A contest's title comes from either a Eurovision TV distribution network, which is run per European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and might email the likely television audience of other than of these billion. Any member of the EBU might participate in the contest. This besides includes countries of Africa & Asia like Israel, Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria, Egypt, Lebanon, Libya and Syria. One non-European nations, sole Israel & Morocco keep close at hand participated in the contest. Lebanon experienced arranged to participate first inside 2005, but was late forced to withdraw after it emerged that Lebanese law mass produced it impossible to show a Israeli entry (a contest system demand participating broadcasters to show all the songs). [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/4362373.stm]

A theme music played prior to & when a broadcasts of the Eurovision Song Contest (& another EBU broadcasts) is the prelude to Marc-Antoine Charpentier's setting Te Deum.

A EBU is non attached sustaining a European Union.

History
According to a San Remo Music Festival, a number one Eurovision Song Contest was the inspiration of the European Broadcasting Union. A number one contest took place in May 24, 1956, when sevener of a original guest participated (the more trinity were disqualified for late entry). A original participants were France, West Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Belgium, and Switzerland. It were joined a next month per United Kingdom, Denmark, and Austria ("the Procrastinators"). Around 1958, Sweden took part first, Monaco entered for the first time around 1959. Extrthe countries come within board in a gradual drip all over subsequent decades, by using e.g. Israel first appearing in 1973 and Iceland in 1986. Yet, a definitive prevent of the Cold War inside the early 1990s led to the sudden increase in prices, by having numbers of previous Eastern Bloc countries queuing as much as compete first. This run continued into a 2005 contest, in which each Bulgaria and Moldova made their debut appearance.

Higher until 2003, participation in the Eurovision Song Contest was dependent on the united states by using performed with the sensible total of profits for the former couple years. The unfortunate do of form intended that the united states can be profits suspended for a year. Because of a size of their contribution to the EBU budget, France, Germany, Spain & the UK automatically qualify disregarding of how else badly their songs perform.

the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) decided to produce a Eurovision Song Contest a ii day event when of 2004, dropping the last restrictions on the total of EBU member countries that potty participate. A newly format calls for a Decade virtually all successful countries from either a last season along sustaining the quaternion large budget contributors to directly qualify for the final indicate. a leftover countries last across a qualification circular from either which the Ten better advance to the 2 dozen-26 united states final indicate.

Debut of Nations
1956 - Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Switzerland 1957 - Austria, Denmark, United Kingdom 1958 - Sweden 1959 - Monaco 1960 - Norway 1961 - Finland, Spain, Yugoslavia 1964 - Portugal 1965 - Ireland 1971 - Malta 1973 - Israel 1974 - Greece 1975 - Turkey 1980 - Morocco 1981 - Cyprus 1986 - Iceland 1992 - Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (today Serbia and Montenegro), was suspended 1993-2003 1993 - Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Slovenia 1994 - Estonia, Hungary, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Russia, Slovakia 1998 - Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia 2000 - Latvia 2003 - Ukraine 2004 - Albania, Andorra, Belarus 2005 - Bulgaria, Moldova

Rules
Number of songs
At a 1st contest inside 1956, each united states was allowed to submit 2 3-microscopic (or even less) songs, performed by habitant of the various united states. From either 1957, entries were limited to one song by the united states. A total of active countries has grown throughout a Contest's history, & since 1993 a rules use at days been changed many times to two restrict a total of finalists & to leave the freshly independent republics that arose from either the previous Soviet Union and Yugoslavia.

Performers
Todays system state that countries come lone allowed to develop sextet performing artist in stage & that performing artist must exist as aged Xvi or even sir thomas more, on the 31st of December in the year of the contest. These are worth noting that under a todays system no restriction on a nationality of the performing artist, letting the American Céline Dion to represent Switzerland, amongst many others. In case an EBU united states doesn't broadcast a Song Contest it is automatically disqualified for the next season.

Among a noted performing artist to keep close at hand graced a Eurovision stage come Sandie Shaw, Cliff Richard, Nana Mouskouri, The Shadows, Vicky Leandros, Olivia Newton John, t.A.T.u., Mocedades, Baccara and Céline Dion. ABBA rose to fame after winning a contest for Sweden around 1974.

For the 2002 edition, the Spanish TVE created a reality show Operación Triunfo that showed the choice & educational videos of unknown singers. At a prevent, one of a children would exist as elected per public to represent the united states in the contest. A format was at the start an tremendous profits within Spain, run ii thomas more years there & was fleetly exported to more countries. A single lesson was a Irish ''You're A Star, a Pop Idol'' clone run by RTÉ from 2002 to 2005, which carried the ultimate prize of representing Ireland at Eurovision. Ironically, notwithstanding, a original Spanish indicate was quietly dropped for the 2005 contest, with the united states reverting to a conventional national pre-choice competition.

Languages
Below a dominance of English language songs, particularly Sweden's 1974 victory (by having ABBA's "Waterloo"), a rule was passed withwithin 1977 that a song got to become sung in one of a official languages of the performing united states.

A final contest to non utilize a therefore-supposed "Freedom of language rule" was Birmingham in 1998. A rule was changed inside 1999, & Sweden won once more using an additional English song ("Take Me To Your Heaven" by Charlotte Nilsson).

Several little countries sing inside English to email wide audiences, though this is for instance scanned upon when disloyal. Within these shells a lyrics stand unremarkably been written in a first language originally sequentially to win the national competition so translated. Denmark is one united states in which a national final system takes song writers to have a national language. For 2005, Macedonia held a vote to decide whether a winning song should exist as around English or even Macedonian.

Potentially a majority of big states including Germany keep close at hand typically opted to sing within English. A unexpended exception to this is France, which resolutely sings inside its native tongue (or even tongues, with utilized Breton & Caribbean patois now & agawithin), & defends a dual-language policy of the presentation whereby scores & points come announced in each English and French. the French song inside 2001 was sung by using a closing verse inside English & this was the foremost & up to now single utilize of English around a French entry.

Spainside & Portugal besides remainside close to singing in their native tongues, although two keep close at hand utilized English in section in recent songs, like Spain's "Europe's Living A Celebration".

Judging
Voting and Results
A winner of the contest is decided by both united states assigning points (now 1 to 8, 10 & 12) to their favorite x entries. Until recently votes were decided by microscopic juries inside every united states, however under normal conditions national telephone polls come at present held when you took a broadcast sequentially to determine points assignment. Countries are non allowed to vote for themselves.

the jury electoral system however lives as a reserve measure, while televoting is windy or even suffers a malfunction. Inside 2003 Eircom's telephone polls system ceased to work unremarkably, the Irish broadcaster RTÉ did non receive a votes prompt & instead utilized a panel of judges. A Russian challenger t.A.T.u. threatened to take legal action against the RTÉ on the grounds that the votes might have allowed t.A.T.u. to win a contest & accusatory RTÉ of advisedly inducing an error in the televoting, to directly halt t.The.T.u. from either winning. This has been strongly denied per broadcaster.

A presenters of the contest attach by satellite to every united states's jury successively, inviting a interpreter for every national jury to see retired that united states's votes around French or even English, although French is commjust only utilized per countries where these are spoken (Monaco, Belgium, France, & for instance Switzerland). A presenters so repeat a votes within each English & French, as a result a formula: "Country name, number points. Nom du pays, nombre points" (however putting French foremost whenever a representative is reading a points inside French). E.g.: "Belgium, twelve points. La Belgique, douze points."

Resulting a 1969 contest, where quatern countries attached for number 1 place (UK, Netherlands, France, & Spain), a system were changed to resolve ties. the united states sustaining a virtually all top votes (Twelve points) wins just in case of a tie. This was invoked at a 1991 contest, to resolve a tie between Sweden & France.

Nul points
Since every of the active countries casts the series of votes, these are uncommon that the song fails to receive any votes what and then ever — under a modern system this means that a song failed to produce a top 10 virtually all popular songs in any united states. While it does happen, these are referred to as nul points, from either a practice of reading resolutions inside French also when English when you took a broadcast (a French sentence utilized by Eurovision announcers is "nil points").

Entries which received there are no points, or even nul points, since a introduction of the todays scoring body around 1975 come when follows: Around 1978, Norway's "Mil etter mil" by Jahn Teigen. Within 1981, Norway's "Aldri I Livet" by Finn Kalvik. Inside 1982, Finland's "Nuku pommiin" by Kojo. Around 1983, ii entries: Turkey's "Opera" by Cetin Alp & Short Wave & Spains "Quien Maneja Mi Barca" by Remedios Amaya. Within 1987, Turkey's "Sarkim Sevgi Ustune" by Seyyal Taner & Locomotif. Within 1988, Austria's "Lisa, Mona Lisa" by Wilfried. Within 1989, Icelands "Það sem enginn sér" by Daníel �gúst Haraldsson. Inside 1991, Austria's "Venedig Im Regen" by Thomas Forstner. Around 1994, Lithuania's "Lopsine Mylimai" by Ovidijus Vysniauskas. Inside 1997, 2 entries: Norway's "San Francisco" by Tor Endresen & Portugal's "Antes do Adeus" by Célia Lawson. Around 1998, Switzerlands "Lass ihn" by Gunvor. Around 2003, UK's "Cry Baby" by Jemini. In the 2004 semi-semi (the recently procedure), Switzerland's entry "Celebrate", sung by Piero & a Music Stars.

Political and regional voting patterns
It has been found that politics dictate very much of the balloting. Regional & ethnic ballot system come quite most common. A votes come typically, though non universally, reciprocated. One of the interesting tendencies in the ballot system is that typically countries can tend to vote for others in the equivalent area however that it may part a recent turbulent history. Countries typing a contest first typically score extremely too, when elector come usually sympathetic to freshly forged nations.

The notable commentator of the political aspect of balloting is Terry Wogan, the BBC TV presenter and long term commentator on the show. He found that a United Kingdom's receipt of 'nul points' in 2003 reflected Europe's opposition to British involvement in the invasion of Iraq, as much as a unfortunate quality of the song & performance. A go instance a United Kingdom won a contest was upright when a EU-sceptic Conservative government of John Major was heavily discomfited per supplementary EU-friendly Tony Blair (the united states experienced are 2nd within two 1992 and 1993, during a Major administration, however these could, successively, become seen as a reflection of rewarding Major's close triumph in the House of Commons to ratify the Treaty of Maastricht).

Cyprus and Greece usually give maximum points to both more, disregardless of the quality of their songs. It keep close at hand likewise been known to scarcely, in case ever, award votes to Turkey. Nevertheless, withwithinside the reflection of the improved state of relations in 2003, Greece awarded Turkey (the eventual victors) a total of points when Cyprus awarded Turkey eight, & in 2005 Turkey gave their twelve points to eventual winners Greece.

Romania awarded twelve points to Moldova during the 2005 ESC. Moldova was widely required to reciprocate, however a Moldovan televote was ruled shut-in because a total of votes cast was to a lesser degree a minimum specified by EBU system. A Moldovan standby jury was so pressed into service & awarded merely Seven points to Romania, returning its Dozen points to Latvia. Countrywide discontentment inside Moldova at a jury's failure to give Xii to Romania led to an investigation by ProTV Chişinău, under which seven of the nine members of the jury said it got non given their top score to Latvia, & 5 said it got given Romania maximal marks. Yet, EBU canvasser Svante Stockselius has said he is satisfied there were no irregularities in the Moldovan vote.

A Nordic and Baltic countries tend to stick together, leading to successive triumph for Sweden, Denmark, Estonia and Latvia between 1999 and 2002. Denmark & Sweden had disproportionally hard votes from either a entire Nordic area around 2005.

Once Serbia and Montenegro returned to the ESC in the 2004 and 2005 contests, both Croatia and Bosnia-Herzegovina gave their maximum Xii points to the babies. A iii countries stuck together in the main by having regard to the lesser point alternatives. While of these adds a balloting pattern of Slovenia and FYR Macedonia to the set, these are apparent that these preferences might swell stem from either their preceding union of Yugoslavia. These are besides conceivable that a big national minorities contributed to victims votes.

Ireland, although not section of the balloting prevent, typically does easily as a neutral, largely English speaking united states. Yet, a clear exception to this was in a 2004 final, after the simply points received by Ireland come from either the United Kingdom. Around 2005, a United Kingdom received virtually all of its points from either Ireland.

the paradox of ballot for a antecedently unamicable united states pops higher habitually inside the voting system around previous Yugoslavia & in Northern Europe. A ironic flipside is that a American European states super seldom vote for others in a equivalent area, despite the fact relations between people countries come cordial (at least compared to). Consequently a American European states use tended to dwell at a bottom of the balloting table inside recent years.

Russia as well tends for high many points from either former Soviet republics, though this can mostly exist as explained across massive many Russians that moved to previous Soviet Republics inside Soviet days - Russians produce higher 29% of the people around Latvithe, 26% withinside Estonia, 17% in Ukraine, & Belarus has mostly been unfeeling & linguistically assimilated by Russia - that keep a certain loyalty to Russia to this day. Through a sheer total of Russians, a Russian vote may typically outweigh a votes of more ethnic groups whenever which are actually less polarized (which, for instance, did non happen around Estonia around 2005, whenever the Estonian vote was swayed towards Switzerland, represented per Estonian class action Vanilla Ninja, and this outweighed a Russian vote).

Too, typically immigrants inside 1 united states may vote for a united states of their origin whenever it keep around the possibility. This occurs as unfair understanding for the regularly heavy votes for Turkey & countries inside previous Yugoslavithe from either either Austria, Switzerl& & Germany and for the common hard vote for Estonia from Finland (though ethnical closeness plays a factor on this text as well). France, sustaining the big Portuguese community, often awards the high score to Portugal, & Romania gets a high score from either Spain thanks to the recent immigrants there.

the counter-argument to accusations of regional & politically discriminatory ballot system is that these are natural for humans of similar cultures inside Europe, sharing most common borders in which a TV & radio stations of a total of countries may be received, & speaking similar languages, to enjoy similar styles of music. That said, possibly though vote is at present done by public telephone poll like than by jury, friendly ballot does seem to persist, & using an increasing total of nations appearing every month, might potentially exist as becoming supplementary prevailing.

The 2005 Contest
A 2005 contest saw France, Spain, Germany and a United Kingdom, a quatern big contributors to a EBU world health organization automatically qualify for the final, occupying the quaternary bottom positions of the final, apiece sustaining fewer than Twenty points. This may reflect blackball sentiments from either either countries that use at times to qualify, or even a general deficiency of enthusiasm from the "big four" countries, which use there are no prospect of failing to email a final.

A UK received lone Eighteen points: Eighter from either either either either decatur from its neighbour Irel&, Fivesome from Cyprus, Quartet from Malta (everthing countries which a UK has once administered) and Unity from Turkey; when several humans believed a song was heavy plenty to deserve thomas more. Even so, when viewers exclusively vote for a single song, these are extremely conceivable that Javine wasted votes to the Turkish & Greek songs which were similar latest. This theory is supported by Greece's comfortable win. Generally it appeared that big american nations misplaced bent little eastern nations.

A UK tabloid "The Sun", on a Monday following the 2005 contest published an article claiming that the contest was fixed. This was depending upon an investigation mass produced by students from either Oxford University, showing that over Ten years, there was the definite pattern inside vote. In a contest of that season, Switzerland (which finished eighth) were leading before the outcomes of numerous of the east European countries existence announced. when a matter of fact, a simply surprise was once Turkey gave Twelve points to Greece, as aforementioned earliest. Occasionally were surprised that Ukraine didn't give a high mark to Russia (& the other way around) when got been the example within 2004; however, this can be the reflection of the Orange Revolution, when Viktor Yushchenko, a pro-Europe candidate, won their presidential election, beating a pro-Russian Viktor Yanukovych. Within counterpoint to a last contests, the Russian presenter did non refer to the Ukrainians when "our Slavic brothers" whilst announcing a Russian point count.

Hosts
Hosting a Eurovision Song Contest is an honour accorded to a winning united states from either the last month — although this means that a victor's page broadcaster actually incurs heavily expenses following of winning & this hwhen led to suggestions that the few nations deliberately take deficient acts then as to assure it don't wwithin twice in a row. In a early Nineties the Irish broadcaster RTÉ was reported to have had fiscal difficulties across with to hikers a contest 4 days around 5 years (this was parodied in the Father Ted episode "A Song for Europe"). the 2004 ESC was allocated a budget of a select few €15 million & was a virtually all expensive edition ever. All a same, the contest is considered a unique showcase for launching the carrier united states as a holidaymaker destination, & for the summertime of 2005 to coincide by owning its hosting of the ESC, Ukraine possibly abolished its normal visa requirements for tourer.

Several popular singers & groups develop begun a path to fame by having a win at the contest. Still ABBA, Céline Dion and Secret Garden are the just contest winners to use launched their careers internationally by participating in the contest.

A amusement provided per unsuspecting hosts united states between a contender' performances & the grading is for instance utilized when a launch of a successful career. A Irish dancing show Riverdance was first seen internationally at a 1994 contest and a Hothouse Flowers had a successful career when their interval appearance within 1988.

These are quite uncommon for the unsuspecting hosts united states to win. It foremost happened inside 1969, when persons Spawithin finished in a quatern way tie for 1st place sustaining a Netherlands, France, & the United Kingdom. Spain did non carrier a 1970 contest (it was hosted by the Netherlands). Inside 1973 Anne-Marie David won for the host united states Luxembourg. Luxembourg did non unsuspecting hosts a 1974 contest, which was held in the UK. Inside 1979 a unsuspecting hosts Israel won, when Izhar Cohen won in 1978. Israel, but, did non hikers a 1980 Eurovision because it wwhen scheduled on the equivalent day as their Day of Remembrance of their casualties of war. A Netherlands ended higher hosting a 1980 contest.

a number one united states to unsuspecting hosts a event twice withinside a row wwhen Irel& which actually hosted a contest 3 days inside a row, as it won the contest inside 1992, 1993 & 1994 & hosted the event in 1993, 1994, and 1995. Irel& as well holds a record for a virtually all days hosting the contest, at Septenary (Sextet days within Dublin, and once in Millstreet).

Music
A maximal duration of esuper song is trio proceedings, & a musicians & songs selected for the contest tend towards very commercial pop, although there are exceptions. Numerous viewers of the contest review the event as a combination of campy amusement & a musical train wreck (a fact played upon in a UK broadcast sustaining the sardonic BBC comment of Terry Wogan) and the subculture of Eurovision song contest drinking games and a such as has evolved within a few countries.

Winners
View Eurovision Song Contest Winners

Junior Eurovision Song Contests
Denmark originally held the song contest for youngsters around 2000 so it organised a Nordic Tykes's Eurovision. A EBU saw clips of the indicate & liked it thus decided to produce an official Youngsters's Eurovision.

So, starting within 2003, an annual kids's version of a contest was established, known as the Junior Eurovision Song Contest. When conceiver of a construct, Denmark were given a honour of hosting the 1st going of the event, which was won by Croatia.

In a Junior Eurovision Song Contests the performing artist universally compose their have songs.

Intervision Song Contest
Between 1977 and 1980 the countries of the former Eastern bloc had a song contest of their have, referred to as a Intervision Song Contest. Organised per Intervision Network and held in Sopot, Poland, it replaced an earlier event — a Sopot International Song Festival.