History of the Eurovision Song Contest
Longest-running annual international televised music competition.
The Eurovision Song Contest is an annual international televised music competition organized by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU). First held in 1956, it is the longest-running annual international televised music competition in the world, as determined by Guinness World Records, and has featured 1,789 songs representing 52 countries as of 2026.
- First held
- 1956
- Number of contests as of 2026
- 70
- Number of songs performed as of 2026
- 1789
- Number of countries represented as of 20
- 52
- Regular annual participants
- around 40 countries
- First winner
- Switzerland's Lys Assia with 'Refrain'
- First cancelled edition
- 2020 (due to COVID-19 pandemic)
Lore & Background
The contest originated from an idea proposed by Sergio Pugliese and developed by Marcel Bezençon, based on the Sanremo Music Festival in Italy. The EBU approved the song contest on 19 October 1955, and the first edition was held on 24 May 1956 in Lugano, Switzerland, with seven countries participating. Voting in that first contest was held behind closed doors, and only the winner was announced.
The contest has undergone numerous changes, including the introduction of relegation in the 1990s and semi-finals in the 2000s to accommodate growing interest. Voting systems and language criteria have been modified multiple times. Since 2002, each edition has had an individual slogan, except 2009; the slogan 'United by Music' was adopted permanently from 2023 onward.
Reader's Guide
The Eurovision Song Contest is significant as the world's longest-running annual international televised music competition, a record recognized by Guinness World Records. It has inspired several other competitions and the EBU has created complimentary contests focusing on other aspects of music and culture. The contest has evolved from a seven-country event in 1956 to one regularly involving around 40 countries, with 1,789 songs from 52 countries performed as of 2026. Its rules have changed over time, including the introduction of relegation and semi-finals, and modifications to voting and language criteria. The 2020 edition was the first to be cancelled, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The contest's visual identity and design are shaped by annual slogans, with 'United by Music' retained for future editions from 2023.
Did You Know?
- The first contest in 1956 allowed each country to submit two songs, the only edition to do so.
- The full results of the 1956 contest have never been made public.
- The 1958 contest introduced a rule limiting each entry to 3 minutes, prompted by the 1957 Italian entry lasting over 5 minutes.
- The 2020 edition was the first contest to be cancelled, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
More in Artists & Performers
Elsewhere in Eurovision
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