of the favorites to win, finished second, and Armenia in third. Moira Delia is the first person to host the contest singlehandedly. An "Online Voting Award" would have been presented for the first time, but [[ShaggyDogStory was not presented because the website crashed.]]

-->The upcoming edition matches Belgrade 2008 and Düsseldorf 2011 for most participating countries with the return of no less than four Eastern European nations, with the 2015 junior contest being apparently a huge factor to the return of host Bulgaria in particular, while Portugal withdraws due to dissatisfaction with their current preselection process. Starting this year, the Big Five and the host, though automatic finalists, "perform" in the semifinals they are voting in by way of rehearsal footage (in contrast to showing their music videos as in previous years).

'''Presenters:''' Korhan Abay and Meltem Cumbul \\

'''Presenters:''' Maria Efrosinina and DJ Pasha \\

'''Presenters:''' Anke Engelke, Judith Rakers and Stefan Raab (2000 fifth-placer) \\

-->The 60th anniversary edition was already notable for rewarding Australia's loyalty to Eurovision with a place in the contest proper, sending in 2003 ''Australian Idol'' winner Music/GuySebastian (whose song was so well-received -- ending up in fifth-place -- that it actually caused the EBU to consider giving a permanent pass to Australia in future years), and Ukraine withdrawing over both financial issues and the crises in both its eastern half and Crimea. As expected, bookies' favorite Måns Zelmerlöw snagged Sweden's sixth trophy (receiving as low as 4 points from virtually every country except itself) after a three-horse race with Russian pop star Polina Gagarina (who, like the Tolmachevy Twins last year, received a tepid response despite the implementation of anti-booing technology and Wurst and Tumler's appeals for decency) and Italian classical crossover trio Il Volo (its best placing since its return in 2011), with both countries becoming the first non-winning entries to score over 280 points (and Russia the first to surpass 300). The results were also notable in that it was the first time since Düsseldorf 2011 when both televoters and juries had different winners -- Italy and Sweden, respectively; nevertheless, the latter fared better with televoters (third) than the former did with the juries (sixth), while Russia was more or less stable (second/third) -- as well as the first time Greece and Cyprus never gave each other ''douze points''. Meanwhile, experimental pop artist Loïc Nottet placed Belgium at fourth-place, its best result since second-place in Riga 2003, and Germany and host Austria bottomed out with the first ''nul points'' in the final since UK, also in Riga 2003 (with the latter becoming the first host to earn such a dishonor, not to mention the first host to place last since the Netherlands in 1958), while the rest of the "Big Five" (save for Italy) fared little better. In fact, literally every jury gave points to the top 9 countries, while every other country got as little as 1-5 points. This year, the acts were relatively more serious, though the novelty still exists: Finland sent a punk band composed of mentally-challenged men, Poland a pop star and survivor of a 2006 accident that left her wheelchair-bound, and Lithuania an act with three kisses (straight, gay and lesbian) midway through the song.

'''Presenters''': TBA\\

-->This edition introduced two semifinal rounds, where the top 9 countries and one WildCard from each side are to join the "Big Four" and the host. Belgrade 2008 was accused of being rife with political voting, which Austria boycotted in protest, and saw Russia win with a lot of ''douze points'' from ex-Soviet states (it may have also helped that his backing dancer was 2006 Olympic figure skating gold medalist Evgeny Plushenko performing from a miniature skating rink), while UK, Germany and Poland languished. This edition also saw a lot of entries in the '''''weird''''' category: Ireland sent [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dustin_the_Turkey a puppet turkey vulture]] that is actually an extremely famous (children's) TV character, Latvia had pirates, Azerbaijan flaunted thong-clad succubi, and France had noted electronica artist Sebastien Tellier perform alongside female backing singers that performed with fake beards. This is Wogan's last season as UK commentator.

'''Presenters:''' Leyla Aliyeva, Eldar Gasimov (half of 2011 winners Ell & Nikki) and Nargiz Birk-Petersen \\

-->The upcoming edition features no less than four returning countries, with the 2015 Junior Eurovision apparently being a huge factor in Bulgaria's return. Meanwhile, Portugal withdraws due to dissatisfaction with their current preselection process. Starting this year, the Big Five/host countries get to perform in the semifinals they vote in, but will remain automatic finalists (their performances consist of previously recorded rehearsal footage).

-->The 60th anniversary edition was already notable for rewarding Australia's loyalty to Eurovision with a place in the contest proper, sending in 2003 ''Australian Idol'' winner Music/GuySebastian (whose song was so well-received -- ending up in fifth-place -- that it actually caused the EBU to consider giving a permanent pass to Australia in future years), and Ukraine withdrawing over both financial issues and the crises in both its eastern half and Crimea. As expected, bookies' favorite Måns Zelmerlöw snagged Sweden's sixth trophy (receiving as low as 4 points from virtually every country except itself) after a three-horse race with Russian pop star Polina Gagarina (who, like the Tolmachevy Twins last year, received a tepid response despite the implementation of anti-booing technology and Wurst and Tumler's appeals for decency) and Italian classical crossover trio Il Volo (its best placing since second in 2011), with both countries becoming the first non-winning entries to score over 280 points (and Russia the first to surpass 300). The results were also notable in that it was the first time since Düsseldorf 2011 when both televoters and juries had different winners -- Italy and Sweden, respectively; nevertheless, the latter fared better with televoters (third) than the former did with the juries (sixth), while Russia was more or less stable (second/third) -- as well as the first time Greece and Cyprus never gave each other ''douze points''. Meanwhile, experimental pop artist Loïc Nottet placed Belgium at fourth-place, its best result since second-place in Riga 2003, and Germany and host Austria bottomed out with the first ''nul points'' in the final since UK, also in Riga 2003 (with the latter becoming the first host to earn such a dishonor, not to mention the first host to place last since the Netherlands in 1958), while the rest of the "Big Five" (save for Italy) fared little better. In fact, literally every jury gave points to the top 9 countries, while every other country got as little as 1-5 points. This year, the acts were relatively more serious, though the novelty still exists: Finland sent a punk band composed of mentally-challenged men, Poland a pop star and survivor of a 2006 accident that left her wheelchair-bound, and Lithuania an act with three kisses (straight, gay and lesbian) midway through the song.

-->The upcoming edition features no less than four returning countries including two former Yugoslav countries. Meanwhile, Portugal withdraws due to dissatisfaction with their current preselection process. Starting this year, the Big Five/host countries get to perform in the semifinals they vote in, but will remain automatic finalists (their performances consist of previously recorded rehearsal footage).

'''Provisional Countries:''' 43 -- Bosnia & Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia and Ukraine return; Portugal withdraws

'''Provisional Countries:''' 41 -- Bosnia & Herzegovina and Ukraine return; Portugal withdraws

'''Provisional Countries:''' 40 -- Ukraine returns; Portugal withdraws

'''Provisional Countries:''' 41 -- Albania, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Belgium, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Macedonia, Malta, Moldova, Montenegro, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Romania, Russia, San Marino, Serbia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and United Kingdom tentative; Bulgaria and Ukraine set to return; Portugal withdraws

* 2003 -- Copenhagen, Denmark

* 2004 -- Lillehammer, Norway

* 2005 -- Hasselt, Belgium

* 2006 -- Bucharest, Romania

* 2007 -- Rotterdam, The Netherlands

* 2008 -- Limassol, Cyprus

* 2009 -- Kiev, Ukraine

* 2010 -- Minsk, Belarus

* 2011 -- Yerevan, Armenia

* 2012 -- Amsterdam, The Netherlands

* 2013 -- Kiev, Ukraine

* 2014 -- Marsa, Malta

* 2015 -- Sofia, Bulgaria

'''Presenter:''' Poli Genova (2011 seniors artist)\\
'''Broadcaster:''' Bulgarian National Television (BNT) \\

-->Bulgaria, the runner-up country, takes the hosting reign for the upcoming edition. After tussling with Armenia, Malta comes up top - for the second time in three years - with a lighthearted disco tune. High favorite Slovenia rounds out the top three without a single ''douze points'' score, amazingly enough. Ireland's entry "Réalta na Mara" ("Star of the Sea") is notable for being the first Irish Eurovision entry sung in Gaelic since "Ceol an Ghrá" ("Music of Love"), performed by Sandie Jones in the 1972 grown-up contest in Edinburgh. Last year's winner, Italy, finishes second last.

-->Bulgaria, the runner-up country, takes the hosting reign for the upcoming edition. After tussling with Armenia, Malta comes up top - for the second time in three years - with a lighthearted disco tune. High favorite Slovenia rounds out the top three. Ireland's entry "Réalta na Mara" ("Star of the Sea") is notable for being the first Irish Eurovision entry sung in Gaelic since "Ceol an Ghrá" ("Music of Love"), performed by Sandie Jones in the 1972 grown-up contest in Edinburgh. Last year's winner, Italy, finishes second last.

-->Belarus wins for the second time, but was also the first winning entry not to earn points from all participating countries (Cyprus is that one exception) and surviving a head-to-head with Armenia, winning by only ''one point'' with Armenia earning more ''douze points''. Third-placer Nevena Božović of Serbia would become the earliest junior contestant in the senior version as part of Moje 3 for Malmö 2013 (though it failed to make it through the final).

-->Bulgaria, the runner-up country, takes the hosting reign for the upcoming edition. After tussling with Armenia, Malta comes up top - for the second time in three years - with a lighthearted disco tune. High favorite Slovenia rounds out the top three. Ireland's entry "Réalta na Mara" (St is notable for being the first Irish Eurovision entry sung in Gaelic since "Ceol an Ghrá" ("Music of Love"), performed by Sandie Jones in the 1972 grown-up contest in Edinburgh. Last year's winner, Italy, finishes second last.

'''Winner:''' TBA
-->Bulgaria, the runner-up country, takes the hosting reign for the upcoming edition. Ireland's entry "Réalta na Mara" (St is notable for being the first Irish Eurovision entry sung in Gaelic since "Ceol an Ghrá" ("Music of Love"), performed by Sandie Jones in the 1972 grown-up contest in Edinburgh.

'''Participating Countries:''' 17 -- Australia and Ireland debut; Albania and Macedonia return; Croatia, Cyprus and Sweden withdraw

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* '''1956''' -- Lugano, Switzerland
-->'''Date:''' May 24\\
'''Venue:''' Teatro Kursaal (now Casinò Lugano)\\
'''Presenter:''' Lohengrin Filipello\\
'''Broadcaster:''' Radiotelevisione Svizzera di Lingua Italiana (RSLI)\\
'''Participating Countries:''' 7 (2 entries each) -- Belgium, France, West Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands and Switzerland\\
'''Winner:''' Switzerland -- "Refrain" by Lys Assia
-->The inaugural season, featuring 7 countries submitting 2 entries each. In a case of EarlyInstallmentWeirdness, Lugano 1956 featured a closed-doors voting system, double voting of the jury, and the results being released such that the other 13 entries were given ''2nd'' place.
* '''1957''' -- Frankfurt, West Germany
-->'''Date:''' March 3\\
'''Venue:''' Großer Sendesaal des hessischen Rundfunks\\
'''Presenter:''' Anaid Iplicjian\\
'''Broadcaster:''' Arbeitsgemeinschaft der öffentlich-rechtlichen Rundfunkanstalten der Bundesrepublik Deutschland (ARD)\\
'''Participating Countries:''' 10 -- Austria, Denmark and United Kingdom debut\\
'''Winner:''' Netherlands -- "Net als toen" ("Just Like Then") by Corry Brokken
-->Like last year, Frankfurt 1957 was still radio-oriented, though TV viewership has seen an increase. Because of the disparate length of songs -- Italy had 5:09, while UK only had 1:52, a rule was later set up restricting songs to 3 minutes. Frankfurt 1957 also established the concept of phone-in juries and barring participating countries from voting for their own entries. Third-placers Denmark are notable for having their performers kiss for 11 seconds, a kiss that caused an outcry in some countries.
* '''1958''' -- Hilversum, Netherlands
-->'''Date:''' March 12\\
'''Venue:''' Algemene Vereniging Radio Omroep (AVRO) Studios\\
'''Presenter:''' Hannie Lips\\
'''Broadcaster:''' Nederlandse Televisie Stichting (NTS), now Nederlandse Omroep Stichting (NOS)\\
'''Participating Countries:''' 10 -- Sweden debuts; United Kingdom withdraws\\
'''Winner:''' France -- "Dors, mon amour" ("Sleep, My Love") by André Claveau
-->Hilversum 1958 introduced the convention of last year's winning country hosting the current edition. Italy's third-placing "Nel blu dipinto di blu" ("In the Blue Painted Blue") by Domenico Modugno became a global hit after the contest, peaking at #1 on Billboard and winning the two big Grammys (the only Eurovision song to do so) in 1959. This and the 1956 contest were the only ones to not have any songs in the English language.
* '''1959''' -- Cannes, France
-->'''Date:''' March 11\\
'''Venue:''' Palais des Festivals et des Congrès\\
'''Presenter:''' Jacqueline Joubert\\
'''Broadcaster:''' Radiodiffusion-Télévision Française (RTF)\\
'''Participating Countries:''' 11 -- Monaco debuts; United Kingdom returns; Luxembourg withdraws\\
'''Winner:''' Netherlands -- "Een beetje" ("A Little Bit") by Teddy Scholten
-->A new rule was established this year ensuring that no professional publishers or composers can be in the national juries. Like 1957, the Netherlands' winning entry was written by Willy Van Hemert, making him the first person to win Eurovision twice. This is the only year where the second and third placed entries were reprised at the end of the show along with the winner.
* '''1960''' -- London, England, United Kingdom
-->'''Date:''' March 29\\
'''Venue:''' Royal Festival Hall\\
'''Presenter:''' Katie Boyle\\
'''Broadcaster:''' [[Creator/TheBBC British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)]]\\
'''Participating Countries:''' 13 -- Norway debuts; Luxembourg returns\\
'''Winner:''' France -- "Tom Pillibi" by Jacqueline Boyer
-->In a break from convention, the Netherlands declined hosting rights this year, having already hosted the event two years prior, thus the honors went to the runner-up nation.
* '''1961''' -- Cannes, France
-->'''Date:''' March 18\\
'''Venue:''' Palais des Festivals et des Congrès\\
'''Presenter:''' Jacqueline Joubert\\
'''Broadcaster:''' Radiodiffusion-Télévision Française (RTF)\\
'''Participating Countries:''' 16 -- Finland, Spain and Yugoslavia debut\\
'''Winner:''' Luxembourg -- "Nous les amoureux" ("We the Lovers") by Jean-Claude Pascal
-->Cannes 1961 was the first held on Saturday evening, another convention continued to this day. The city also became the first two-time host. Due to the show overrunning, the United Kingdom never aired the winning song's reprise.
* '''1962''' -- Luxembourg City, Luxembourg
-->'''Date:''' March 18\\
'''Venue:''' Villa Louvigny\\
'''Presenter:''' Mireille Delannoy\\
'''Broadcaster:''' Compagnie Luxembourgeoise de Télédiffusion (CLT) [now RTL Group]\\
'''Participating Countries:''' 16 -- no changes\\
'''Winner:''' France -- "Un premier amour" ("A First Love") by Isabelle Aubret
-->This edition saw the first time countries ended up with ''nul points'' (i.e., Austria, Belgium, Netherlands and Spain). After France performed, there was a technical error rendering the screens dark. A shorter technical error occurred during the Dutch entry.
* '''1963''' -- London, England, United Kingdom
-->'''Date:''' March 23\\
'''Venue:''' BBC Broadcasting Centre\\
'''Presenter:''' Katie Boyle\\
'''Broadcaster:''' British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)\\
'''Participating Countries:''' 16 -- no changes\\
'''Winner:''' Denmark -- "Dansevise" ("Dance Ballad") by Grethe and Jørgen Ingmann
-->Like three years ago, the United Kingdom had to host after last year's winner (i.e., France) declined due to financial troubles (though this time, Britain volunteered). Host broadcaster BBC wanted to give this year's contest a distinct feel by having the audience and entrants located in different stages with a boom mike in between, leading to rumors that the entries were prerecorded. In contrast to winning Denmark, its Nordic neighbors all received ''nul points'', as did the Netherlands (second in a row).
* '''1964''' -- Copenhagen, Denmark
-->'''Date:''' March 21\\
'''Venue:''' Tivolis Koncertsal\\
'''Presenter:''' Lotte Wæver\\
'''Broadcaster:''' Danmarks Radio (DR)\\
'''Participating Countries:''' 16 -- Portugal debuts; Sweden withdraws\\
'''Winner:''' Italy -- "Non ho l'età" ("I'm Not Old Enough") by Gigliola Cinquetti
-->Sweden withdrew due to a singers' boycott, while Portugal's debut saw it off with ''nul points'', as did Germany, Switzerland and Yugoslavia (their first time). The Netherlands sent the ESC's first entrant without a pure European ancestry (i.e., Indonesian-blooded Anneke Grönloh), while Spain's Los TNT was the first entry with at least three members. Italy won via CurbStompBattle, being 30 points ahead of the next-best-placed song. Gigiola was 16 at the time of victory, the youngest Eurovision winner at the time.
* '''1965''' -- Naples, Italy
-->'''Date:''' March 20\\
'''Venue:''' RAI Production Centre of Naples\\
'''Presenter:''' Renata Mauro\\
'''Broadcaster:''' Radiotelevisione Italiana (RAI)\\
'''Participating Countries:''' 18 -- Ireland debuts; Sweden returns\\
'''Winner:''' Luxembourg -- "Poupée de cire, poupée de son" ("Wax Doll, Sawdust Doll") by France Gall
-->Naples 1965 saw the debut of Ireland, which would dominate the series for many years, while Finland, Germany and Spain suffer ''nul points'' for the second time, and Belgium their first. The winning song was written by Music/SergeGainsbourg and was the first winner to not be a ballad. This was the first Eurovision to be broadcast to Eastern Europe.
* '''1966''' -- Luxembourg City, Luxembourg
-->'''Date:''' March 5\\
'''Venue:''' Villa Louvigny\\
'''Presenter:''' Josiane Chen\\
'''Broadcaster:''' Compagnie Luxembourgeoise de Télédiffusion (CLT)\\
'''Participating Countries:''' 18 -- no changes\\
'''Winner:''' Austria -- "Merci, Chérie" ("Thank You, Darling") by Udo Jürgens
-->Luxembourg 1966 saw the establishment of a rule restricting entries to their home country's languages (after Sweden sung in English last year). This would also be Austria's first and only win until 2014. The Netherlands' Milly Scott was the first black person to compete in the contest, as well as the first to use a portable microphone.
* '''1967''' -- Vienna, Austria
-->'''Date:''' April 8\\
'''Venue:''' Hofburg Palace\\
'''Presenter:''' Erica Vaal\\
'''Broadcaster:''' Österreichischer Rundfunk (ORF)\\
'''Participating Countries:''' 17 -- Denmark withdraws\\
'''Winner:''' United Kingdom -- "Puppet on a String" by Sandie Shaw
-->Like three years ago, the UK wins with a wide berth, this time 25 points ahead of Ireland. Luxembourg's entry "L'amour Est Bleu" ("Love Is Blue") would be later CoveredUp by Paul Mauriat as an instrumental. Portugal's singer, Angolan-born Eduardo Nascimento, was the first black male entrant in Eurovision, and was supposedly chosen by then-prime minister António de Oliveira Salazar to prove that he wasn't racist. [[invoked]]
* '''1968''' -- London, England, United Kingdom
-->'''Date:''' April 6\\
'''Venue:''' Royal Albert Hall\\
'''Presenter:''' Katie Boyle\\
'''Broadcaster:''' British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)\\
'''Participating Countries:''' 17 -- no changes\\
'''Winner:''' Spain -- "La, la, la" by Massiel
-->London 1968 was the first Eurovision to be broadcast in color. The winning entry was originally to be sung by Joan Manuel Serrat in Catalan, but due to the Franco regime's crackdown on any perceived insurgent activity, he was replaced with the slightly more politically-correct Massiel. The song ended up winning over the UK's Cliff Richard by a margin of ''one point''. A 2008 documentary suggested that the votes were rigged by the Spanish dictator.
* '''1969''' -- Madrid, Spain
-->'''Date:''' March 29\\
'''Venue:''' Teatro Real\\
'''Presenter:''' Laurita Valenzuela\\
'''Broadcaster:''' Televisión Española (TVE)\\
'''Participating Countries:''' 16 -- Austria withdraws\\
'''Winners:''' France -- "Un jour, un enfant" ("A Day, a Child") by Frida Boccara; Netherlands -- "De troubadour" ("The Troubadour") by Lenny Kuhr; Spain -- "Vivo cantando" ("I Live Singing") by Salomé; and United Kingdom -- "Boom Bang-a-Bang" by Lulu
-->Creator/SalvadorDali (he of the wacky moustache and melting clocks fame) helped with the stage design. This edition also saw great controversy, being the only time more than one country won the title, due to lack of rules regarding a tie.
* '''1970''' -- Amsterdam, Netherlands
-->'''Date:''' March 21\\
'''Venue:''' RAI Congrescentrum (now Amsterdam RAI Exhibition and Convention Centre)\\
'''Presenter:''' Willy Dobbe\\
'''Broadcaster:''' Nederlandse Omroep Stichting (NOS)\\
'''Participating Countries:''' 12 -- Finland, Norway, Portugal and Sweden withdraw\\
'''Winner:''' Ireland -- "All Kinds of Everything" by Dana
-->Amsterdam 1970 was hit by a four-nation boycott due to protests over last year's results, prompting the EBU to set up a one-round tiebreaker. This edition also saw the appearance of then-unknown Julio Iglesias for Spain. Ireland's win, however, would presage the country's domination of the series for years to come.
* '''1971''' -- Dublin, Ireland
-->'''Date:''' April 3\\
'''Venue:''' Gaiety Theatre\\
'''Presenter:''' Bernadette Ní Ghallchóir\\
'''Broadcaster:''' Raidió Teilifís Éireann (RTE)\\
'''Participating Countries:''' 18 -- Malta debuts; Austria, Finland, Norway, Portugal and Sweden return\\
'''Winner:''' Monaco -- "Un banc, un arbre, une rue" ("A Bench, A Tree, A Steet") by Séverine
-->Dublin 1971 saw the voting system hit a big problem, as some judges score less than others. This is also Monaco's only win, while the EBU abolished a rule restricting entries to two performers. With UsefulNotes/TheTroubles ongoing, the UK sent Clodagh Rodgers, a Northern Irish singer popular throughout the British Isles, to ease the Dublin audience (she finished fourth). This edition also saw the debut of BBC's Radio/TerryWogan and his penchant for snide remarks.
* '''1972''' -- Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom
-->'''Date:''' March 25\\
'''Venue:''' Usher Hall\\
'''Presenter:''' Moira Shearer, world-renowned ballerina and actress\\
'''Broadcaster:''' British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)\\
'''Participating Countries:''' 18 -- no changes\\
'''Winner:''' Luxembourg -- "Après toi" ("After You") by Vicky Leandros
-->Monaco declined hosting rights due to lack of funds, thus marking the Eurovision's first British foray outside England. Songwriter Yves Dessca became the second to win the tournament twice, the first for two different countries (having also written Monaco's winning entry last year), and the first twice-in-a-row.
* '''1973''' -- Luxembourg City, Luxembourg
-->'''Date:''' April 7\\
'''Venue:''' Grand Théâtre de Luxembourg\\
'''Presenter:''' Helga Guitton\\
'''Broadcaster:''' Compagnie Luxembourgeoise de Télédiffusion (CLT)\\
'''Participating Countries:''' 17 -- Israel debuts; Austria and Malta withdraw\\
'''Winner:''' Luxembourg -- "Tu te reconnaîtras" ("You Will Recognise Yourself") by Anne-Marie David
-->Luxembourg 1973, saw the first time entries can now be sung in any other language than their national tongue, tournament extending its reach beyond Europe proper with the debut of Israel, an increase in security following the tragic events of the 1972 Summer Olympics not a few months earlier in Munich (which also involved Israel), and also saw Wogan's TV debut, which allows for more snarking watched by millions. Spain was accused of plagiarizing Yugoslavia's 1966 entry, but was not disqualified. Nevertheless, their entry, "Eres tu" ("It's You") by Mocedades, went on to become a huge hit despite placing second.
* '''1974''' -- Brighton, England, United Kingdom
-->'''Date:''' April 6\\
'''Venue:''' Brighton Dome\\
'''Presenter:''' Katie Boyle\\
'''Broadcaster:''' British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)\\
'''Participating Countries:''' 17 -- Greece debuts; France withdraws\\
'''Winner:''' Sweden -- "Waterloo" by Music/{{ABBA}}
-->Luxembourg declines hosting back-to-back, so Britain once again steps up to the plate and elected the port city of Brighton to host the event. France withdrew from the final as a sign of mourning over the death of President Georges Pompidou during the week (and whose funeral coincided with the final), and Dani, their entrant, was seen in the audience at the part where she would have performed. Brighton 1974, however, would be forever associated with ABBA, who would use their Eurovision victory as a springboard for international stardom. Meanwhile, Italy's "Si" ("Yes") by 1964 winner Gigliola Cinquetti (which placed second) was thought as a tool to get people to vote "yes" in the then-upcoming national referendum on divorce, while Portugal's "E depois do adeus" ("And After the Goodbye") by Paulo de Carvalho was used as a signal for the Carnation Revolution.
* '''1975''' -- Stockholm, Sweden
-->'''Date:''' March 22\\
'''Venue:''' Stockholm International Fairs\\
'''Presenter:''' Karin Falck\\
'''Broadcaster:''' Sveriges Radio (SR)\\
'''Participating Countries:''' 19 -- Turkey debuts; France and Malta return; Greece withdraws\\
'''Winner:''' Netherlands -- "Ding-a-Dong" by Teach-In
-->The first contest to utilize the current voting matrix of 1-8, 10, and 12-point scores. Greece withdrew in protest over the introduction of Turkey, which staged the invasion of Cyprus the previous year, while Portugal's "Madrugada" ("Dawn") by Duarte Mendes was an unabashed celebration of the aforementioned Carnation Revolution.
* '''1976''' -- The Hague, Netherlands
-->'''Date:''' April 3\\
'''Venue:''' Nederlands Congres Centrum (now World Forum)\\
'''Presenter:''' Corry Brokken, 1957 winner\\
'''Broadcaster:''' Nederlandse Omroep Stichting (NOS)\\
'''Participating Countries:''' 18 -- Austria and Greece return; Malta, Sweden and Turkey withdraw\\
'''Winner:''' United Kingdom -- "Save Your Kisses for Me" by Brotherhood of Man
-->Sweden, last year's host, withdrew due to the potential cost of hosting another edition, prompting the EBU to pass a stipulation demanding all participating broadcasters to contribute to the cost of staging the contests, while Turkey withdrew in response to Greece last year. "Save Your Kisses For Me" became another huge hit sparked by the ESC, while Greece's "Panagia Mou, Panagia Mou" ("O Virgin Mary, O Virgin Mary") by Mariza Koch drew controversy for being about the Turkish invasion of Cyprus. The Hague 1976 was presented by Corry Brokken, winner of Frankfurt 1957.
* '''1977''' -- London, England, United Kingdom
-->'''Date:''' May 7\\
'''Venue:''' Wembley Conference Centre\\
'''Presenter:''' Angela Rippon, BBC newscaster\\
'''Broadcaster:''' British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)\\
'''Participating Countries:''' 18 -- Sweden returns; Yugoslavia withdraws\\
'''Winner:''' France -- "L'oiseau et l'enfant" ("The Bird and the Child") by Marie Myriam
-->London 1977 marks France's second victory on British soil and so far their very last Eurovision title. However, it was the runner-up, the UK's "Rock Bottom" by Lynsey De Paul and Mike Moran, that was the most commercially successful. Germany sent globally popular disco group Silver Convention, while Dream Express from Belgium caused some flak because the three female members were reported to be wearing transparent tops for the event (they didn't eventually). The contest was going to be held in April, but was pushed back due to a strike involving BBC cameramen and technicians.
* '''1978''' -- Paris, France
-->'''Date:''' April 22\\
'''Venue:''' Palais des congrès de Paris\\
'''Presenters:''' Denise Fabre and Léon Zitrone\\
'''Broadcaster:''' Télévision Française 1 (TF1)\\
'''Participating Countries:''' 20 -- Denmark and Turkey return\\
'''Winner:''' Israel -- "A-Ba-Ni-Bi" ("I Love You") by Izhar Cohen and the Alphabeta
-->Israel's win (with a dozen consecutive ''douze points'' -- a contest record that stands to this day) naturally never sat well with broadcasters from the Arab World, with Jordan prematurely ending its broadcast and passing up second-placed Belgium for winner the next day. Denmark returns after a long absence, while Greece's entry (competing together with Turkey for the first time) is a tribute to Creator/CharlieChaplin, who died the previous year (the German national final also had a song called "Charlie Chaplin"). Norway suffers the series' first ''nul points'' under the 1975 voting system.
* '''1979''' -- Jerusalem, Israel
-->'''Date:''' March 31\\
'''Venue:''' International Convention Center\\
'''Presenter:''' Daniel Pe'er and Yardena Arazi\\
'''Broadcaster:''' Israel Broadcasting Authority (IBA)\\
'''Participating Countries:''' 19 -- Turkey withdraws\\
'''Winner:''' Israel -- "Hallelujah" by Gali Atari and Milk and Honey
-->Unlike previous years, Turkey withdrew not due to its traditional feud with Greece, but due to pressure from Arab countries objecting to its participation alongside host Israel, which won back-to-back. Yugoslavia did not broadcast the show for this same reason. Fourth-placers Dschinghis Khan of West Germany later achieve success with the song "Moskau".
* '''1980''' -- The Hague, Netherlands
-->'''Date:''' April 19\\
'''Venue:''' Nederlands Congres Centrum (now World Forum)\\
'''Presenters:''' Marlous Fluitsma (Stage) and Hans van Willigenburg (Green Room)\\
'''Broadcaster:''' Nederlandse Omroep Stichting (NOS)\\
'''Participating Countries:''' 19 -- Morocco debuts; Turkey returns; Israel and Monaco withdraw\\
'''Winner:''' Ireland -- "What's Another Year" by Johnny Logan
-->Israel withdrew due to the final clashing with "Yom Hazikaron" ("Day of Remembrance"), a major Israeli holiday commemorating its fallen soldiers, while Monaco did so due to dissatisfaction with their performance last year (and would not return until the 2004 semifinals), Morocco joins for their only Eurovision to date, and Ireland won through Australian import Johnny Logan.
* '''1981''' -- Dublin, Ireland
-->'''Date:''' April 4\\
'''Venue:''' Royal Dublin Society (RDS) Simmonscourt Pavilion\\
'''Presenter:''' Doireann Ní Bhriain\\
'''Broadcaster:''' Raidió Teilifís Éireann (RTÉ)\\
'''Participating Countries:''' 20 -- Cyprus debuts; Israel and Yugoslavia return; Italy and Morocco withdraw\\
'''Winner:''' United Kingdom -- "Making Your Mind Up" by Bucks Fizz
-->Best-known for the UK's winning act featuring its two male members ripping off the skirts of its two female members, only to reveal miniskirts underneath, {{Foreshadowing}} the stripping acts that would become a staple for years to come. Norway would repeat the indignity of scoring ''nul points'' from three years ago, while Turkey's points disappeared from the scoreboard due to a glitch. The interval act was "Timedance" by Bill Whelan, said to be a precursor to Riverdance.
* '''1982''' -- Harrogate, England, United Kingdom
-->'''Date:''' April 24\\
'''Venue:''' Harrogate International Centre\\
'''Presenter:''' Jan Leeming\\
'''Broadcaster:''' British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)\\
'''Participating Countries:''' 18 -- France and Greece withdraw\\
'''Winner:''' West Germany -- "Ein bißchen Frieden" ("A Little Peace") by Nicole
-->West Germany's winning entry was 1.61 times as much as that of Israel, a Eurovision record that stood until 2009, while the entry's songwriters, Ralph Siegel and Bernd Meinunger, would become German Eurovision mainstays with 18 songs between them, and West Germany (later Germany as a whole, with the assimilation of communist East Germany in 1990) has since (except 1996) become a perennial finals contender. Finland's anti-nuclear entry failed to reverberate throughout Europe, and thus took over Norway's indignity of scoring ''nul points'' from last year. As a show of support for Argentina during UsefulNotes/TheFalklandsWar against host UK, Spain sent a tango number and placed tenth.
* '''1983''' -- Munich, West Germany
-->'''Date:''' April 23\\
'''Venue:''' Rudi-Sedlmayer-Halle (now Audi Dome)\\
'''Presenter:''' Marlene Charell\\
'''Broadcaster:''' Arbeitsgemeinschaft Rundfunkanstalten Deutschland (ARD)\\
'''Participating Countries:''' 20 -- France, Greece and Italy return; Ireland withdraws\\
'''Winner:''' Luxembourg -- "Si la vie est cadeau" ("If Life is a Gift") by Corinne Hermès
-->Munich 1983 was the first Eurovision broadcast in UsefulNotes/{{Australia}}, whose keen interest in the contest inspired the EBU to invite it as a semifinals interval act for 2014 and an entry proper the next year. Israel's Ofra Haza placed second and later gained recognition for her contributions to the soundtack for ''WesternAnimation/ThePrinceOfEgypt''. Spain and Turkey shared the dishonor of scoring ''nul points'' for this year, while Ireland withdrew due to its broadcaster RTE going on strike. The votes were read out in three languages instead of two, stretching the contest to three hours.
* '''1984''' -- Luxembourg City, Luxembourg
-->'''Date:''' May 5\\
'''Venue:''' Grand Theatre\\
'''Presenter:''' Désirée Nosbusch, singer\\
'''Broadcaster:''' RTL Télévision (RTL) [now [=RTL9=]]\\
'''Participating Countries:''' 19 -- Ireland returns; Greece and Israel withdraw\\
'''Winner:''' Sweden -- "Diggi-Loo Diggi-Ley" by Herreys
-->Like four years ago, Israel withdrew due to the final clashing with Yom Hazikaron (a movable holiday, set in Iyar 4 of the Hebrew calendar), while UK's entry was met with boos due to FootballHooligans causing a ruckus there last year after failing to qualify for the 1984 UsefulNotes/EuroChampionships. Sweden's winning entry was the first sung in Swedish by the Herrey brothers Per, Richard and Louis, then based in the United States.
* '''1985''' -- Gothenburg, Sweden
-->'''Date:''' May 4\\
'''Venue:''' Scandinavium\\
'''Presenter:''' Lill Lindfors, 1966 runner-up\\
'''Broadcaster:''' Sveriges Television (SVT)\\
'''Participating Countries:''' 19 -- Greece and Israel return; Netherlands and Yugoslavia withdraw\\
'''Winner:''' Norway -- "La det swinge" ("Let it Swing") by Bobbysocks!
-->Norway, perennial Eurovision whipping-boy with six last-place finishes, three of which with ''nul points'', surprised the tournament by winning their first contest courtesy of the pairing of Eurovision veterans Hanne Krogh and Elisabeth Andreassen, a fact not lost on presenter Lindfors, whose faux-WardrobeMalfunction act during the interval remains a highlight to this day. The Netherlands and Yugoslavia withdrew due to their Remembrance Day and the anniversary of the death of Josip Broz Tito, respectively. The first Eurovision winner, Lys Assia, was a guest of honor.
* '''1986''' -- Bergen, Norway
-->'''Date:''' May 3\\
'''Venue:''' Grieg Hall\\
'''Presenter:''' Åse Kleveland, 1966 third-placer\\
'''Broadcaster:''' Norsk rikskringkasting (NRK)\\
'''Participating Countries:''' 20 -- Iceland debuts; Netherlands and Yugoslavia return; Greece and Italy withdraw\\
'''Winner:''' Belgium -- "J'aime la vie" ("I Love Life") by Sandra Kim
-->13-year-old Sandra Kim stood out as the youngest Eurovision winner (by faking her age as 15; today Eurovision restricts the minimum age to 16). The eventual runner-up country Switzerland appealed to get her disqualified, but to no avail, while Norway enjoyed every moment of its very first Eurovision hosting duties. Luxembourg snagged third place with Canadian export Sherisse Laurence. Greece withdrew because the contest conflicted with Holy Saturday (they did select an entry though). The interval was performed by Steinar Ofsdal and soprano superstar Sissel Kyrkjebø.
* '''1987''' -- Brussels, Belgium
-->'''Date:''' May 9\\
'''Venue:''' Palais de Centenair, Heysel Plateau\\
'''Presenter:''' Viktor Lazlo\\
'''Broadcaster:''' Radio Télévision Belge Francophone (RTBF)\\
'''Participating Countries:''' 22 -- Greece and Italy return\\
'''Winner:''' Ireland -- "Hold Me Now" by Johnny Logan
-->The largest edition at the time, which made the EBU put the cap on participating countries to 22. Johnny Logan becomes the first performer to win twice, while Turkey gets the ''nul points'' axe this year. Israel's "Shir Habatlanim" ("The Lazy Bums Show") by Datner & Kushnir was largely comedic and the country's culture minister threatened to resign if they went to Brussels. He never went through with this, and the song placed eighth.
* '''1988''' -- Dublin, Ireland
-->'''Date:''' April 30\\
'''Venue:''' Royal Dublin Society (RDS) Simmonscourt Pavilion\\
'''Presenter:''' Pat Kenny, RTÉ broadcaster, and Michelle Rocca, 1980 Miss Ireland\\
'''Broadcaster:''' Raidió Teilifís Éireann (RTÉ)\\
'''Participating Countries:''' 21 -- Cyprus withdraws\\
'''Winner:''' Switzerland -- "Ne partez pas sans moi" ("Do Not Leave Without Me") by Music/CelineDion
-->In an incredibly tight race, Switzerland narrowly beat UK by ''one point'', in the process introducing the world to Dion, their then-unknown Francophone Canadian guest singer. The field was reduced to 21 after Cyprus was forced to withdraw for trying to reenter a song meant for a prior edition, while Austria this time gets ''nul points''. The interval act was performed by Hothouse Flowers.
* '''1989''' -- Lausanne, Switzerland
-->'''Date:''' May 6\\
'''Venue:''' Salle Lys Assia, Palais de Beaulieu\\
'''Presenters:''' Jacques Deschenaux and Lolita Morena, 1982 Miss Switzerland\\
'''Broadcaster:''' SRG SSR\\
'''Participating Countries:''' 22 -- Cyprus returns\\
'''Winner:''' Yugoslavia -- "Rock Me" by Riva
-->Lausanne 1989 featured the youngest singers in Eurovision history: 11-year-old Nathalie Pâque of France and 12-year-old Gili Natanael of Israel. Bad publicity regarding their presence forced the EBU to set the minimum participating age at 16. A new tiebreaker rule was set, where the entry with the most 12 points wins (if that doesn't suffice, the number of 10 points would also be taken into account). The winning song was performed by a Croatian, while the show was opened by reigning winner Dion performing her first English song, "Where Does My Heart Beat Now", in the process catapulting her to international stardom.
* '''1990''' -- Zagreb, Yugoslavia (now Croatia)
-->'''Date:''' May 5\\
'''Venue:''' Vatroslav Lisinski Concert Hall\\
'''Presenters:''' Helga Vlahović and Oliver Mlakar\\
'''Broadcaster:''' Yugoslav Radio Television (YRT)\\
'''Participating Countries:''' 22 -- no changes\\
'''Winner:''' Italy -- "Insieme: 1992" ("Together: 1992") by Toto Cutugno
-->Many entries reflected the profound changes brought by the fall of communism, while Italy's winning entry looked further, in anticipation of the unified European market by 1992. Malta wanted to return, but was barred due to the 22-nation cap (though they still held their own national finals).
* '''1991''' -- Rome, Italy
-->'''Date:''' May 4\\
'''Venue:''' Studio 15, Cinecittà\\
'''Presenters:''' Gigliola Cinquetti and Toto Cutugno, 1964 and 1990 winners, respectively\\
'''Broadcaster:''' Radiotelevisione Italiana (RAI)\\
'''Participating Countries:''' 22 -- Malta returns; Netherlands withdraws\\
'''Winner:''' Sweden -- "Fångad av en stormvind" ("Captured by a Stormwind") by Carola
-->The Netherlands backed out due to the final coinciding with Remembrance of the Dead, a holiday commemorating all Dutch casualties since World War II, allowing Malta to return. Sweden wins out over France under the 1989 tiebreaker rules (both had four twelve-pointers, but Sweden had five ten-pointers against France's two). Rome 1991 was hosted by Italy's only Eurovision winners to date.
* '''1992''' -- Malmö, Sweden
-->'''Date:''' May 9\\
'''Venue:''' Malmö Ice Stadium\\
'''Presenters:''' Lydia Cappolicchio and Harald Treutiger\\
'''Broadcaster:''' Sveriges Television (SVT)\\
'''Participating Countries:''' 23 -- Netherlands returns\\
'''Winner:''' Ireland -- "Why Me?" by Linda Martin
-->The EBU eschews the 22-nation cap by allowing the Netherlands to return. The winning entry was written by Johnny Logan, becoming the first three-time winner, in the process beating hot favorite "One Step Out of Time" by the UK's Michael Ball. Presenter Treutiger would later host the first season of ''Expedition Robinson'', precursor to the ''Series/{{Survivor}}'' franchise.
* '''1993''' -- Millstreet, Ireland
-->'''Date:''' May 15\\
'''Venue:''' Green Glens Arena\\
'''Presenter:''' Fionnuala Sweeney, Creator/{{CNN}} newscaster\\
'''Broadcaster:''' Raidió Teilifís Éireann (RTÉ)\\
'''Participating Countries:''' 25 -- Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia and Slovenia debut; Yugoslavia withdraws\\
'''Winner:''' Ireland -- "In Your Eyes" by Niamh Kavanagh
-->With an explosion of aspiring Eurovision entrants, the EBU staged a preliminary round in Ljubljana pitting seven former communist states -- Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Estonia, Hungary, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia -- against each other, from which only the former two and the latter would emerge to join in the final, while Yugoslavia was banned from the contest (until 2004) for its role in UsefulNotes/TheBalkanWars. Millstreet is unusual in that this is the smallest host city in Eurovision history, with the venue actually being a hall used for horse auctions. Like last year, Ireland narrowly held down UK with narrow votes.
* '''1994''' -- Dublin, Ireland
-->'''Date:''' April 30\\
'''Venue:''' Point Theatre\\
'''Presenters:''' Cynthia Ní Mhurchú and Gerry Ryan, eminent RTÉ radio broadcaster\\
'''Broadcaster:''' Raidió Teilifís Éireann (RTÉ)\\
'''Participating Countries:''' 25 -- Estonia, Hungary, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Russia and Slovakia debut; Belgium, Denmark, Israel, Italy, Luxembourg, Slovenia and Turkey withdraw\\
'''Winner:''' Ireland -- "Rock and Roll Kids" by Paul Harrington and Charlie [=McGettigan=]
-->To cope with increasing numbers of aspirants, the EBU set up a relegation system, where the five lowest-ranking nations from last year would be forced to sit out of this year, but with Italy and Luxembourg voluntarily withdrawing (indefinitely, in the case of the latter), seven slots were left open for former Eastern bloc countries to occupy. Once again, Ireland dominated the field, with their 60-point lead over runner-up Poland being the greatest in Eurovision history to date. Ironically, the biggest success from Dublin 1994 was an interval act, courtesy of Theatre/{{Riverdance}}.
* '''1995''' -- Dublin, Ireland
-->'''Date:''' May 13\\
'''Venue:''' Point Theatre\\
'''Presenter:''' Mary Kennedy\\
'''Broadcaster:''' Raidió Teilifís Éireann (RTÉ)\\
'''Participating Countries:''' 23 -- Belgium, Denmark, Israel, Slovenia and Turkey return; Estonia, Finland, Lithuania, Netherlands, Romania, Slovakia and Switzerland withdraw\\
'''Winner:''' Norway -- "Nocturne" by Secret Garden
-->Ireland was apparently too good for RTÉ, who expressed to the EBU that, should Ireland win this one, they couldn't be expected to host yet again. The field was cut down to 23 to reduce airtime, thus relegating last year's bottom seven while reinstating 1993's bottom five (as Italy declined to join). While the host had a disappointing 14th-place finish, they at least took heart in the fact that Norway's winning entry had an Irish violinist, Fionnuala Sherry.
* '''1996''' -- Oslo, Norway
-->'''Date:''' May 18\\
'''Venue:''' Oslo Spektrum\\
'''Presenters:''' Ingvild Bryn and Morten Harket, vocalist of Music/AHa\\
'''Broadcaster:''' Norsk rikskringkasting (NRK)\\
'''Participating Countries:''' 23 -- Estonia, Finland, Netherlands, Slovakia and Switzerland return; Denmark, Germany, Hungary, Israel and Russia withdraw\\
'''Winner:''' Ireland -- "The Voice" by Eimear Quinn
-->The EBU experimented again with an audio-only qualifier where all 29 entrants are involved (as host, Norway is exempt), which saw perennial finalist Germany getting axed and prospective entrants Macedonia and Romania being denied their debut. The edition saw Ireland win its record seventh trophy.
* '''1997''' -- Dublin, Ireland
-->'''Date:''' May 3\\
'''Venue:''' Point Theatre\\
'''Presenter:''' Carrie Crowley and Ronan Keating, vocalist of Boyzone\\
'''Broadcaster:''' Raidió Teilifís Éireann (RTÉ)\\
'''Participating Countries:''' 25 -- Denmark, Germany, Hungary, Italy and Russia return; Belgium, Finland and Slovakia withdraw\\
'''Winner:''' United Kingdom -- "Love Shine a Light" by Music/KatrinaAndTheWaves
-->Due to negative reception of the 1996 qualifiers, the EBU implemented a new relegation system where the five nations with the lowest average scores for the last five years are to be forced to sit out, allowing last year's sit-outs to fill the gaps -- in this case, however, Israel turned down the opportunity as the final clashed with Yom [=HaShoah=] (Holocaust Remembrance Day, a movable holiday set in Nisan 27 of the Hebrew calendar), thus granting a reprieve for Bosnia and Herzegovina, while Italy returns after a long hiatus. Norway and Portugal jointly share ''nul points'', while for the second time, UK wins in Irish soil, with five 10-pointers and a dozen 12-pointers -- records matched only in 2005.
* '''1998''' -- Birmingham, England, United Kingdom
-->'''Date:''' May 9\\
'''Venue:''' National Indoor Arena (now Barclaycard Arena)\\
'''Presenters:''' Ulrika Johnson, Swedish-born TV star, and Radio/TerryWogan, long-time Eurovision commentator\\
'''Broadcaster:''' British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)\\
'''Participating Countries:''' 25 -- Macedonia debuts; Belgium, Finland, Israel, Romania and Slovakia returns; Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Denmark, Iceland, Italy and Russia withdraw\\
'''Winner:''' Israel -- "Diva" by Dana International
-->Italy's RAI relinquishes hosting rights and thus joins last year's bottom five in the bench, thus allowing incoming Macedonia to join the 1996 bottom five's return. Birmingham 1998 was the last Eurovision with an in-house orchestra and language restrictions, while also introducing phone-in voting. Switzerland earns the indignity of leaving with ''nul points'', while the final was decided by the last vote, which went in favor of Israel's Dana International -- the first transgender winner in Eurovision history.
* '''1999''' -- Jerusalem, Israel
-->'''Date:''' May 29\\
'''Venue:''' International Convention Center\\
'''Presenters:''' Dafna Dekel, 1992 sixth-placer, Yigal Ravid and Sigal Shahamon\\
'''Broadcaster:''' Israel Broadcasting Authority (IBA)\\
'''Participating Countries:''' 23 -- Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Denmark, Iceland and Lithuania return; Finland, Greece, Hungary, Macedonia, Romania, Slovakia and Switzerland withdraw\\
'''Winner:''' Sweden -- "Take Me to Your Heaven" by Charlotte Nilsson
-->This edition made orchestras optional, while aspirant Latvia backed out at the last minute, and in turn Hungary voluntarily withdrew, allowing Portugal, then at risk from relegation, to stay in the game. Unlike recent years, voters went retro, voting in Sweden's ABBA-esque entry.
* '''2000''' -- Stockholm, Sweden
-->'''Date:''' May 13\\
'''Venue:''' Globe Arena (now Ericsson Globe)\\
'''Presenters:''' Kattis Ahlström and Anders Lundin\\
'''Broadcaster:''' Sveriges Television (SVT)\\
'''Participating Countries:''' 24 -- Latvia debuts; Finland, Macedonia, Romania, Russia and Switzerland return; Bosnia and Herzegovina, Lithuania, Poland, Portugal and Slovenia withdraw\\
'''Winner:''' Denmark -- "Fly on the Wings of Love" by the Music/OlsenBrothers
-->Fitting the first Eurovision of the new millennium, Stockholm 2000 set a record attendance of 13,000 (which was broken next year), while Latvia becomes the last of the Baltic States to enter the fray, joining the 1999 bottom five's return in lieu of last year's bottom five, where it managed to finish at third-place. Israel's entry drew some flak from its own government after its members flew a flag of Syria, with which Israel is officially at war, as a gesture of peace. Predictions of Estonia winning were overturned by Denmark winning with a 40-point lead over Russia, courtesy of veteran musicians and brothers Jørgen and Niels "Noller" Olsen. This edition also saw the EBU give the "Big Four" -- France, Germany, Spain and UK, the largest financial contributors to Eurovision -- an automatic bye into the finals regardless of average standings. Stockholm 2000 was also the first edition to release a compilation CD of all the entries.
* '''2001''' -- Copenhagen, Denmark
-->'''Date:''' May 12\\
'''Venue:''' Parken Stadium (now Telia Parken)\\
'''Presenters:''' Natasja Crone Back and Søren Pilmark\\
'''Broadcaster:''' Danmarks Radio (DR)\\
'''Participating Countries:''' 23 -- Bosnia and Herzegovina, Greece, Lithuania, Poland, Portugal and Slovenia return; Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Finland, Macedonia, Romania and Switzerland withdraw\\
'''Winner:''' Estonia -- "Everybody" by Tanel Padar, Dave Benton and 2XL
-->Copenhagen 2001 broke attendance records with 33,000 viewers, as the venue is the home turf of Denmark's national football team. This was also the first time since Lausanne 1989 where all the acts are entirely new to the contest. This was also said to be the year Terry Wogan went so far with his snarks the BBC was forced to apologize to the Danish hosts. The field was also cut down to 23, with last year's bottom seven forced to sit out and be replaced with 1999's bottom five, alongside returning Greece. Estonia surprised Europe with its first Eurovision victory, in the process making one of their members, Aruba-born David Benton, aged 50, the first black and oldest winner of the contest.
* '''2002''' -- Tallinn, Estonia
-->'''Slogan:''' "A Modern Fairytale"\\
'''Date:''' May 25\\
'''Venue:''' Saku Suurhall Arena\\
'''Presenters:''' Annely Peebo and Marko Matvere\\
'''Broadcaster:''' Eesti Televisioon (ETV)\\
'''Participating Countries:''' 24 -- Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Finland, Macedonia, Romania and Switzerland return; Iceland, Ireland, Netherlands, Norway, Poland and Portugal withdraw\\
'''Winner:''' Latvia -- "I Wanna" by Marie N
-->For this year, the EBU changed the qualification rules such that only the "Big Four", last year's top 15, and last year's sit-outs are qualified. Originally the slots were limited to 22, but the addition of two slots granted a reprieve for Israel and Portugal -- the latter, however, withdrew due to problems in their broadcaster RTP, thus saving Latvia from getting axed... which led to a wild DarkHorseVictory courtesy of Marie N.
* '''2003''' -- Riga, Latvia
-->'''Slogan:''' "Magical Rendezvous"\\
'''Date:''' May 24\\
'''Venue:''' Skonto Hall\\
'''Presenters:''' Marija "Marie N" Naumova, 2002 winner, and Renārs Kaupers, 2000 third-placer\\
'''Broadcaster:''' Latvijas Televīzija (LTV)\\
'''Participating Countries:''' 26 -- Ukraine debuts; Iceland, Ireland, Netherlands, Norway, Poland and Portugal return; Denmark, Finland, Lithuania, Macedonia and Switzerland withdraw\\
'''Winner:''' Turkey -- "Everyway That I Can" by Sertab Erener
-->The field extended to 26 with the return of Portugal and Ukraine's debut, featuring pop star Oleksandr Ponomaryov. Predictions that Russia's faux-lesbian duo Music/{{Tatu}} would win were subverted by Erener, already a star in her native Turkey. Belgium's entry, "Sanomi", also considered an outsider before landing second-place, was notable for being sung in a made-up language - the first in the contest's history to do so. UK, meanwhile, suffers its worst result -- last place with ''nul points'' -- which Terry Wogan blames on continental Europe's backlash against its involvement in the Iraq War (though the real reason may have been Jemini's ''terrible'' singing).
* '''2004''' -- Istanbul, Turkey
-->'''Slogan:''' "Under the Same Sky"\\
'''Dates:''' May 12 (semifinal) and 15 (final)\\
'''Venue:''' Abdi İpekçi Arena\\
'''Presenters:''' Korhan Abay and Meltem Cumbul\\
'''Broadcaster:''' Turkish Radio and Television Corporation (TRT)\\
'''Participating Countries:''' 36 -- Albania, Andorra, Belarus and Serbia and Montenegro debut; Denmark, Finland, Lithuania, Macedonia, Monaco and Switzerland return\\
'''Winner:''' Ukraine -- "Wild Dances" by Ruslana
-->To accommodate the growing numbers of Eurovision aspirants, the EBU eschewed the relegation system in favor of a semifinal phase, from which its top ten will join the "Big Four" and last year's top ten into the final, which saw Ukraine emerge victorious after a three-way battle with Russia and Greece, while Serbia and Montenegro made an impressive second-place finish for a debutant. This edition also saw the first use of the generic Eurovision logo: the contest's name with the "V" replaced by a heart containing the host nation's flag, with unique designs added for every subsequent edition. Istanbul 2004 was the first to have a DVD of the semifinal and final. Starting every year, compilation discs would also include entries that never made it past the semifinal.
* '''2005''' -- Kiev, Ukraine
-->'''Slogan:''' "Awakening"\\
'''Dates:''' May 19 (semifinal) and 21 (final)\\
'''Venue:''' Palace of Sports\\
'''Presenters:''' Maria Efrosinina and DJ Pasha\\
'''Broadcaster:''' National Television Company of Ukraine (NTU)\\
'''Participating Countries:''' 39 -- Bulgaria and Moldova debut; Hungary returns\\
'''Winner:''' Greece -- "My Number One" by Helena Paparizou
-->With "Big Four" countries Germany and Spain making it into last year's top ten, Russia and Malta were given the remaining byes. Unlike last year, however, the competition was wide-open, with Greece winning its first Eurovision contest (and to date the only automatically-qualified finalist outside the "Big Four" countries to win the title), while the "Big Four" languished at the cellar, with the host country Ukraine sitting on top. The voting was opened by brothers and boxing superstars Vitali and Wladimir Klitschko.
* '''2006''' -- Athens, Greece
-->'''Slogan:''' "Feel the Rhythm"\\
'''Dates:''' May 18 (semifinal) and 20 (final)\\
'''Venue:''' OAKA Olympic Indoor Hall\\
'''Presenters:''' Maria Menounos and Sakis Rouvas (2004 third-placer and 2009 seventh-placer)\\
'''Broadcaster:''' Hellenic Broadcasting Corporation (ERT)\\
'''Participating Countries:''' 37 -- Armenia debuts; Austria, Hungary and Serbia and Montenegro withdraw\\
'''Winner:''' Finland -- "Hard Rock Hallelujah" by Music/{{Lordi}}
-->Finland's Lordi made Eurovision history by becoming the first (and so far the only) hard rock band to win the trophy with a record-breaking 292 points (curiously, they also led the semifinal with 292 points). Also, to cut airtime, broadcasting the votes was streamlined such that only the 8-, 10- and 12-point scores were announced, while the lower scores were immediately beamed onscreen. Ireland's entry, "Every Song Is A Cry For Love" by Brian Kennedy marked the 1,000th song performed in the contest.
* '''2007''' -- Helsinki, Finland
-->'''Slogan:''' "True Fantasy"\\
'''Dates:''' May 10 (semifinal) and 12 (final)\\
'''Venue:''' Hartwall Arena\\
'''Presenters:''' Jaana Pelkonen and Mikko Leppilampi [Stage] / Krisse Salminen [Green Room]\\
'''Broadcaster:''' Yle\\
'''Participating Countries:''' 42 -- Czech Republic, Georgia, Montenegro and Serbia debut; Austria and Hungary return; Monaco withdraws\\
'''Winner:''' Serbia -- "Molitva" ("Prayer") by Marija Šerifović
-->The first edition broadcast on HD. Debutant Serbia took Helsinki 2007 by storm by becoming the first ex-Yugoslav nation to win the trophy, much to some consternation from Western European media. This is the first year where the winner was given a promotional tour across Europe. The UK was allowed by the EBU to choose their entry after the deadline. Following on from Lordi, many entries were performed in a rock style, a trend which continued into 2009.
* '''2008''' -- Belgrade, Serbia
-->'''Slogan:''' "Confluence of Sound"\\
'''Dates:''' May 20 (first semifinal), 22 (second semifinal) and 24 (final)\\
'''Venue:''' Belgrade Arena\\
'''Presenters:''' Jovana Janković and Željko Joksimović (2004 runner-up and 2012 third-placer)\\
'''Broadcaster:''' Radio Television of Serbia (RTS)\\
'''Participating Countries:''' 43 -- Azerbaijan and San Marino debut; Austria withdraws\\
'''Winner:''' Russia -- "Believe" by Dima Bilan
-->This edition introduced two semifinal rounds, where the top 9 countries and one WildCard from each side are to join the "Big Four" and the host. Belgrade 2008 was accused of being rife with political voting, which Austria boycotted in protest, and saw Russia win with a lot of ''douze points'' from ex-Soviet states (it may have also helped that his backing dancer was 2006 Olympic figure skating gold medalist Evgeny Plushenko performing from a miniature skating rink), while UK, Germany and Poland languished. This edition also saw a lot of entries in the '''''weird''''' category: Ireland sent [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dustin_the_Turkey a puppet turkey vulture]] that is actually an extremely famous (children's) TV character, Latvia had pirates, Azerbaijan flaunted thong-clad succubi, and France had noted electronica artist Sebastien Tellier perform alongside female backing singers that performed with fake beards. This is Wogan's last season as UK commentator.
* '''2009''' -- Moscow, Russia
-->'''Dates:''' May 12 (first semifinal), 14 (second semifinal) and 16 (final)\\
'''Venue:''' Olympic Indoor Stadium\\
'''Presenters:''' Natalia Vodianova and Andrey Malakhov [Semifinal]; Ivan Urgant and Alsou Abramova (2000 runner-up) [Final]\\
'''Broadcaster:''' Channel One Russia\\
'''Participating Countries:''' 42 -- Slovakia returns; Georgia and San Marino withdraw\\
'''Winner:''' Norway -- "Fairytale" by Music/AlexanderRybak
-->Moscow 2009 saw Norwegian violinist-singer Rybak break Lordi's record with 387 points, with its 169-point lead over Iceland also setting another record (the fact that he was Belarusian by birth may have also helped him with Eastern Europeans). Following criticism over bloc voting, the EBU changed the voting system to its current form, where both the jury and phone-in votes are given an equal footing in weighing the scores. This pretty much helped change the pattern of Western entries getting axed by Eastern callers -- for example, UK won its best placing yet, fifth with 173 points (it also helped that Creator/AndrewLloydWebber was the pianist). On the other hand, this edition also saw Georgia being forced to withdraw over their entry being interpreted as an attack on then-prime minister Vladimir Putin and the bitter rivalry between Armenia and Azerbaijan rearing its head into Eurovision, when Armenia put in a picture of a pro-Armenian statue from hotly-contested Nagorno-Karabakh on their postcard and Azerbaijan censored Armenia's entry. This season also featured the debut of current British commentator, Graham Norton, who proudly continued Wogan's penchant for alcohol-induced snarking.
* '''2010''' -- Oslo, Norway
-->'''Slogan:''' "Share the Moment"\\
'''Dates:''' May 25 (first semifinal), 27 (second semifinal) and 29 (final)\\
'''Venue:''' Telenor Arena\\
'''Presenters:''' Erik Solbakken, Haddy N'jie and Nadia Hasnaoui\\
'''Broadcaster:''' Norsk rikskringkasting (NRK)\\
'''Participating Countries:''' 39 -- Georgia returns; Andorra, Czech Republic, Hungary and Montenegro withdraw\\
'''Winner:''' Germany -- "Satellite" by Lena Meyer-Landrut
-->Starting this year, only the top ten from each semifinal phase will be allowed to join the "Big Four" and the host. Germany becomes the first "Big Four" winner since the UK thirteen years ago, which this time ended at the bottom (it also helped that the song was already a hit in Germany weeks prior to the contest), while Spain had to do their song again after someone invaded the stage.
* '''2011''' -- Düsseldorf, Germany
-->'''Slogan:''' "Feel Your Heart Beat!"\\
'''Dates:''' May 10 (first semifinal), 12 (second semifinal) and 14 (final)\\
'''Venue:''' Esprit Arena\\
'''Presenters:''' Anke Engelke, Judith Rakers and Stefan Raab (2000 fifth-placer)\\
'''Broadcaster:''' Norddeutscher Rundfunk (NDR) [an ADR Group member]\\
'''Participating Countries:''' 43 -- Austria, Hungary, Italy and San Marino return\\
'''Winner:''' Azerbaijan -- "Running Scared" by Ell & Nikki
-->Germany's first Eurovision hosting duty as a unified nation saw Italy return after a decade and Azerbaijan become the first Transcaucasian state to win the contest after a rather narrow voting process -- at one point, [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qvmQgRQsN3c#t=37s even the UK was on top for all of sixty seconds]], while Italy made a triumphant return after many years, notching second-place. The finale had gotten an unusually strong selection this year with up to five or six favourites[[note]]To get an idea of the unpredictability of the voting that year, if you look at the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eurovision_Song_Contest_2011#Final_2 scoreboard]], you will notice that almost every country received points from at least 10 countries, the only exception being Switzerland (which placed last). In addition, 20 of the 25 competing entries received at least one round of douze points, with Bosnia and Herzegovina receiving the most with 5 douze points.[[/note]] -- [[DarkHorseVictory but Azerbaijan was barely a blip on the radar]][[note]]To be fair, although they received points from less countries than Sweden (30 of the 43 voting countries other than themselves as opposed to 32 countries for Sweden) and received less douze points than Bosnia and Herzegovina (3 as opposed to 5 sets), they still received the greatest amount of high points by being in the top three of 18 countries[[/note]]. The performances in the finale included a unicycle, sand art, exploding glass and a pair of hyperactive Irish twins whose hair became a running joke when the votes were to be cast.
* '''2012''' -- Baku, Azerbaijan
-->'''Slogan:''' "Light Your Fire!"\\
'''Dates:''' May 22 (first semifinal), 24 (second semifinal) and 26 (final)\\
'''Venue:''' Baku Crystal Hall\\
'''Presenters:''' Leyla Aliyeva, Eldar Gasimov (half of 2011 winners Ell & Nikki) and Nargiz Birk-Petersen\\
'''Broadcaster:''' İctimai Television (İTV)\\
'''Participating Countries:''' 42 -- Montengro returns; Armenia and Poland withdraw\\
'''Winner:''' Sweden -- "Euphoria" by Loreen
-->With Italy becoming a major financial contributor, the "Big Four" becomes the "Big Five", allowing it to gain a bye into the final. Nevertheless, fan-favorite Sweden took the title for the fifth time with 372 points, and while Loreen failed to beat Rybak's record for most points, she nevertheless set a new one for most ''douze points'' received (18) with a mystical song which eschewed the usual bright and elaborate stage show in favor of subtle lighting, outfit and choreography. Baku 2012 was also notable for the top 3 countries (Sweden, Russia, and Serbia) earning their positions largely without bloc voting: Sweden and Russia both got points from 40 of 42 countries, and Serbia got points from 30 of 42. Albania achieved their best-ever result, 5th place with 146 points as well as second in the first semifinal, while British veteran musician Engelbert Humperdinck narrowly escaped the embarrassment of finishing at the very bottom, being only 5 points ahead of now 11-time cellar-dweller Norway. As usual, the host's rivalry with Armenia figured again when the latter opted out of this edition for "security reasons", not to mention that the host faced scrutiny over its human rights records and pressure from neighboring Iran condemning the event.
* '''2013''' -- Malmö, Sweden
-->'''Slogan:''' "We Are One"\\
'''Dates:''' May 14 (first semifinal), 16 (second semifinal) and 18 (final)\\
'''Venue:''' Malmö Arena\\
'''Presenters:''' Petra Mede (nationally-renowned comedian) [Stage] / Eric Saade (2011 third-placer) [Green Room]\\
'''Broadcaster:''' Sveriges Television (SVT)\\
'''Participating Countries:''' 39 -- Armenia returns; Bosnia and Herzegovina, Portugal, Slovakia and Turkey withdraw\\
'''Winner:''' Denmark -- "Only Teardrops" by Emmelie de Forest
-->Emphasizing its theme, Malmö 2013 introduced a tradition from the Junior Eurovision of flags of the nations marching in and all the acts appearing together at least once. Repeating history, Denmark won for the second time on Swedish soil (in the process earning points from all countries save itself), with its entry being a favourite going into the final, and faced neck-and-neck competition with Ukraine and Azerbaijan for most of the voting phase (who were later exposed by Lithuanian media attempting to buy votes). Other notable entries included the United Kingdom dusting off Bonnie Tyler (of "Total Eclipse of the Heart" fame) and finishing badly as usual (but ''not'' in last, thankfully), Germany's {{Cascada}} performing (virtually) last year's winning song, and Romania's Cezar, an operatic dubstep vampire. With Sweden hosting, there were a record number of references to ABBA, and also had Swedish football superstar Zlatan Ibrahimović welcoming the crowd to his hometown, as well as an interval performed by Mede and 1991 winner Carola that smacks of SelfDeprecation.
* '''2014''' -- Copenhagen, Denmark
-->'''Slogan:''' "[=#JoinUs=]"[[note]]So far the only slogan deliberately designed to double as a hashtag[[/note]]\\
'''Dates:''' May 6 (first semifinal), 8 (second semifinal) and 10 (final)\\
'''Venue:''' B&W Hallerne\\
'''Presenters:''' Lise Rønne, Nikolaj Koppel and Pilou Asbæk (actor best known as Kasper Juul in ''Series/{{Borgen}}'')\\
'''Broadcaster:''' Danmarks Radio (DR)\\
'''Participating Countries:''' 37 -- Poland and Portugal return; Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus and Serbia withdraw\\
'''Winner:''' Austria -- "Rise Like a Phoenix" by Music/ConchitaWurst
-->Copenhagen 2014 is one of the more politically-charged editions, with Russia getting most of the heat (as it was held weeks after its military incursion into Crimea ''and'' nearly a year after it instituted laws restricting the promotion of LGBT relationships), with their performers, 17-year-old twin sisters Anastasiya and Maria Tolmachevy (winners of the 2006 Junior contest), being booed whenever they received high votes. Early indications that pop star Sanna Nielsen would hand Sweden its sixth trophy were overturned when bearded Austrian drag queen Conchita Wurst charmed the entire continent to victory, while country act The Common Linnets snuck the Netherlands into second place, its best placing since winning Stockholm 1975. Sanna finished in third, with Armenia's Aram MP3 and Hungary's half-American Andras Kallay-Saunders rounding out the top five (Andras even scored Hungary's best placing since their 1994 debut). Of the "Big Five", UK, Italy and Germany settled into the middle of the scoreboard, while Spain fared better with a tenth-place finish courtesy of Ruth Lorenzo, fifth-placer at the 2008 edition of ''Series/TheXFactor UK'', and France finished last, with their song about wanting to have moustaches performed by a group composed of a Weird Al lookalike, a guy dressed and painted like an African tribesman and three other guys. [[{{Irony}} They did not have any moustaches per se.]] Other novelty acts feature a man running in a hamster wheel for Ukraine and hot Slavic girls performing daily chores in revealing outfits for Poland.
* '''2015''' -- Vienna, Austria
-->'''Slogan:''' "Building Bridges"\\
'''Dates:''' May 19 (first semifinal), 21 (second semifinal) and 23 (final)\\
'''Venue:''' Wiener Stadthalle\\
'''Presenters:''' Mirjam Weichselbraun, Alice Tumler (current presenter of Austrian qualifier ''Die große Chance'') and Arabella Kiesbauer [Stage] / Music/ConchitaWurst (2014 winner) [Green Room]\\
'''Broadcaster:''' Österreichischer Rundfunk (ORF)\\
'''Participating Countries:''' 40 -- Australia debuts as a guest entry; Cyprus, Czech Republic and Serbia return; Ukraine withdraws\\
'''Winner:''' Sweden -- "Heroes" by Måns Zelmerlöw
-->The 60th anniversary edition was already notable for rewarding Australia's loyalty to Eurovision with a place in the contest proper, sending in 2003 ''Australian Idol'' winner Music/GuySebastian (whose song was so well-received -- ending up in fifth-place -- that it actually caused the EBU to consider giving a permanent pass to Australia in future years), and Ukraine withdrawing over both financial issues and the crises in both its eastern half and Crimea. As expected, bookies' favorite Måns Zelmerlöw snagged Sweden's sixth trophy (receiving as low as 4 points from virtually every country except itself) after a three-horse race with Russian pop star Polina Gagarina (who, like last year, received a tepid response despite the implementation of anti-booing technology and Wurst and Tumler's appeals for decency) and Italian classical crossover trio Il Volo (which scored Italy's most points despite finishing third). The results were also notable in that it was the first time since Düsseldorf 2011 when both televoters and juries had different winners -- Italy and Sweden, respectively; nevertheless, the latter fared better with televoters (third) than the former did with the juries (sixth), while Russia was more or less stable (second/third) -- as well as the first time Greece and Cyprus never gave each other ''douze points''. Meanwhile, experimental pop artist Loïc Nottet placed Belgium at fourth-place, its best result since second-place in Riga 2003, and Germany and host Austria bottomed out with the first ''nul points'' in the final since UK, also in Riga 2003 (with the latter becoming the first host to earn such a dishonor, not to mention the first host to place last since the Netherlands in 1958), while the rest of the "Big Five" (save for Italy) fared little better. In fact, literally every jury gave points to the top 9 countries, while every other country got as little as 1-5 points. This year, the acts were relatively more serious, though the novelty still exists: Finland sent a metal band composed of mentally-challenged men, Poland a pop star and survivor of a 2006 accident that left her wheelchair-bound, and Lithuania an act with three kisses (straight, gay and lesbian) midway through the song.

1956 — Lugano, Switzerland
Date: May 24
Venue: Teatro Kursaal (now Casinò Lugano)
Presenter: Lohengrin Filipello
Broadcaster: Radiotelevisione Svizzera di Lingua Italiana (RSLI)
Participating Countries: 7 (2 entries each) — Belgium, France, West Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands and Switzerland
Winner: Switzerland — "Refrain" by Lys Assia
The inaugural season, featuring 7 countries submitting 2 entries each. In a case of Early Installment Weirdness, Lugano 1956 featured a closed-doors voting system, double voting of the jury, and the results being released such that the other 13 entries were given 2nd place.
1957 — Frankfurt, West Germany
Date: March 3
Venue: Großer Sendesaal des hessischen Rundfunks
Presenter: Anaid Iplicjian
Broadcaster: Arbeitsgemeinschaft der öffentlich-rechtlichen Rundfunkanstalten der Bundesrepublik Deutschland (ARD)
Participating Countries: 10 — Austria, Denmark and United Kingdom debut
Winner: Netherlands — "Net als toen" ("Just Like Then") by Corry Brokken
Like last year, Frankfurt 1957 was still radio-oriented, though TV viewership has seen an increase. Because of the disparate length of songs — Italy had 5:09, while UK only had 1:52, a rule was later set up restricting songs to 3 minutes. Frankfurt 1957 also established the concept of phone-in juries and barring participating countries from voting for their own entries. Third-placers Denmark are notable for having their performers kiss for 11 seconds, a kiss that caused an outcry in some countries.
1958 — Hilversum, Netherlands
Date: March 12
Venue: Algemene Vereniging Radio Omroep (AVRO) Studios
Presenter: Hannie Lips
Broadcaster: Nederlandse Televisie Stichting (NTS), now Nederlandse Omroep Stichting (NOS)
Participating Countries: 10 — Sweden debuts; United Kingdom withdraws
Winner: France — "Dors, mon amour" ("Sleep, My Love") by André Claveau
Hilversum 1958 introduced the convention of last year's winning country hosting the current edition. Italy's third-placing "Nel blu dipinto di blu" ("In the Blue Painted Blue") by Domenico Modugno became a global hit after the contest, peaking at #1 on Billboard and winning the two big Grammys (the only Eurovision song to do so) in 1959. This and the 1956 contest were the only ones to not have any songs in the English language.
1959 — Cannes, France
Date: March 11
Venue: Palais des Festivals et des Congrès
Presenter: Jacqueline Joubert
Broadcaster: Radiodiffusion-Télévision Française (RTF)
Participating Countries: 11 — Monaco debuts; United Kingdom returns; Luxembourg withdraws
Winner: Netherlands — "Een beetje" ("A Little Bit") by Teddy Scholten
A new rule was established this year ensuring that no professional publishers or composers can be in the national juries. Like 1957, the Netherlands' winning entry was written by Willy Van Hemert, making him the first person to win Eurovision twice. This is the only year where the second and third placed entries were reprised at the end of the show along with the winner.
1960 — London, England, United Kingdom
Date: March 29
Venue: Royal Festival Hall
Presenter: Katie Boyle
Broadcaster: British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)
Participating Countries: 13 — Norway debuts; Luxembourg returns
Winner: France — "Tom Pillibi" by Jacqueline Boyer
In a break from convention, the Netherlands declined hosting rights this year, having already hosted the event two years prior, thus the honors went to the runner-up nation.
1961 — Cannes, France
Date: March 18
Venue: Palais des Festivals et des Congrès
Presenter: Jacqueline Joubert
Broadcaster: Radiodiffusion-Télévision Française (RTF)
Participating Countries: 16 — Finland, Spain and Yugoslavia debut
Winner: Luxembourg — "Nous les amoureux" ("We the Lovers") by Jean-Claude Pascal
Cannes 1961 was the first held on Saturday evening, another convention continued to this day. The city also became the first two-time host. Due to the show overrunning, the United Kingdom never aired the winning song's reprise.
1962 — Luxembourg City, Luxembourg
Date: March 18
Venue: Villa Louvigny
Presenter: Mireille Delannoy
Broadcaster: Compagnie Luxembourgeoise de Télédiffusion (CLT) [now RTL Group]
Participating Countries: 16 — no changes
Winner: France — "Un premier amour" ("A First Love") by Isabelle Aubret
This edition saw the first time countries ended up with nul points (i.e., Austria, Belgium, Netherlands and Spain). After France performed, there was a technical error rendering the screens dark. A shorter technical error occurred during the Dutch entry.
1963 — London, England, United Kingdom
Date: March 23
Venue: BBC Broadcasting Centre
Presenter: Katie Boyle
Broadcaster: British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)
Participating Countries: 16 — no changes
Winner: Denmark — "Dansevise" ("Dance Ballad") by Grethe and Jørgen Ingmann
Like three years ago, the United Kingdom had to host after last year's winner (i.e., France) declined due to financial troubles (though this time, Britain volunteered). Host broadcaster BBC wanted to give this year's contest a distinct feel by having the audience and entrants located in different stages with a boom mike in between, leading to rumors that the entries were prerecorded. In contrast to winning Denmark, its Nordic neighbors all received nul points, as did the Netherlands (second in a row).
1964 — Copenhagen, Denmark
Date: March 21
Venue: Tivolis Koncertsal
Presenter: Lotte Wæver
Broadcaster: Danmarks Radio (DR)
Participating Countries: 16 — Portugal debuts; Sweden withdraws
Winner: Italy — "Non ho l'età" ("I'm Not Old Enough") by Gigliola Cinquetti
Sweden withdrew due to a singers' boycott, while Portugal's debut saw it off with nul points, as did Germany, Switzerland and Yugoslavia (their first time). The Netherlands sent the ESC's first entrant without a pure European ancestry (i.e., Indonesian-blooded Anneke Grönloh), while Spain's Los TNT was the first entry with at least three members. Italy won via Curb-Stomp Battle, being 30 points ahead of the next-best-placed song. Gigiola was 16 at the time of victory, the youngest Eurovision winner at the time.
1965 — Naples, Italy
Date: March 20
Venue: RAI Production Centre of Naples
Presenter: Renata Mauro
Broadcaster: Radiotelevisione Italiana (RAI)
Participating Countries: 18 — Ireland debuts; Sweden returns
Winner: Luxembourg — "Poupée de cire, poupée de son" ("Wax Doll, Sawdust Doll") by France Gall
Naples 1965 saw the debut of Ireland, which would dominate the series for many years, while Finland, Germany and Spain suffer nul points for the second time, and Belgium their first. The winning song was written by Serge Gainsbourg and was the first winner to not be a ballad. This was the first Eurovision to be broadcast to Eastern Europe.
1966 — Luxembourg City, Luxembourg
Date: March 5
Venue: Villa Louvigny
Presenter: Josiane Chen
Broadcaster: Compagnie Luxembourgeoise de Télédiffusion (CLT)
Participating Countries: 18 — no changes
Winner: Austria — "Merci, Chérie" ("Thank You, Darling") by Udo Jürgens
Luxembourg 1966 saw the establishment of a rule restricting entries to their home country's languages (after Sweden sung in English last year). This would also be Austria's first and only win until 2014. The Netherlands' Milly Scott was the first black person to compete in the contest, as well as the first to use a portable microphone.
1967 — Vienna, Austria
Date: April 8
Venue: Hofburg Palace
Presenter: Erica Vaal
Broadcaster: Österreichischer Rundfunk (ORF)
Participating Countries: 17 — Denmark withdraws
Winner: United Kingdom — "Puppet on a String" by Sandie Shaw
Like three years ago, the UK wins with a wide berth, this time 25 points ahead of Ireland. Luxembourg's entry "L'amour Est Bleu" ("Love Is Blue") would be later Covered Up by Paul Mauriat as an instrumental. Portugal's singer, Angolan-born Eduardo Nascimento, was the first black male entrant in Eurovision, and was supposedly chosen by then-prime minister António de Oliveira Salazar to prove that he wasn't racist.
1968 — London, England, United Kingdom
Date: April 6
Venue: Royal Albert Hall
Presenter: Katie Boyle
Broadcaster: British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)
Participating Countries: 17 — no changes
Winner: Spain — "La, la, la" by Massiel
London 1968 was the first Eurovision to be broadcast in color. The winning entry was originally to be sung by Joan Manuel Serrat in Catalan, but due to the Franco regime's crackdown on any perceived insurgent activity, he was replaced with the slightly more politically-correct Massiel. The song ended up winning over the UK's Cliff Richard by a margin of one point. A 2008 documentary suggested that the votes were rigged by the Spanish dictator.
1969 — Madrid, Spain
Date: March 29
Venue: Teatro Real
Presenter: Laurita Valenzuela
Broadcaster: Televisión Española (TVE)
Participating Countries: 16 — Austria withdraws
Winners: France — "Un jour, un enfant" ("A Day, a Child") by Frida Boccara; Netherlands — "De troubadour" ("The Troubadour") by Lenny Kuhr; Spain — "Vivo cantando" ("I Live Singing") by Salomé; and United Kingdom — "Boom Bang-a-Bang" by Lulu
Salvador Dali (he of the wacky moustache and melting clocks fame) helped with the stage design. This edition also saw great controversy, being the only time more than one country won the title, due to lack of rules regarding a tie.
1970 — Amsterdam, Netherlands
Date: March 21
Venue: RAI Congrescentrum (now Amsterdam RAI Exhibition and Convention Centre)
Presenter: Willy Dobbe
Broadcaster: Nederlandse Omroep Stichting (NOS)
Participating Countries: 12 — Finland, Norway, Portugal and Sweden withdraw
Winner: Ireland — "All Kinds of Everything" by Dana
Amsterdam 1970 was hit by a four-nation boycott due to protests over last year's results, prompting the EBU to set up a one-round tiebreaker. This edition also saw the appearance of then-unknown Julio Iglesias for Spain. Ireland's win, however, would presage the country's domination of the series for years to come.
1971 — Dublin, Ireland
Date: April 3
Venue: Gaiety Theatre
Presenter: Bernadette Ní Ghallchóir
Broadcaster: Raidió Teilifís Éireann (RTE)
Participating Countries: 18 — Malta debuts; Austria, Finland, Norway, Portugal and Sweden return
Winner: Monaco — "Un banc, un arbre, une rue" ("A Bench, A Tree, A Steet") by Séverine
Dublin 1971 saw the voting system hit a big problem, as some judges score less than others. This is also Monaco's only win, while the EBU abolished a rule restricting entries to two performers. With The Troubles ongoing, the UK sent Clodagh Rodgers, a Northern Irish singer popular throughout the British Isles, to ease the Dublin audience (she finished fourth). This edition also saw the debut of BBC's Terry Wogan and his penchant for snide remarks.
1972 — Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom
Date: March 25
Venue: Usher Hall
Presenter: Moira Shearer, world-renowned ballerina and actress
Broadcaster: British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)
Participating Countries: 18 — no changes
Winner: Luxembourg — "Après toi" ("After You") by Vicky Leandros
Monaco declined hosting rights due to lack of funds, thus marking the Eurovision's first British foray outside England. Songwriter Yves Dessca became the second to win the tournament twice, the first for two different countries (having also written Monaco's winning entry last year), and the first twice-in-a-row.
1973 — Luxembourg City, Luxembourg
Date: April 7
Venue: Grand Théâtre de Luxembourg
Presenter: Helga Guitton
Broadcaster: Compagnie Luxembourgeoise de Télédiffusion (CLT)
Participating Countries: 17 — Israel debuts; Austria and Malta withdraw
Winner: Luxembourg — "Tu te reconnaîtras" ("You Will Recognise Yourself") by Anne-Marie David
Luxembourg 1973, saw the first time entries can now be sung in any other language than their national tongue, tournament extending its reach beyond Europe proper with the debut of Israel, an increase in security following the tragic events of the 1972 Summer Olympics not a few months earlier in Munich (which also involved Israel), and also saw Wogan's TV debut, which allows for more snarking watched by millions. Spain was accused of plagiarizing Yugoslavia's 1966 entry, but was not disqualified. Nevertheless, their entry, "Eres tu" ("It's You") by Mocedades, went on to become a huge hit despite placing second.
1974 — Brighton, England, United Kingdom
Date: April 6
Venue: Brighton Dome
Presenter: Katie Boyle
Broadcaster: British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)
Participating Countries: 17 — Greece debuts; France withdraws
Winner: Sweden — "Waterloo" by ABBA
Luxembourg declines hosting back-to-back, so Britain once again steps up to the plate and elected the port city of Brighton to host the event. France withdrew from the final as a sign of mourning over the death of President Georges Pompidou during the week (and whose funeral coincided with the final), and Dani, their entrant, was seen in the audience at the part where she would have performed. Brighton 1974, however, would be forever associated with ABBA, who would use their Eurovision victory as a springboard for international stardom. Meanwhile, Italy's "Si" ("Yes") by 1964 winner Gigliola Cinquetti (which placed second) was thought as a tool to get people to vote "yes" in the then-upcoming national referendum on divorce, while Portugal's "E depois do adeus" ("And After the Goodbye") by Paulo de Carvalho was used as a signal for the Carnation Revolution.
1975 — Stockholm, Sweden
Date: March 22
Venue: Stockholm International Fairs
Presenter: Karin Falck
Broadcaster: Sveriges Radio (SR)
Participating Countries: 19 — Turkey debuts; France and Malta return; Greece withdraws
Winner: Netherlands — "Ding-a-Dong" by Teach-In
The first contest to utilize the current voting matrix of 1-8, 10, and 12-point scores. Greece withdrew in protest over the introduction of Turkey, which staged the invasion of Cyprus the previous year, while Portugal's "Madrugada" ("Dawn") by Duarte Mendes was an unabashed celebration of the aforementioned Carnation Revolution.
1976 — The Hague, Netherlands
Date: April 3
Venue: Nederlands Congres Centrum (now World Forum)
Presenter: Corry Brokken, 1957 winner
Broadcaster: Nederlandse Omroep Stichting (NOS)
Participating Countries: 18 — Austria and Greece return; Malta, Sweden and Turkey withdraw
Winner: United Kingdom — "Save Your Kisses for Me" by Brotherhood of Man
Sweden, last year's host, withdrew due to the potential cost of hosting another edition, prompting the EBU to pass a stipulation demanding all participating broadcasters to contribute to the cost of staging the contests, while Turkey withdrew in response to Greece last year. "Save Your Kisses For Me" became another huge hit sparked by the ESC, while Greece's "Panagia Mou, Panagia Mou" ("O Virgin Mary, O Virgin Mary") by Mariza Koch drew controversy for being about the Turkish invasion of Cyprus. The Hague 1976 was presented by Corry Brokken, winner of Frankfurt 1957.
1977 — London, England, United Kingdom
Date: May 7
Venue: Wembley Conference Centre
Presenter: Angela Rippon, BBC newscaster
Broadcaster: British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)
Participating Countries: 18 — Sweden returns; Yugoslavia withdraws
Winner: France — "L'oiseau et l'enfant" ("The Bird and the Child") by Marie Myriam
London 1977 marks France's second victory on British soil and so far their very last Eurovision title. However, it was the runner-up, the UK's "Rock Bottom" by Lynsey De Paul and Mike Moran, that was the most commercially successful. Germany sent globally popular disco group Silver Convention, while Dream Express from Belgium caused some flak because the three female members were reported to be wearing transparent tops for the event (they didn't eventually). The contest was going to be held in April, but was pushed back due to a strike involving BBC cameramen and technicians.
1978 — Paris, France
Date: April 22
Venue: Palais des congrès de Paris
Presenters: Denise Fabre and Léon Zitrone
Broadcaster: Télévision Française 1 (TF 1)
Participating Countries: 20 — Denmark and Turkey return
Winner: Israel — "A-Ba-Ni-Bi" ("I Love You") by Izhar Cohen and the Alphabeta
Israel's win (with a dozen consecutive douze points — a contest record that stands to this day) naturally never sat well with broadcasters from the Arab World, with Jordan prematurely ending its broadcast and passing up second-placed Belgium for winner the next day. Denmark returns after a long absence, while Greece's entry (competing together with Turkey for the first time) is a tribute to Charlie Chaplin, who died the previous year (the German national final also had a song called "Charlie Chaplin"). Norway suffers the series' first nul points under the 1975 voting system.
1979 — Jerusalem, Israel
Date: March 31
Venue: International Convention Center
Presenter: Daniel Pe'er and Yardena Arazi
Broadcaster: Israel Broadcasting Authority (IBA)
Participating Countries: 19 — Turkey withdraws
Winner: Israel — "Hallelujah" by Gali Atari and Milk and Honey
Unlike previous years, Turkey withdrew not due to its traditional feud with Greece, but due to pressure from Arab countries objecting to its participation alongside host Israel, which won back-to-back. Yugoslavia did not broadcast the show for this same reason. Fourth-placers Dschinghis Khan of West Germany later achieve success with the song "Moskau".
1980 — The Hague, Netherlands
Date: April 19
Venue: Nederlands Congres Centrum (now World Forum)
Presenters: Marlous Fluitsma (Stage) and Hans van Willigenburg (Green Room)
Broadcaster: Nederlandse Omroep Stichting (NOS)
Participating Countries: 19 — Morocco debuts; Turkey returns; Israel and Monaco withdraw
Winner: Ireland — "What's Another Year" by Johnny Logan
Israel withdrew due to the final clashing with "Yom Hazikaron" ("Day of Remembrance"), a major Israeli holiday commemorating its fallen soldiers, while Monaco did so due to dissatisfaction with their performance last year (and would not return until the 2004 semifinals), Morocco joins for their only Eurovision to date, and Ireland won through Australian import Johnny Logan.
1981 — Dublin, Ireland
Date: April 4
Venue: Royal Dublin Society (RDS) Simmonscourt Pavilion
Presenter: Doireann Ní Bhriain
Broadcaster: Raidió Teilifís Éireann (RTÉ)
Participating Countries: 20 — Cyprus debuts; Israel and Yugoslavia return; Italy and Morocco withdraw
Winner: United Kingdom — "Making Your Mind Up" by Bucks Fizz
Best-known for the UK's winning act featuring its two male members ripping off the skirts of its two female members, only to reveal miniskirts underneath, Foreshadowing the stripping acts that would become a staple for years to come. Norway would repeat the indignity of scoring nul points from three years ago, while Turkey's points disappeared from the scoreboard due to a glitch. The interval act was "Timedance" by Bill Whelan, said to be a precursor to Riverdance.
1982 — Harrogate, England, United Kingdom
Date: April 24
Venue: Harrogate International Centre
Presenter: Jan Leeming
Broadcaster: British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)
Participating Countries: 18 — France and Greece withdraw
Winner: West Germany — "Ein bißchen Frieden" ("A Little Peace") by Nicole
West Germany's winning entry was 1.61 times as much as that of Israel, a Eurovision record that stood until 2009, while the entry's songwriters, Ralph Siegel and Bernd Meinunger, would become German Eurovision mainstays with 18 songs between them, and West Germany (later Germany as a whole, with the assimilation of communist East Germany in 1990) has since (except 1996) become a perennial finals contender. Finland's anti-nuclear entry failed to reverberate throughout Europe, and thus took over Norway's indignity of scoring nul points from last year. As a show of support for Argentina during The Falklands War against host UK, Spain sent a tango number and placed tenth.
1983 — Munich, West Germany
Date: April 23
Venue: Rudi-Sedlmayer-Halle (now Audi Dome)
Presenter: Marlene Charell
Broadcaster: Arbeitsgemeinschaft Rundfunkanstalten Deutschland (ARD)
Participating Countries: 20 — France, Greece and Italy return; Ireland withdraws
Winner: Luxembourg — "Si la vie est cadeau" ("If Life is a Gift") by Corinne Hermès
Munich 1983 was the first Eurovision broadcast in Australia, whose keen interest in the contest inspired the EBU to invite it as a semifinals interval act for 2014 and an entry proper the next year. Israel's Ofra Haza placed second and later gained recognition for her contributions to the soundtack for The Prince of Egypt. Spain and Turkey shared the dishonor of scoring nul points for this year, while Ireland withdrew due to its broadcaster RTE going on strike. The votes were read out in three languages instead of two, stretching the contest to three hours.
1984 — Luxembourg City, Luxembourg
Date: May 5
Venue: Grand Theatre
Presenter: Désirée Nosbusch, singer
Broadcaster: RTL Télévision (RTL) [now RTL9]
Participating Countries: 19 — Ireland returns; Greece and Israel withdraw
Winner: Sweden — "Diggi-Loo Diggi-Ley" by Herreys
Like four years ago, Israel withdrew due to the final clashing with Yom Hazikaron (a movable holiday, set in Iyar 4 of the Hebrew calendar), while UK's entry was met with boos due to Football Hooligans causing a ruckus there last year after failing to qualify for the 1984 Euro Championships. Sweden's winning entry was the first sung in Swedish by the Herrey brothers Per, Richard and Louis, then based in the United States.
1985 — Gothenburg, Sweden
Date: May 4
Venue: Scandinavium
Presenter: Lill Lindfors, 1966 runner-up
Broadcaster: Sveriges Television (SVT)
Participating Countries: 19 — Greece and Israel return; Netherlands and Yugoslavia withdraw
Winner: Norway — "La det swinge" ("Let it Swing") by Bobbysocks!
Norway, perennial Eurovision whipping-boy with six last-place finishes, three of which with nul points, surprised the tournament by winning their first contest courtesy of the pairing of Eurovision veterans Hanne Krogh and Elisabeth Andreassen, a fact not lost on presenter Lindfors, whose faux-Wardrobe Malfunction act during the interval remains a highlight to this day. The Netherlands and Yugoslavia withdrew due to their Remembrance Day and the anniversary of the death of Josip Broz Tito, respectively. The first Eurovision winner, Lys Assia, was a guest of honor.
1986 — Bergen, Norway
Date: May 3
Venue: Grieg Hall
Presenter: Åse Kleveland, 1966 third-placer
Broadcaster: Norsk rikskringkasting (NRK)
Participating Countries: 20 — Iceland debuts; Netherlands and Yugoslavia return; Greece and Italy withdraw
Winner: Belgium — "J'aime la vie" ("I Love Life") by Sandra Kim
13-year-old Sandra Kim stood out as the youngest Eurovision winner (by faking her age as 15; today Eurovision restricts the minimum age to 16). The eventual runner-up country Switzerland appealed to get her disqualified, but to no avail, while Norway enjoyed every moment of its very first Eurovision hosting duties. Luxembourg snagged third place with Canadian export Sherisse Laurence. Greece withdrew because the contest conflicted with Holy Saturday (they did select an entry though). The interval was performed by Steinar Ofsdal and soprano superstar Sissel Kyrkjebø.
1987 — Brussels, Belgium
Date: May 9
Venue: Palais de Centenair, Heysel Plateau
Presenter: Viktor Lazlo
Broadcaster: Radio Télévision Belge Francophone (RTBF)
Participating Countries: 22 — Greece and Italy return
Winner: Ireland — "Hold Me Now" by Johnny Logan
The largest edition at the time, which made the EBU put the cap on participating countries to 22. Johnny Logan becomes the first performer to win twice, while Turkey gets the nul points axe this year. Israel's "Shir Habatlanim" ("The Lazy Bums Show") by Datner & Kushnir was largely comedic and the country's culture minister threatened to resign if they went to Brussels. He never went through with this, and the song placed eighth.
1988 — Dublin, Ireland
Date: April 30
Venue: Royal Dublin Society (RDS) Simmonscourt Pavilion
Presenter: Pat Kenny, RTÉ broadcaster, and Michelle Rocca, 1980 Miss Ireland
Broadcaster: Raidió Teilifís Éireann (RTÉ)
Participating Countries: 21 — Cyprus withdraws
Winner: Switzerland — "Ne partez pas sans moi" ("Do Not Leave Without Me") by Céline Dion
In an incredibly tight race, Switzerland narrowly beat UK by one point, in the process introducing the world to Dion, their then-unknown Francophone Canadian guest singer. The field was reduced to 21 after Cyprus was forced to withdraw for trying to reenter a song meant for a prior edition, while Austria this time gets nul points. The interval act was performed by Hothouse Flowers.
1989 — Lausanne, Switzerland
Date: May 6
Venue: Salle Lys Assia, Palais de Beaulieu
Presenters: Jacques Deschenaux and Lolita Morena, 1982 Miss Switzerland
Broadcaster: SRG SSR
Participating Countries: 22 — Cyprus returns
Winner: Yugoslavia — "Rock Me" by Riva
Lausanne 1989 featured the youngest singers in Eurovision history: 11-year-old Nathalie Pâque of France and 12-year-old Gili Natanael of Israel. Bad publicity regarding their presence forced the EBU to set the minimum participating age at 16. A new tiebreaker rule was set, where the entry with the most 12 points wins (if that doesn't suffice, the number of 10 points would also be taken into account). The winning song was performed by a Croatian, while the show was opened by reigning winner Dion performing her first English song, "Where Does My Heart Beat Now", in the process catapulting her to international stardom.
1990 — Zagreb, Yugoslavia (now Croatia)
Date: May 5
Venue: Vatroslav Lisinski Concert Hall
Presenters: Helga Vlahović and Oliver Mlakar
Broadcaster: Yugoslav Radio Television (YRT)
Participating Countries: 22 — no changes
Winner: Italy — "Insieme: 1992" ("Together: 1992") by Toto Cutugno
Many entries reflected the profound changes brought by the fall of communism, while Italy's winning entry looked further, in anticipation of the unified European market by 1992. Malta wanted to return, but was barred due to the 22-nation cap (though they still held their own national finals).
1991 — Rome, Italy
Date: May 4
Venue: Studio 15, Cinecittà
Presenters: Gigliola Cinquetti and Toto Cutugno, 1964 and 1990 winners, respectively
Broadcaster: Radiotelevisione Italiana (RAI)
Participating Countries: 22 — Malta returns; Netherlands withdraws
Winner: Sweden — "Fångad av en stormvind" ("Captured by a Stormwind") by Carola
The Netherlands backed out due to the final coinciding with Remembrance of the Dead, a holiday commemorating all Dutch casualties since World War II, allowing Malta to return. Sweden wins out over France under the 1989 tiebreaker rules (both had four twelve-pointers, but Sweden had five ten-pointers against France's two). Rome 1991 was hosted by Italy's only Eurovision winners to date.
1992 — Malmö, Sweden
Date: May 9
Venue: Malmö Ice Stadium
Presenters: Lydia Cappolicchio and Harald Treutiger
Broadcaster: Sveriges Television (SVT)
Participating Countries: 23 — Netherlands returns
Winner: Ireland — "Why Me?" by Linda Martin
The EBU eschews the 22-nation cap by allowing the Netherlands to return. The winning entry was written by Johnny Logan, becoming the first three-time winner, in the process beating hot favorite "One Step Out of Time" by the UK's Michael Ball. Presenter Treutiger would later host the first season of Expedition Robinson, precursor to the Survivor franchise.
1993 — Millstreet, Ireland
Date: May 15
Venue: Green Glens Arena
Presenter: Fionnuala Sweeney, CNN newscaster
Broadcaster: Raidió Teilifís Éireann (RTÉ)
Participating Countries: 25 — Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia and Slovenia debut; Yugoslavia withdraws
Winner: Ireland — "In Your Eyes" by Niamh Kavanagh
With an explosion of aspiring Eurovision entrants, the EBU staged a preliminary round in Ljubljana pitting seven former communist states — Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Estonia, Hungary, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia — against each other, from which only the former two and the latter would emerge to join in the final, while Yugoslavia was banned from the contest (until 2004) for its role in The Balkan Wars. Millstreet is unusual in that this is the smallest host city in Eurovision history, with the venue actually being a hall used for horse auctions. Like last year, Ireland narrowly held down UK with narrow votes.
1994 — Dublin, Ireland
Date: April 30
Venue: Point Theatre
Presenters: Cynthia Ní Mhurchú and Gerry Ryan, eminent RTÉ radio broadcaster
Broadcaster: Raidió Teilifís Éireann (RTÉ)
Participating Countries: 25 — Estonia, Hungary, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Russia and Slovakia debut; Belgium, Denmark, Israel, Italy, Luxembourg, Slovenia and Turkey withdraw
Winner: Ireland — "Rock and Roll Kids" by Paul Harrington and Charlie McGettigan
To cope with increasing numbers of aspirants, the EBU set up a relegation system, where the five lowest-ranking nations from last year would be forced to sit out of this year, but with Italy and Luxembourg voluntarily withdrawing (indefinitely, in the case of the latter), seven slots were left open for former Eastern bloc countries to occupy. Once again, Ireland dominated the field, with their 60-point lead over runner-up Poland being the greatest in Eurovision history to date. Ironically, the biggest success from Dublin 1994 was an interval act, courtesy of Riverdance.
1995 — Dublin, Ireland
Date: May 13
Venue: Point Theatre
Presenter: Mary Kennedy
Broadcaster: Raidió Teilifís Éireann (RTÉ)
Participating Countries: 23 — Belgium, Denmark, Israel, Slovenia and Turkey return; Estonia, Finland, Lithuania, Netherlands, Romania, Slovakia and Switzerland withdraw
Winner: Norway — "Nocturne" by Secret Garden
Ireland was apparently too good for RTÉ, who expressed to the EBU that, should Ireland win this one, they couldn't be expected to host yet again. The field was cut down to 23 to reduce airtime, thus relegating last year's bottom seven while reinstating 1993's bottom five (as Italy declined to join). While the host had a disappointing 14th-place finish, they at least took heart in the fact that Norway's winning entry had an Irish violinist, Fionnuala Sherry.
1996 — Oslo, Norway
Date: May 18
Venue: Oslo Spektrum
Presenters: Ingvild Bryn and Morten Harket, vocalist of a-ha
Broadcaster: Norsk rikskringkasting (NRK)
Participating Countries: 23 — Estonia, Finland, Netherlands, Slovakia and Switzerland return; Denmark, Germany, Hungary, Israel and Russia withdraw
Winner: Ireland — "The Voice" by Eimear Quinn
The EBU experimented again with an audio-only qualifier where all 29 entrants are involved (as host, Norway is exempt), which saw perennial finalist Germany getting axed and prospective entrants Macedonia and Romania being denied their debut. The edition saw Ireland win its record seventh trophy.
1997 — Dublin, Ireland
Date: May 3
Venue: Point Theatre
Presenter: Carrie Crowley and Ronan Keating, vocalist of Boyzone
Broadcaster: Raidió Teilifís Éireann (RTÉ)
Participating Countries: 25 — Denmark, Germany, Hungary, Italy and Russia return; Belgium, Finland and Slovakia withdraw
Winner: United Kingdom — "Love Shine a Light" by Katrina And The Waves
Due to negative reception of the 1996 qualifiers, the EBU implemented a new relegation system where the five nations with the lowest average scores for the last five years are to be forced to sit out, allowing last year's sit-outs to fill the gaps — in this case, however, Israel turned down the opportunity as the final clashed with Yom HaShoah (Holocaust Remembrance Day, a movable holiday set in Nisan 27 of the Hebrew calendar), thus granting a reprieve for Bosnia and Herzegovina, while Italy returns after a long hiatus. Norway and Portugal jointly share nul points, while for the second time, UK wins in Irish soil, with five 10-pointers and a dozen 12-pointers — records matched only in 2005.
1998 — Birmingham, England, United Kingdom
Date: May 9
Venue: National Indoor Arena (now Barclaycard Arena)
Presenters: Ulrika Johnson, Swedish-born TV star, and Terry Wogan, long-time Eurovision commentator
Broadcaster: British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)
Participating Countries: 25 — Macedonia debuts; Belgium, Finland, Israel, Romania and Slovakia returns; Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Denmark, Iceland, Italy and Russia withdraw
Winner: Israel — "Diva" by Dana International
Italy's RAI relinquishes hosting rights and thus joins last year's bottom five in the bench, thus allowing incoming Macedonia to join the 1996 bottom five's return. Birmingham 1998 was the last Eurovision with an in-house orchestra and language restrictions, while also introducing phone-in voting. Switzerland earns the indignity of leaving with nul points, while the final was decided by the last vote, which went in favor of Israel's Dana International — the first transgender winner in Eurovision history.
1999 — Jerusalem, Israel
Date: May 29
Venue: International Convention Center
Presenters: Dafna Dekel, 1992 sixth-placer, Yigal Ravid and Sigal Shahamon
Broadcaster: Israel Broadcasting Authority (IBA)
Participating Countries: 23 — Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Denmark, Iceland and Lithuania return; Finland, Greece, Hungary, Macedonia, Romania, Slovakia and Switzerland withdraw
Winner: Sweden — "Take Me to Your Heaven" by Charlotte Nilsson
This edition made orchestras optional, while aspirant Latvia backed out at the last minute, and in turn Hungary voluntarily withdrew, allowing Portugal, then at risk from relegation, to stay in the game. Unlike recent years, voters went retro, voting in Sweden's ABBA-esque entry.
2000 — Stockholm, Sweden
Date: May 13
Venue: Globe Arena (now Ericsson Globe)
Presenters: Kattis Ahlström and Anders Lundin
Broadcaster: Sveriges Television (SVT)
Participating Countries: 24 — Latvia debuts; Finland, Macedonia, Romania, Russia and Switzerland return; Bosnia and Herzegovina, Lithuania, Poland, Portugal and Slovenia withdraw
Winner: Denmark — "Fly on the Wings of Love" by the Olsen Brothers
Fitting the first Eurovision of the new millennium, Stockholm 2000 set a record attendance of 13,000 (which was broken next year), while Latvia becomes the last of the Baltic States to enter the fray, joining the 1999 bottom five's return in lieu of last year's bottom five, where it managed to finish at third-place. Israel's entry drew some flak from its own government after its members flew a flag of Syria, with which Israel is officially at war, as a gesture of peace. Predictions of Estonia winning were overturned by Denmark winning with a 40-point lead over Russia, courtesy of veteran musicians and brothers Jørgen and Niels "Noller" Olsen. This edition also saw the EBU give the "Big Four" — France, Germany, Spain and UK, the largest financial contributors to Eurovision — an automatic bye into the finals regardless of average standings. Stockholm 2000 was also the first edition to release a compilation CD of all the entries.
2001 — Copenhagen, Denmark
Date: May 12
Venue: Parken Stadium (now Telia Parken)
Presenters: Natasja Crone Back and Søren Pilmark
Broadcaster: Danmarks Radio (DR)
Participating Countries: 23 — Bosnia and Herzegovina, Greece, Lithuania, Poland, Portugal and Slovenia return; Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Finland, Macedonia, Romania and Switzerland withdraw
Winner: Estonia — "Everybody" by Tanel Padar, Dave Benton and 2XL
Copenhagen 2001 broke attendance records with 33,000 viewers, as the venue is the home turf of Denmark's national football team. This was also the first time since Lausanne 1989 where all the acts are entirely new to the contest. This was also said to be the year Terry Wogan went so far with his snarks the BBC was forced to apologize to the Danish hosts. The field was also cut down to 23, with last year's bottom seven forced to sit out and be replaced with 1999's bottom five, alongside returning Greece. Estonia surprised Europe with its first Eurovision victory, in the process making one of their members, Aruba-born David Benton, aged 50, the first black and oldest winner of the contest.
2002 — Tallinn, Estonia
Slogan: "A Modern Fairytale"
Date: May 25
Venue: Saku Suurhall Arena
Presenters: Annely Peebo and Marko Matvere
Broadcaster: Eesti Televisioon (ETV)
Participating Countries: 24 — Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Finland, Macedonia, Romania and Switzerland return; Iceland, Ireland, Netherlands, Norway, Poland and Portugal withdraw
Winner: Latvia — "I Wanna" by Marie N
For this year, the EBU changed the qualification rules such that only the "Big Four", last year's top 15, and last year's sit-outs are qualified. Originally the slots were limited to 22, but the addition of two slots granted a reprieve for Israel and Portugal — the latter, however, withdrew due to problems in their broadcaster RTP, thus saving Latvia from getting axed... which led to a wild Dark Horse Victory courtesy of Marie N.
2003 — Riga, Latvia
Slogan: "Magical Rendezvous"
Date: May 24
Venue: Skonto Hall
Presenters: Marija "Marie N" Naumova, 2002 winner, and Renārs Kaupers, 2000 third-placer
Broadcaster: Latvijas Televīzija (LTV)
Participating Countries: 26 — Ukraine debuts; Iceland, Ireland, Netherlands, Norway, Poland and Portugal return; Denmark, Finland, Lithuania, Macedonia and Switzerland withdraw
Winner: Turkey — "Everyway That I Can" by Sertab Erener
The field extended to 26 with the return of Portugal and Ukraine's debut, featuring pop star Oleksandr Ponomaryov. Predictions that Russia's faux-lesbian duo Tatu would win were subverted by Erener, already a star in her native Turkey. Belgium's entry, "Sanomi", also considered an outsider before landing second-place, was notable for being sung in a made-up language - the first in the contest's history to do so. UK, meanwhile, suffers its worst result — last place with nul points — which Terry Wogan blames on continental Europe's backlash against its involvement in the Iraq War (though the real reason may have been Jemini's terrible singing).
2004 — Istanbul, Turkey
Slogan: "Under the Same Sky"
Dates: May 12 (semifinal) and 15 (final)
Venue: Abdi İpekçi Arena
Presenters: Korhan Abay and Meltem Cumbul
Broadcaster: Turkish Radio and Television Corporation (TRT)
Participating Countries: 36 — Albania, Andorra, Belarus and Serbia and Montenegro debut; Denmark, Finland, Lithuania, Macedonia, Monaco and Switzerland return
Winner: Ukraine — "Wild Dances" by Ruslana
To accommodate the growing numbers of Eurovision aspirants, the EBU eschewed the relegation system in favor of a semifinal phase, from which its top ten will join the "Big Four" and last year's top ten into the final, which saw Ukraine emerge victorious after a three-way battle with Russia and Greece, while Serbia and Montenegro made an impressive second-place finish for a debutant. This edition also saw the first use of the generic Eurovision logo: the contest's name with the "V" replaced by a heart containing the host nation's flag, with unique designs added for every subsequent edition. Istanbul 2004 was the first to have a DVD of the semifinal and final. Starting every year, compilation discs would also include entries that never made it past the semifinal.
2005 — Kiev, Ukraine
Slogan: "Awakening"
Dates: May 19 (semifinal) and 21 (final)
Venue: Palace of Sports
Presenters: Maria Efrosinina and DJ Pasha
Broadcaster: National Television Company of Ukraine (NTU)
Participating Countries: 39 — Bulgaria and Moldova debut; Hungary returns
Winner: Greece — "My Number One" by Helena Paparizou
With "Big Four" countries Germany and Spain making it into last year's top ten, Russia and Malta were given the remaining byes. Unlike last year, however, the competition was wide-open, with Greece winning its first Eurovision contest (and to date the only automatically-qualified finalist outside the "Big Four" countries to win the title), while the "Big Four" languished at the cellar, with the host country Ukraine sitting on top. The voting was opened by brothers and boxing superstars Vitali and Wladimir Klitschko.
2006 — Athens, Greece
Slogan: "Feel the Rhythm"
Dates: May 18 (semifinal) and 20 (final)
Venue: OAKA Olympic Indoor Hall
Presenters: Maria Menounos and Sakis Rouvas (2004 third-placer and 2009 seventh-placer)
Broadcaster: Hellenic Broadcasting Corporation (ERT)
Participating Countries: 37 — Armenia debuts; Austria, Hungary and Serbia and Montenegro withdraw
Winner: Finland — "Hard Rock Hallelujah" by Lordi
Finland's Lordi made Eurovision history by becoming the first (and so far the only) hard rock band to win the trophy with a record-breaking 292 points (curiously, they also led the semifinal with 292 points). Also, to cut airtime, broadcasting the votes was streamlined such that only the 8-, 10- and 12-point scores were announced, while the lower scores were immediately beamed onscreen. Ireland's entry, "Every Song Is A Cry For Love" by Brian Kennedy marked the 1,000th song performed in the contest.
2007 — Helsinki, Finland
Slogan: "True Fantasy"
Dates: May 10 (semifinal) and 12 (final)
Venue: Hartwall Arena
Presenters: Jaana Pelkonen and Mikko Leppilampi [Stage] / Krisse Salminen [Green Room]
Broadcaster: Yle
Participating Countries: 42 — Czech Republic, Georgia, Montenegro and Serbia debut; Austria and Hungary return; Monaco withdraws
Winner: Serbia — "Molitva" ("Prayer") by Marija Šerifović
The first edition broadcast on HD. Debutant Serbia took Helsinki 2007 by storm by becoming the first ex-Yugoslav nation to win the trophy, much to some consternation from Western European media. This is the first year where the winner was given a promotional tour across Europe. The UK was allowed by the EBU to choose their entry after the deadline. Following on from Lordi, many entries were performed in a rock style, a trend which continued into 2009.
2008 — Belgrade, Serbia
Slogan: "Confluence of Sound"
Dates: May 20 (first semifinal), 22 (second semifinal) and 24 (final)
Venue: Belgrade Arena
Presenters: Jovana Janković and Željko Joksimović (2004 runner-up and 2012 third-placer)
Broadcaster: Radio Television of Serbia (RTS)
Participating Countries: 43 — Azerbaijan and San Marino debut; Austria withdraws
Winner: Russia — "Believe" by Dima Bilan
This edition introduced two semifinal rounds, where the top 9 countries and one Wild Card from each side are to join the "Big Four" and the host. Belgrade 2008 was accused of being rife with political voting, which Austria boycotted in protest, and saw Russia win with a lot of douze points from ex-Soviet states (it may have also helped that his backing dancer was 2006 Olympic figure skating gold medalist Evgeny Plushenko performing from a miniature skating rink), while UK, Germany and Poland languished. This edition also saw a lot of entries in the weird category: Ireland sent a puppet turkey vulture that is actually an extremely famous (children's) TV character, Latvia had pirates, Azerbaijan flaunted thong-clad succubi, and France had noted electronica artist Sebastien Tellier perform alongside female backing singers that performed with fake beards. This is Wogan's last season as UK commentator.
2009 — Moscow, Russia
Dates: May 12 (first semifinal), 14 (second semifinal) and 16 (final)
Venue: Olympic Indoor Stadium
Presenters: Natalia Vodianova and Andrey Malakhov [Semifinal]; Ivan Urgant and Alsou Abramova (2000 runner-up) [Final]
Broadcaster: Channel One Russia
Participating Countries: 42 — Slovakia returns; Georgia and San Marino withdraw
Winner: Norway — "Fairytale" by Alexander Rybak
Moscow 2009 saw Norwegian violinist-singer Rybak break Lordi's record with 387 points, with its 169-point lead over Iceland also setting another record (the fact that he was Belarusian by birth may have also helped him with Eastern Europeans). Following criticism over bloc voting, the EBU changed the voting system to its current form, where both the jury and phone-in votes are given an equal footing in weighing the scores. This pretty much helped change the pattern of Western entries getting axed by Eastern callers — for example, UK won its best placing yet, fifth with 173 points (it also helped that Andrew Lloyd Webber was the pianist). On the other hand, this edition also saw Georgia being forced to withdraw over their entry being interpreted as an attack on then-prime minister Vladimir Putin and the bitter rivalry between Armenia and Azerbaijan rearing its head into Eurovision, when Armenia put in a picture of a pro-Armenian statue from hotly-contested Nagorno-Karabakh on their postcard and Azerbaijan censored Armenia's entry. This season also featured the debut of current British commentator, Graham Norton, who proudly continued Wogan's penchant for alcohol-induced snarking.
2010 — Oslo, Norway
Slogan: "Share the Moment"
Dates: May 25 (first semifinal), 27 (second semifinal) and 29 (final)
Venue: Telenor Arena
Presenters: Erik Solbakken, Haddy N'jie and Nadia Hasnaoui
Broadcaster: Norsk rikskringkasting (NRK)
Participating Countries: 39 — Georgia returns; Andorra, Czech Republic, Hungary and Montenegro withdraw
Winner: Germany — "Satellite" by Lena Meyer-Landrut
Starting this year, only the top ten from each semifinal phase will be allowed to join the "Big Four" and the host. Germany becomes the first "Big Four" winner since the UK thirteen years ago, which this time ended at the bottom (it also helped that the song was already a hit in Germany weeks prior to the contest), while Spain had to do their song again after someone invaded the stage.
2011 — Düsseldorf, Germany
Slogan: "Feel Your Heart Beat!"
Dates: May 10 (first semifinal), 12 (second semifinal) and 14 (final)
Venue: Esprit Arena
Presenters: Anke Engelke, Judith Rakers and Stefan Raab (2000 fifth-placer)
Broadcaster: Norddeutscher Rundfunk (NDR) [an ADR Group member]
Participating Countries: 43 — Austria, Hungary, Italy and San Marino return
Winner: Azerbaijan — "Running Scared" by Ell & Nikki
Germany's first Eurovision hosting duty as a unified nation saw Italy return after a decade and Azerbaijan become the first Transcaucasian state to win the contest after a rather narrow voting process — at one point, even the UK was on top for all of sixty seconds, while Italy made a triumphant return after many years, notching second-place. The finale had gotten an unusually strong selection this year with up to five or six favouritesnote — but Azerbaijan was barely a blip on the radarnote . The performances in the finale included a unicycle, sand art, exploding glass and a pair of hyperactive Irish twins whose hair became a running joke when the votes were to be cast.
2012 — Baku, Azerbaijan
Slogan: "Light Your Fire!"
Dates: May 22 (first semifinal), 24 (second semifinal) and 26 (final)
Venue: Baku Crystal Hall
Presenters: Leyla Aliyeva, Eldar Gasimov (half of 2011 winners Ell & Nikki) and Nargiz Birk-Petersen
Broadcaster: İctimai Television (İTV)
Participating Countries: 42 — Montengro returns; Armenia and Poland withdraw
Winner: Sweden — "Euphoria" by Loreen
With Italy becoming a major financial contributor, the "Big Four" becomes the "Big Five", allowing it to gain a bye into the final. Nevertheless, fan-favorite Sweden took the title for the fifth time with 372 points, and while Loreen failed to beat Rybak's record for most points, she nevertheless set a new one for most douze points received (18) with a mystical song which eschewed the usual bright and elaborate stage show in favor of subtle lighting, outfit and choreography. Baku 2012 was also notable for the top 3 countries (Sweden, Russia, and Serbia) earning their positions largely without bloc voting: Sweden and Russia both got points from 40 of 42 countries, and Serbia got points from 30 of 42. Albania achieved their best-ever result, 5th place with 146 points as well as second in the first semifinal, while British veteran musician Engelbert Humperdinck narrowly escaped the embarrassment of finishing at the very bottom, being only 5 points ahead of now 11-time cellar-dweller Norway. As usual, the host's rivalry with Armenia figured again when the latter opted out of this edition for "security reasons", not to mention that the host faced scrutiny over its human rights records and pressure from neighboring Iran condemning the event.
2013 — Malmö, Sweden
Slogan: "We Are One"
Dates: May 14 (first semifinal), 16 (second semifinal) and 18 (final)
Venue: Malmö Arena
Presenters: Petra Mede (nationally-renowned comedian) [Stage] / Eric Saade (2011 third-placer) [Green Room]
Broadcaster: Sveriges Television (SVT)
Participating Countries: 39 — Armenia returns; Bosnia and Herzegovina, Portugal, Slovakia and Turkey withdraw
Winner: Denmark — "Only Teardrops" by Emmelie de Forest
Emphasizing its theme, Malmö 2013 introduced a tradition from the Junior Eurovision of flags of the nations marching in and all the acts appearing together at least once. Repeating history, Denmark won for the second time on Swedish soil (in the process earning points from all countries save itself), with its entry being a favourite going into the final, and faced neck-and-neck competition with Ukraine and Azerbaijan for most of the voting phase (who were later exposed by Lithuanian media attempting to buy votes). Other notable entries included the United Kingdom dusting off Bonnie Tyler (of "Total Eclipse of the Heart" fame) and finishing badly as usual (but not in last, thankfully), Germany's Cascada performing (virtually) last year's winning song, and Romania's Cezar, an operatic dubstep vampire. With Sweden hosting, there were a record number of references to ABBA, and also had Swedish football superstar Zlatan Ibrahimović welcoming the crowd to his hometown, as well as an interval performed by Mede and 1991 winner Carola that smacks of Self-Deprecation.
2014 — Copenhagen, Denmark
Slogan: "#JoinUs"note
Dates: May 6 (first semifinal), 8 (second semifinal) and 10 (final)
Venue: B&W Hallerne
Presenters: Lise Rønne, Nikolaj Koppel and Pilou Asbæk (actor best known as Kasper Juul in Borgen)
Broadcaster: Danmarks Radio (DR)
Participating Countries: 37 — Poland and Portugal return; Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus and Serbia withdraw
Winner: Austria — "Rise Like a Phoenix" by Conchita Wurst
Copenhagen 2014 is one of the more politically-charged editions, with Russia getting most of the heat (as it was held weeks after its military incursion into Crimea and nearly a year after it instituted laws restricting the promotion of LGBT relationships), with their performers, 17-year-old twin sisters Anastasiya and Maria Tolmachevy (winners of the 2006 Junior contest), being booed whenever they received high votes. Early indications that pop star Sanna Nielsen would hand Sweden its sixth trophy were overturned when bearded Austrian drag queen Conchita Wurst charmed the entire continent to victory, while country act The Common Linnets snuck the Netherlands into second place, its best placing since winning Stockholm 1975. Sanna finished in third, with Armenia's Aram MP3 and Hungary's half-American Andras Kallay-Saunders rounding out the top five (Andras even scored Hungary's best placing since their 1994 debut). Of the "Big Five", UK, Italy and Germany settled into the middle of the scoreboard, while Spain fared better with a tenth-place finish courtesy of Ruth Lorenzo, fifth-placer at the 2008 edition of The X Factor UK, and France finished last, with their song about wanting to have moustaches performed by a group composed of a Weird Al lookalike, a guy dressed and painted like an African tribesman and three other guys. They did not have any moustaches per se. Other novelty acts feature a man running in a hamster wheel for Ukraine and hot Slavic girls performing daily chores in revealing outfits for Poland.
2015 — Vienna, Austria
Slogan: "Building Bridges"
Dates: May 19 (first semifinal), 21 (second semifinal) and 23 (final)
Venue: Wiener Stadthalle
Presenters: Mirjam Weichselbraun, Alice Tumler (current presenter of Austrian qualifier Die große Chance) and Arabella Kiesbauer [Stage] / Conchita Wurst (2014 winner) [Green Room]
Broadcaster: Österreichischer Rundfunk (ORF)
Participating Countries: 40 — Australia debuts as a guest entry; Cyprus, Czech Republic and Serbia return; Ukraine withdraws
Winner: Sweden — "Heroes" by Måns Zelmerlöw
The 60th anniversary edition was already notable for rewarding Australia's loyalty to Eurovision with a place in the contest proper, sending in 2003 Australian Idol winner Guy Sebastian (whose song was so well-received — ending up in fifth-place — that it actually caused the EBU to consider giving a permanent pass to Australia in future years), and Ukraine withdrawing over both financial issues and the crises in both its eastern half and Crimea. As expected, bookies' favorite Måns Zelmerlöw snagged Sweden's sixth trophy (receiving as low as 4 points from virtually every country except itself) after a three-horse race with Russian pop star Polina Gagarina (who, like last year, received a tepid response despite the implementation of anti-booing technology and Wurst and Tumler's appeals for decency) and Italian classical crossover trio Il Volo (which scored Italy's most points despite finishing third). The results were also notable in that it was the first time since Düsseldorf 2011 when both televoters and juries had different winners — Italy and Sweden, respectively; nevertheless, the latter fared better with televoters (third) than the former did with the juries (sixth), while Russia was more or less stable (second/third) — as well as the first time Greece and Cyprus never gave each other douze points. Meanwhile, experimental pop artist Loïc Nottet placed Belgium at fourth-place, its best result since second-place in Riga 2003, and Germany and host Austria bottomed out with the first nul points in the final since UK, also in Riga 2003 (with the latter becoming the first host to earn such a dishonor, not to mention the first host to place last since the Netherlands in 1958), while the rest of the "Big Five" (save for Italy) fared little better. In fact, literally every jury gave points to the top 9 countries, while every other country got as little as 1-5 points. This year, the acts were relatively more serious, though the novelty still exists: Finland sent a metal band composed of mentally-challenged men, Poland a pop star and survivor of a 2006 accident that left her wheelchair-bound, and Lithuania an act with three kisses (straight, gay and lesbian) midway through the song.

Germany's first Eurovision hosting duty as a unified nation saw Italy return after a decade and Azerbaijan become the first Transcaucasian state to win the contest after a rather narrow voting process — at one point, even the UK was on top for all of sixty seconds, while Italy made a triumphant return after many years, notching second-place. The finale had gotten an unusually strong selection this year with up to five or six favouritesnote — but Azerbaijan was barely a blip on the radarnote . The performances in the finale included a unicycle, sand art, exploding glass and a pair of hyperactive Irish twins whose hair became a running joke when the votes were to be cast.

Slogan: "#JoinUs"note