The Eurovision Song Contest, often known simply as Eurovision, is an international song competition organised annually by the European Broadcasting Union. Each participating country submits an original song to be performed live and transmitted to national broadcasters via the Eurovision and Euroradio networks, with competing countries then casting votes for the other countries' songs to determine a winner.
The European Broadcasting Union is an alliance of public service media organisations whose countries are within the European Broadcasting Area or who are members of the Council of Europe. As of 2024, it is made up of 123 member organisations from 56 countries, and 31 associate members from a further 20 countries. It was established in 1950, and has its administrative headquarters in Geneva.
The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup and for sponsorship purposes as Emirates FA Cup, is an annual knockout football competition in domestic English football. First played during the 1871–72 season, it is the oldest national football competition in the world. It is organised by and named after The Football Association. A concurrent Women's FA Cup has been held since 1970.
Greece has participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 44 times since its debut in 1974, missing six contests in that time. Greece's first win came in 2005 with "My Number One", sung by Helena Paparizou. The Greek participant broadcaster in the contest is Elliniki Radiofonia Tileorasi (ERT). Greece has never finished last in the contest.
The Sendai International Music Competition is a triennial violin and piano music competition held in Sendai, Japan, presented in association with the Sendai International Music Competition Organizing Committee, City of Sendai and the Sendai Cultural Foundation. In the competition there is no overall winner, rather there are six winners each from the violin and piano categories, with the first-placed winners receiving the highest prize. Although the competition is international, most award-winners have been from either Europe or Asia. The first award-winner from outside those continents was American Sean Kennard, who finished fifth in the 2004 competition's piano category.
Alison Louise Balsom, Lady Mendes, is an English trumpet soloist, arranger, producer, and music educator. Balsom was awarded Artist of the Year at the 2013 Gramophone Awards and has won three Classic BRIT Awards and three German Echo Awards, and was a soloist at the BBC Last Night of the Proms in 2009. She was the artistic director of the 2019 Cheltenham Music Festival.
Nicola Joy Nadia Benedetti is an Italian-Scottish classical solo violinist and festival director. Her ability was recognised when she was a child, including the award of BBC Young Musician of the Year when she was 16. She works with orchestras in Europe and America as well as with Alexei Grynyuk, her regular pianist. Since 2012, she has played the Gariel Stradivarius violin.
Georgia has participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 16 times since making its debut in 2007. The Georgian participant broadcaster in the contest is the Georgian Public Broadcaster (GPB). Georgia has reached the final on seven occasions, achieving two top ten placements, with "Shine" performed by Sofia Nizharadze (2010) and "One More Day" by Eldrine (2011) both finishing ninth.
Eurovision Young Musicians, often shortened to EYM, or Young Musicians, is a biennial classical music competition for European musicians that are aged between 12 and 21. It is organised by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and broadcast on television throughout Europe, with some countries holding national selections to choose their representatives for the contest.
The Eurovision Young Musicians 1982 was the first edition of the Eurovision Young Musicians, a biennial event inspired by the success of the BBC Young Musician of the Year. The contest took place at the Free Trade Hall in Manchester, United Kingdom on 11 May 1982, and was organised by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and host broadcaster the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC). Musicians from six participating countries took part in début contest, which was televised across the Eurovision Network. Humphrey Burton was the host of the contest and welcomed all of the participants in English, French, and German.
The Eurovision Young Musicians 1994 was the seventh edition of the Eurovision Young Musicians, held at the Philharmonic Concert Hall in Warsaw, Poland, between 9 and 14 June 1994. Organised by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and host broadcaster Telewizja Polska (TVP), musicians from eight countries participated in the televised final. A total of twenty-four countries took part in the competition therefore a semi-final was held in the same venue on 9 and 10 June 1994. Out of the 24 countries, 16 did not qualify to the final, including the host country Poland. All participants performed a classical piece of their choice accompanied by the Warsaw Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Kazimierz Kord.
The Eurovision Young Musicians 2008 was the fourteenth edition of the Eurovision Young Musicians, held at the Rathausplatz in Vienna, Austria on 9 May 2008. Organised by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and host broadcaster Österreichischer Rundfunk (ORF), musicians from seven countries participated in the televised final. This was the second time that the competition was held on an open-air stage and was the beginning of the annual Vienna Festival. Austria and broadcaster ORF previously hosted the contest in 1990, 1998 and 2006.
The United Kingdom has participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 66 times. Its first participation was at the second contest, in 1957, and it has entered every year since 1959. The British participant broadcaster in the contest is the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC). The country has won the contest five times: in 1967, with "Puppet on a String" performed by Sandie Shaw; in 1969, with "Boom Bang-a-Bang" by Lulu ; in 1976, with "Save Your Kisses for Me" by Brotherhood of Man; in 1981, with "Making Your Mind Up" by Bucks Fizz; and in 1997, with "Love Shine a Light" by Katrina and the Waves. The UK has also achieved a record sixteen second-place finishes, the first in 1959 and the most recent in 2022.
The United Kingdom has participated in the biennial classical music competition Eurovision Young Musicians sixteen times since its debut in 1982, most recently taking part in 2018 after a 8-year absence. The United Kingdom hosted the inaugural contest in 1982 and won the contest in 1994. The country returned to the contest in 2018 as hosts, but did not return for the next editions in 2022 or 2024.
Heather Phillipson is a British artist working in a variety of media including video, sculpture, electronic music, large-scale installations, online works, text and drawing. She was nominated for the Turner Prize in 2022. Her work has been presented at major venues internationally and she has received multiple awards for her artwork, videos and poetry, including the Film London Jarman Award in 2016. She is also an acclaimed poet whose writing has appeared widely online, in print and broadcast.
Julian Miles Trevelyan is a British pianist and musicologist who won international competitions, such as the Long-Thibaud-Crespin Competition in Paris in 2015 at age 16.
The Eurovision Young Musicians 2018 was the 19th edition of the Eurovision Young Musicians contest. It was hosted by the United Kingdom, for the first time since the inaugural contest in 1982. This edition was a co-production between the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), the Edinburgh International Festival and the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) as host broadcaster. Musicians representing eighteen countries with EBU membership participated in the contest, with Albania making their debut alongside seven returning countries, while Austria decided not to participate for the first time.
The BBC Radio Scotland Young Traditional Musician competition has run annually since 2001. It exists to encourage young musicians to keep their tradition alive and to provide performance opportunities, tools and advice to help contestants make a career in traditional music. Former winners include Hannah Rarity, Mohsen Amini, Robyn Stapleton, Shona Mooney and Emily Smith.
