The OGAE Second Chance Contest is a visual event which was founded in 1987 and is organised by branches of OGAE, the international fan club of the Eurovision Song Contest. Four nations competed in the first contest which took place in 1987.[1] The competition was previously a non-televised event, but evolved over the years by the usage of video tape and later DVD, YouTube and streaming services.[1]
Each summer following the Eurovision Song Contest, each branch can enter one song that failed to win the country's national selection process for the contest. The members of each club choose amongst the songs that did not win and select one to represent the club in the event.[2] Votes are cast by members of the OGAE clubs and are returned to the OGAE branch organising the particular year's event.[1] Guest juries have been used to cast votes since 1993.[2]
Background
The contest began in 1987, when it was then known as "Europe's Favourite".[citation needed] Four OGAE branches competed in the first contest, coming from the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and the United Kingdom. The contest quickly expanded and now contains over 20 countries competing each year. Due to the countries' varying Eurovision selection methods over the years, it is a common occurrence for countries to sporadically compete in the contest.[3]
Format
The contest takes place during the summer after the year's Eurovision Song Contest, held in every year. A video entry from each branch of OGAE is handed to each competing OGAE club. The votes are then returned to the organising OGAE branch, normally the previous year's winning branch, who then organises the final. The method of voting has developed since the contests interception, from audio-tape in the contest's beginnings to the use of video tape and nowadays by DVD and YouTube.[1]
Previously it had been known for non-televised national final entries to compete in the Second Chance Contest. This occurred from 1989 to 1991 when Spain entered songs known to have been entered into the country's internal selection process. In 1990, 1991, 1998 and 1999 Italy competed in the Second Chance Contest, entering the winning songs of the Italian Sanremo Music Festival, known to be the basis for the creation of the Eurovision Song Contest. After 1999 a new rule was introduced allowing only songs from televised national finals to compete in the Second Chance Contest. This has led some branches ineligible to compete for many years due to no national final being held in the country.[2] In 1993 guest juries have been used in the voting of the contest. These juries are composed of branches that are ineligible to compete in the contest due to no national final being held in their country.[2]
Participation
Participation in the Second Chance Contest requires competing branches to have had a televised national final held in their country for the year's Eurovision Song Contest. So far 37 countries have been represented at the contest at least once. These are listed here alongside the year in which they made their debut:[4]
OGAE Rest of the World represents countries that do not have an OGAE branch of their own. Their first participation came at the 2009 contest, where they were represented by Slovakia.[4]
Contests
Retrospective Second Chance Contests
From 2003 it was decided to hold Retrospective Contests each year containing songs from contests prior to 1987. In 2003 the first contest was held, containing songs that failed to compete in the Eurovision Song Contest 1986. This format is repeated every year, for example in 2004 the 1985 Retrospective contest was held, and in 2005 the 1984 Retro contest was held etc.
Second Chance Contests
Magnus Carlsson, the most successful artist of the OGAE Second Chance Contest.
The contests which are organised between members of international Eurovision Song Contest fan club OGAE to select a song which did not make it to the Eurovision Song Contest through their national finals, giving it a "second chance" opportunity to participate in a competition to determine the favourite entry. Participation in the Second Chance Contest requires competing branches to have had a televised national final held in their country for the year's Eurovision Song Contest. So far 37 countries have been represented at the contest at least once. These are listed here alongside the year in which they made their debut:[4] Ten countries have won the contest over contest history. The most successful country in the contest has been Sweden, who have won the contest seventeen times in total, nearly half of the contests held. The Swedish band, Alcazar, who won in 2003 and again in 2005 is the only act to win the contest more than once while Magnus Carlsson (Member of Alcazar in 2003 & 2005 and lead singer of Barbados in 2001) is the only artist who has won thrice.[5]
1980s
Arja Saijonmaa winner of the first edition of the OGAE Second Chance Contest in 1987.
Three contests took place in the 1980s, the first being in 1987 which was held in Huizen, the Netherlands, whilst the 1988 and 1989 contest both took place in Östersund, Sweden. The OGAE Second Chance Contest 1987, which was the first edition of the contest, saw four countries; the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and the United Kingdom; took part in the first edition of the Second Chance Contests. Each country selected two songs to compete in the contest. this was the first and only time that each country submitted two songs to the contest (much in the same way as the 1956).[6] The first ever winner of the contest was Sweden's Arja Saijonmaa with "Högt över havet", which originally came second in the Swedish national final, Melodifestivalen 1987. Norway's Kjersti Bergesen and Marcha from the Netherlands finished in joint second place.[6]
The OGAE Second Chance Contest 1988, which was the second edition, saw ten countries participated, with Denmark, Finland, Germany, Greece, Ireland, and Israel making their début. Each country submitted one song that failed to win their national selections for the Eurovision Song Contest 1988.[7] The winner was again Sweden, with the song "Om igen" by Lena Philipsson, which came second in the Swedish national selection for Eurovision Melodifestivalen 1988. Second place went to débutante country Finland, while third place went to the Netherlands.[7]
The OGAE Second Chance Contest 1989, which was the third edition saw nine countries competing in the contest, with Ireland and the Netherlands withdrawing from the contest and Spain making their début. As in 1988, each country had to submit one song that failed to represent them in the Eurovision Song Contest 1989.[8] The winner was Lecia Jønsson from Denmark with the song "Landet Camelot", giving Denmark its first victory in the contest after it came second in the Danish national final Dansk Melodi Grand Prix 1989. Runners-up were Lili & Susie for Sweden while Germany's Andreas Martin came third. Last place went to débutantes Spain, who only received 1 point from Finland.[8]
1990s
Ten contests took place in the 1990s, held in eight cities located in four countries. Sweden hosted the contests in Östersund in 1990 and 1991; Örebro in 1995; and Farsta in 1996. Germany's cities of Montabaur, Hanover, and Hamburg played hosts in 1992, 1997, and 1998 respectively. Oslo, Norway hosted the 1993 and 1994 contest; whilst the Netherlands hosted the 1999 contest in Emmen.
Carola was the winner of the 1990 Second Chance Contest, before going on to win the Eurovision Song Contest the following year.
The OGAE Second Chance Contest 1990, was the fourth edition, and had fourteen countries competing in the contest. Austria, Cyprus, Italy and Portugal entering the contest for the first time. Ireland and the Netherlands returned after their absences the previous year, while Israel was the only country to withdraw due to an internal selection being made for Eurovision.[9] OGAE Italy selected their winning song of the Italian Sanremo Music Festival.[9] The contest was won once again by Sweden, represented by Carola with the song "Mitt i ett äventyr". Carola would go on to win the Eurovision Song Contest 1991 with "Fångad av en stormvind". Linda Martin, representing Ireland, would also go on to win at Eurovision, winning with "Why Me?" in 1992. Arja Saijonmaa who won for Sweden in the 1987 OGAE Second Chance Contest, returned to represent her native country Finland.[9]
The OGAE Second Chance Contest 1991, was the fifth edition, seeing fifteen countries compete in the contest[10]Switzerland and Yugoslavia made their débuts, with Yugoslavia making its one and only entry in the contest. Israel returned after their absence the previous year, while Cyprus withdrew due to no national final being held and the Netherlands were unable to compete due to withdrawing from the Eurovision Song Contest 1991. Sweden won the contest once again, for the fourth time, represented by Pernilla Wahlgren with the song "Tvillingsjäl". Greece's Lia Vissi came second, while Israel's Adam came third.[10]
The OGAE Second Chance Contest 1993, was the seventh edition of the contest.[12] Twenty-two countries took part in the contest, with Croatia, Estonia, Hungary, Iceland, Malta, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, and Turkey making their début. In 1993, a pre-selection contest for the main Eurovision Song Contest called Kvalifikacija za Millstreet was held to limit the number of entries into the main Eurovision final – six of the seven countries competing in this Second Chance Contest, sending either their failed entries from the pre-selection, or sending another song from their national final. Alongside the large number of début countries, there were also a number of other changes in the line-up: Germany could not take part in the contest due to holding an internal selection to select their entry; as well as this Israel and Portugal returned after being absent last year. This year marked the first use of "Guest Juries" in the contest. These juries, coming from non-competing countries, were allowed to vote alongside the competing countries, allowing them to participate to some degree in the contest. The first guest juries came from France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Luxembourg and Spain. The winner of the contest was Merethe Trøan with "Din egen stjerne", representing host country Norway. The Netherlands came second, represented by Ruth Jacott, and the United Kingdom came third with Sonia.[12]
The OGAE Second Chance Contest 1994 was the eighth edition of the contest. Sixteen countries competed in the contest with Russia entering the contest for the first time. Belgium, Denmark, Israel, Slovenia and Turkey all withdrew from the contest due to being relegated from the 1994; Slovakia and Switzerland was also absent from the contest due to no national finals being held in the country for that year's Eurovision.[13] For the second time "Guest Juries" were used in the contest, allowing OGAE branches from countries who held no national final for Eurovision 1994 to compete in Second Chance. Sweden were the winners of the eighth time in the contest history, represented by singer Gladys del Pilar with "Det vackraste jag vet", a song composed by Michael Saxell with lyrics by Ingela Forsman. The runner-up position went to the United Kingdom's Frances Ruffelle, while third place was awarded to host country Norway and Madam Medusa.[13]
The OGAE Second Chance Contest 1995 was the ninth edition of the contest. Nine countries competed in the contest, with Denmark, Israel, and Slovenia making their return.[14] However a number of countries were forced to withdraw: Estonia, Finland, the Netherlands, and Romania were all forced to miss the contest due to being relegated from the Eurovision Song Contest 1995; Austria, Cyprus, Hungary, Iceland and Russia were also absent from the contest due to no national finals being held in the country for Eurovision. Furthermore, Malta did not take part although a national final was being held. Sweden were the winners, represented by singer Cecilia Vennersten with "Det vackraste", a song composed by Peter & Nanne Grönvall with lyrics by Nanne Grönvall & Maria Rådsten. The runner-up position went to the United Kingdom's Deuce, while third place was awarded to Ireland and Naoimh Penston.[14]
The OGAE Second Chance Contest 1996 was the tenth contest. Twenty-two countries competed in the contest, with Bosnia and Herzegovina and Macedonia making their début.[15] Several countries returned to the contest too, but none of the participants from the 1995 edition, withdrew. Sweden were the winners of the 10th edition of Second Chance, represented by singer Lotta Engberg with "Juliette och Jonathan". The runner-up position went to the Croatia's Novi Fosili, while third place was awarded to Germany and Leon who did not qualify for the Eurovision Song Contest 1996 as the eventual German entry.[15]
Anna Oxa winner of the 1997 Second Chance Contest.
The OGAE Second Chance Contest 1997 was the eleventh edition of the contest. Seventeen countries took part in the contest, organised by OGAE Germany.[16] Six countries that took part in the OGAE Second Chance Contest 1996 withdrew for the Contest in 1997: Belgium, Finland, Israel, Macedonia and Romania all withdrew after being relegated from the Eurovision Song Contest 1997, and Russia was forced to withdraw after not holding televised national finals to select their entry for Eurovision 1997. Italy made its return to the contest for the first time since 1991. Italy were crowned the winners of the contest with the song "Storie" by Anna Oxa. This was Italy's first win in Second Chance Contest, and the first win for a non-Scandinavian country. Second place went to Darren Holden of Ireland, while third place went to girl group All About Angels from Germany. During the voting the seventeen competing entries were joined by five guest juries from Austria, France, Israel, Switzerland and Luxembourg.[16]
The OGAE Second Chance Contest 1998 was the twelfth OGAE Second Chance Contest. Eighteen countries took part in the contest, organised by OGAE Germany in Hamburg, Germany.[17] Four countries that took part in the 1997 edition withdrew from the contest: Bosnia and Herzegovina and Denmark withdrew after being relegated from the Eurovision Song Contest 1998, and Cyprus and Hungary were forced to withdraw after not holding televised national finals to select their entry for Eurovision 1998. The Netherlands were the winners of the contest with the song "Alsof je bij me bent" by Nurlaila. This was their first win in Second Chance, and the second win for a non-Scandinavian country. Second place went to Nanne Grönvall of Sweden, while third place went to Elisabeth Andreassen from Norway. During the voting the eighteen competing entries were joined by seven guest juries from Denmark, Austria, Cyprus, France, Spain, Luxembourg and Israel.[17]
The OGAE Second Chance Contest 1999 was the thirteenth edition of the OGAE Second Chance Contest Seventeen countries were originally going to participate in the contest. However, Malta were disqualified after their votes did not arrive on time.[18]Bosnia and Herzegovina, Cyprus and Denmark all returned after missing the previous year's contest, and France made its Second Chance début. Estonia, Finland, Greece, Macedonia and Switzerland all withdrew from the contest. The winner's were Feryal Başel from Turkey with the song "Unuttuğumu Sandığım Anda". This marked the third year in a row that a non-Scandinavian country had won the contest. Second place went to Belgium's Petra and third place went to Corinna May of Germany, the original German entry for the Eurovision Song Contest 1999. The sixteen competing countries were joined in the voting by guest juries from Spain, Austria, Israel, Finland and Switzerland.[18]
2000s
Anna Eriksson winner of the OGAE Second Chance Contest 2000.
The OGAE Second Chance Contest 2000 was the fourteenth OGAE Second Chance Contest, organised by OGAE Turkey after their win in 1999.[18] Twenty-one countries took part in the 2000 contest, held in Istanbul. Latvia who made their début at the Eurovision Song Contest 2000 also followed suit by débuting in the Second Chance Contest, and seven countries made their returns to the contest: Estonia, Finland, Macedonia and Switzerland returned after a year's absence, Romania returned after last taking part in 1996, Iceland for the first time since 1994, and Spain for the first time since 1991. Bosnia and Herzegovina, Portugal and Slovenia were relegated from the 2000 Eurovision, making them ineligible to compete in the Second Chance Contest. Italy also withdrew after three entries were sent from 1997 to 1999. The twenty-one competing countries were joined in the voting by six guest juries from Austria, Israel, Luxembourg, Portugal, Italy and Greece.[19] At the end of the voting Finland's Anna Eriksson was declared the winner with the song "Oot voimani mun", Finland's first (and so far only) victory in the contest. The United Kingdom came second with Catherine Porter and "Crazy", while Spain came third with "Sueño su boca" by Raúl.[19]
The OGAE Second Chance Contest 2001 was the fifteenth edition of the OGAE Second Chance Contest. It was organised by OGAE Finland after their win the previous year.[19] Twenty countries participated the contest, held in Helsinki in Finland.[20]Lithuania made its début at the OGAE Second Chance Contest this year, and five countries – Bosnia and Herzegovina, Greece, Israel, Portugal and Slovenia – returned to the contest after returning from relegation from the Eurovision Song Contest and holding multi-singer national finals. However seven countries withdrew from the contest – Belgium, Cyprus, Finland, Macedonia, Romania and Switzerland were all relegated from the 2001 Eurovision Song Contest, while France held an internal selection for the contest, making them ineligible for Second Chance. This made the host country unable to send an entry to the contest. The twenty competing entries were joined by twelve guest juries in the voting for the winner, coming from the withdrawing countries Macedonia, Finland, France, Cyprus, Belgium and Romania and international juries from Poland, New Zealand, Austria, Russia, Italy and Canada.[21] At the end of the voting the winner was Sweden's Barbados with "Allt som jag ser", beating Spain's Sonia & Selena in second place, and the United Kingdom's Nanne into third place. This was the first male winner in OGAE Second Chance history, and the eighth win for Sweden.[20]
David Bisbal winner of the OGAE Second Chance Contest 2002.
The OGAE Second Chance Contest 2002 was the sixteenth edition of the contest, and organised by OGAE Sweden following their win in 2001.[20] Eighteen songs competed in the contest, held in Stockholm, Sweden[22] Five countries returned to the contest after missing the previous year – Austria, Belgium, Finland, Macedonia and Romania all returned as competing countries. However five other countries could not compete after being relegated from competing in the Eurovision Song Contest 2002 – Iceland, Ireland, the Netherlands, Norway and Portugal were all unable to compete. Two further countries, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Lithuania, were disqualified during the voting when their results were not received by the deadline. The eighteen competing entries were joined by seven guest juries in the voting for the winner, coming from France, Luxembourg, Ireland, Portugal, Netherlands, Norway and Turkey.[23] At the end of the voting the winner was Spain's David Bisbal with "Corazon latino", beating Sweden's winner from OGAE Second Chance Contest 2001, Barbados in second place, and Israel's Sarit Hadad into third place.[23]
The OGAE Second Chance Contest 2003 was the seventeenth edition of the OGAE Second Chance Contest, and was organised by OGAE Spain following their win the previous year.[22] Twenty countries took part in the contest, held in Las Palmas, Gran Canaria.[24] The competing entries were joined by five guest juries in the voting for the winner, coming from Belgium, Italy, France, Finland and Turkey.[25] After being relegated from the Eurovision Song Contest 2003; Denmark, Finland and Macedonia were unable to compete in the contest. Belgium and Turkey were also forced to withdraw due to not holding a national final for the Eurovision Song Contest 2003. Iceland, Ireland, the Netherlands, Norway and Portugal returned to the contest after the previous year's relegation. They were joined by Poland, making its début in the Second Chance Contest. Malta were to take part in the contest, and would have been represented by Charlene & Natasha with "Rain of Fire", however the country were disqualified due to voting communication problems. At the end of the voting, two countries had tied for first place – Sweden's Alcazar with "Not a Sinner Nor a Saint", and Slovenia's Nuša Derenda with "Prvič in zadnič", with both having received 215 points. The current tie-break rules of the time were used in this case, with the country having received the most 12 points winning the contest. In this case Sweden had received 13 sets of 12 points, compared to Slovenia's 6 sets, and so the victory went to Alcazar. Had the current tie-break rules been used, with the country receiving points from the most number of countries winning, Sweden still would have won, due to both countries receiving points from 23 countries.[25] The first nul points received in the Second Chance Contest were received during this contest, with both Iceland's Botnleðja and Israel's Lior Narkis receiving no points from the 23 juries.
The OGAE Second Chance Contest 2004 was the eighteenth edition of the Second Chance Contest, organised once again by OGAE Sweden following their win in 2003.[24] Twenty-one songs competed in the contest, held in Växjö, Sweden.[26] All competing branches of OGAE participated in voting for the winner, along with three guest juries who were ineligible to compete in the contest from France, Ireland and Italy.[27]Serbia and Montenegro made its début, which they also did at the Eurovision Song Contest 2004. Denmark, Finland and Macedonia returned to the contest after being relegated from the Eurovision Song Contest 2003. Belgium and Turkey returned after holding internal selections the previous year, while Malta returned after being disqualified the previous year. A number of countries also withdrew from the contest; Estonia and Israel had been set to compete in the contest, however withdrew at a late stage after selecting their entries (namely "Homme" by Maarja-Liis Ilus and "Freedom" by David D'Or respectively). Iceland withdrew due to no national final being held, while Romania withdrew out of choice. Ireland withdrew, but competed as a guest jury. Spain won the contest, with Sweden and Germany finishing second and third places respectively.[27]
Alcazar winners of the OGAE Second Chance Contests in 2003 and 2005.
The OGAE Second Chance Contest 2005 was the nineteenth contest held in Bilbao, Spain after Davinia won the 2004 contest with "Mi obsesión".[27] Twenty-four countries competed in the contest for the title of the best song that didn't make it to the Eurovision stage through their national selection, however Estonia were later disqualified as it could not be reached to give their votes for the contest. Two guest juries also voted from Italy and Portugal, giving a total number of twenty-five juries.[28]Belgium, France, Ireland and Russia all returned to the contest after holding national finals to select their entries. Poland and Portugal were forced to withdraw after internal selections were held in their countries. The contest was won by Sweden's Alcazar with "Alcastar", who received 201 points, 24 more than runner-up Serbia and Montenegro. Ireland came last, receiving nul points from all juries.[29]
The OGAE Second Chance Contest 2006 was the twentieth edition of OGAE Second Chance, and was held in Stockholm, Sweden after Alcazar won the 2005 contest with "Alcastar".[29] Nineteen countries competed in the contest for the title of the best song that didn't make it to the Eurovision stage through their national selection. Six guest juries also competed in the voting from Italy, Andorra, France, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Spain and from the Rest of the World.[30]Ukraine entered the contest for the first time, while Poland and Portugal returned after their absence the previous year, all holding national finals to select their entries to the Eurovision Song Contest 2006. However a large number of countries failed to hold national finals or simply withdrew from the contest. Austria withdrew from the 2006 Eurovision Song Contest, and were thus ineligible to compete in Second Chance. Bosnia and Herzegovina, France, Spain and Turkey failed to hold multi-song national selections for Eurovision, while Estonia and Latvia withdrew from Second Chance out of choice.[30] The contest was won by Slovenia's Saša Lendero with "Mandoline", who received 220 points, 45 points more than runner-up Norway. Poland received nul points from all juries, placing last.[31]
The OGAE Second Chance Contest 2007 was the twenty-first contest, which was held in Ljubljana, Slovenia after their win at the 2006 contest.[31] Twenty countries competed in the contest for the title of the best song that didn't make it to the Eurovision stage through their national selection. However 22 had signed up to compete. Moldova were forced to withdraw their entry, "Your Place or Mine" by Olia Tira, after no national final performance could be available. Finland were disqualified after the country's branch was expelled from the OGAE Network on 17 September 2007, and as such their entry, "Olet uneni kaunein" by Johanna Kurkela, did not participate in the contest. Seven guest juries also competed in the voting, namely Italy, Andorra, Rest of the World, Austria, Belgium, Lebanon and Moldova (after their withdrawal).[32]Estonia, France and Spain made their returns to the contest after missing last year's contest. Belgium withdrew after no national final was held in the country while Serbia and Montenegro were forced to withdraw after the country was dissolved in 2006. Its successor, Serbia, however made its début to the contest this year. The contest was won by Sweden's Måns Zelmerlöw with "Cara Mia", who received 252 points from the 27 juries, 72 points more than runner-up, United Kingdom.[33]
Sanna Nielsen, the winner of the 2008 Second Chance Contest, representing Sweden.
The OGAE Second Chance Contest 2008 was the twenty-second OGAE Second Chance Contest, organised between members of international Eurovision Song Contest fan club OGAE to select the best song not to make it to the Eurovision Song Contest through their national finals. Twenty-one songs competed for the title in the 21st edition of the contest, held in Stockholm in Sweden after OGAE Sweden's win the previous year with Måns Zelmerlöw and "Cara Mia".[34] All twenty-one competing countries voted for the winner, and were also joined by eight guest juries from countries ineligible to participate in the contest – these guest juries came from OGSE branches in Andorra, Austria, France, Italy, Lebanon, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and Kazakhstan (representing the Rest of the World).[35]Belgium, Finland, Lithuania and Russia made their returns to the contest, all holding national finals in their countries. The Netherlands withdrew after an internal selection was held in the country, while Ukraine withdrew of choice. The contest was won by Sweden's Sanna Nielsen with "Empty Room", who received 268 points, 90 points more than runner-up Spain. Nielsen went on to represent Sweden at the Eurovision Song Contest 2014, with the song "Undo". This was Sweden's 12th win in the contest, remaining the most successful country in the contest. Estonia came last, gaining nul points from all juries.[36]
The OGAE Second Chance Contest 2009 was the twenty-third OGAE Second Chance Contest, organised between members of international Eurovision Song Contest fan club OGAE to select the best song not to make it to the Eurovision Song Contest through their national finals. The contest was held in Stockholm, Sweden after Sanna Nielsen won for Sweden the previous year.[36] Twenty countries participated in the contest, with songs that failed to win their televised national selections. Malta was to originally compete with "Avalon" by Georgina & Ruth Casingena, however OGAE Malta has since decided to withdraw. Andorra and Moldova entered the contest for the first time, while the Netherlands returned after their absence from the 2008 contest. Slovakia returned after a 14-year absence, last entering in 1993 contest. The Slovak song was also representing OGAE Rest of the World, representing countries with no national OGAE branch.[37] The United Kingdom, Belgium and Germany left the contest due to not holding a multi-song national final for the 2009, but voted as guest juries, along with Austria, France, Italy and Turkey.[38]Russia were also absent from the contest. Luxembourg withdrew from being a Guest Jury on 2 September 2009. The draw for the running order was conducted on 19 June 2009 in Gävle, where it was decided that newcomer Andorra would start the show, while Portugal would close it.[38] The contest was won by Denmark's Hera Björk with "Someday", who received 257 points, 28 points more than runner-up Sweden. This was Denmark's second win in the contest. Slovakia placed last, receiving 4 points. The full result of the Second Chance Contest were presented on 22 December 2009 through a PDF file sent to the competing OGAE clubs. The voting show on DVD will be released during early 2010.[39]
2010s
The OGAE Second Chance Contest 2010 was the twenty-fourth contest, which were held in Copenhagen, Denmark after Hera Björk won the previous year.[38] Twenty-three countries took part in the contest; Armenia, Azerbaijan and Bulgaria (as the entry for OGAE Rest of the World) took part for the first time, with Germany, Malta and Russia, all returning after missing last year's contest, and Cyprus, for the first time since 2000, competing as well. However, Andorra, Estonia, Moldova, the Netherlands and Slovakia withdrew from the contest.[40] The results of OGAE Second Chance Contest 2010 were announced by OGAE Denmark on 31 October 2010 at 3pm CET over a live Internet stream. Sweden's Timoteij were the winners of the contest with "Kom", giving Sweden their 13th win in the contest. 2nd place went to Denmark's Bryan Rice and 3rd place went to Portugal's Catarina Pereira. Azerbaijan came last with 0 points.[40]
The OGAE Second Chance Contest 2011 was the twenty-fifth contest, which were held in Gothenburg, Sweden after their in 2010.[40] Twenty-one countries competed in the contest, with five countries making their return to the contest: Austria, Belgium, Iceland (as the entry for OGAE Rest of the World), Italy and the Netherlands all sent entries for the first time since 2005, 2008, 2001, 1999 and 2009 respectively. However Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Russia and Serbia withdrew. Andorra, France and the United Kingdom took part as guest juries during the voting. On 10 October 2011 OGAE Sweden announced the results of the 2011 Second Chance Contest: Iceland's Yohanna, representing OGAE Rest of the World with "Nótt" was announced as the winner – their first win in the contest. Sweden's Jenny Silver came second, while Modà feat. Emma came in 3rd for Italy. Macedonia came in last with 0 points.[41]
The OGAE Second Chance Contest 2012 was the twenty-sixth held in Johannesburg, South Africa after Yohanna won for the Iceland, represented by OGAE Rest of the World with "Nótt", in 2011.[41] Nineteen countries competed in the contest. It also marked the return of four countries to the contest: Cyprus, Estonia, Latvia (as the entry for OGAE Rest of the World) and Russia. However Croatia, Italy, Israel, Malta, Macedonia and Poland did not participate in the Second Chance Contest.[42] Italy, Israel and Poland, along with Andorra, France, Luxembourg and the United Kingdom were lined up to be guest juries during the voting. The voting took place over five days from 16 October 2013. Spain's Pastora Soler was declared the winner with the song "Tu vida es tu vida", beating Sweden's Danny Saucedo into 2nd place by a single point. Norway's Reidun Sæther took 3rd place.[43] This is the first time that the winner is also a contestant in the respective ESC edition.[44]
The OGAE Second Chance Contest 2013 were the twenty-seventh held on 5 October 2013 in Barcelona, Spain after Pastora Soler won the previous year.[42] Fifteen countries competed in the contest. Israel, Italy, Serbia, and Hungary (as part of OGAE Rest of the World) returned to the competition, while Cyprus, Denmark, Estonia, Latvia, the Netherlands, Portugal, Russia, and Slovenia withdrew. Norway won the contest with the song "Bombo", performed by Adelén, achieving 151 points after all the votes were cast. Italy finished second, while Hungary (as part of OGAE Rest of the World) finished in third place.[45]
The OGAE Second Chance Contest 2015 was the twenty-ninth edition of the contest, and took place in Stockholm, Sweden, following their win in 2014.[46] Eighteen countries competed and the competing entries were revealed on 9 July 2015.[49]Austria, Italy, Latvia, Moldova and Serbia all returned to the contest. However Belgium, France, Iceland, Israel, Romania and Spain, who took part in the 2014 contest, withdrew.[49] The contest was won by Nek, who represented Italy with the song "Fatti avanti amore", placing just above Sweden and Denmark, respectively.
The OGAE Second Chance Contest 2016 was the thirtieth edition of the contest, and took place in Siena, Italy, following their win in 2015.[46] Twenty-three countries competed and the competing entries were revealed on 5 July 2016.[50]Belgium, Hungary (as part of OGAE Rest of the World), Israel, Poland, Spain, Ukraine and United Kingdom all returned to the contest. However Greece, Ireland, Moldova, Portugal and Serbia, who took part in the 2015 contest, withdrew.[50] Although Romania was disqualified at the Eurovision Song Contest 2016, it could still participate in the Contest, and also return having withdrawn in 2015. The contest was won by Margaret, who represented Poland with the song "Cool Me Down", beating Sweden into second place, and Israel into third.[51]
Annalisa won the 2018 Second Chance Contest for Italy.
The OGAE Second Chance Contest 2017 was the thirty-first edition of the contest, and took place in Warsaw, Poland, following their win in 2016.[49] Twenty-two countries competed and the competing entries were revealed on 31 May 2017.[52]Georgia (as part of OGAE Rest of the World), Greece, Iceland and Portugal all returned to the competition. However Austria, Belgium, Israel, Romania and Switzerland, who took part in the 2016 contest, withdrew.[52] The contest was won by Mariette, who represented Sweden with the song "A Million Years", beating Italy into second place, and Ukraine into third.[53]
The OGAE Second Chance Contest 2018 was the thirty-second edition of the contest, and took place in Eskilstuna, Sweden, following their win in 2017.[53] Twenty-seven countries participated in the contest, with Czech Republic and San Marino (as part of OGAE Rest of the World) making their Second Chance début.[54]Armenia, France, Romania, Serbia and Switzerland all returned to the competition. However Georgia and Greece, who took part in the 2017 contest, withdrew.[54] The contest was won by Annalisa, who represented Italy with the song "Il mondo prima di te", beating France into second place and Finland into third. This was Italy's second win in 4 years.[55]
The OGAE Second Chance Contest 2019 was the thirty-third edition of the contest, and took place in Udine, Italy, following their win in 2018.[55] Twenty-four countries took part in the contest, with Australia making their Second Chance début.[56]Croatia and Moldova (as part of OGAE Rest of the World) all returned to the competition. However Belarus, Malta, Poland, San Marino and Switzerland who took part in the 2018 contest, withdrew.[56] Although Ukraine withdrew at the Eurovision Song Contest 2019, it could still participate in the contest.[56] The contest was won by Seemone, representing France, with the song "Tous les deux", beating Italy into second place and Sweden into third. This was France's first victory.
2020s
The OGAE Second Chance Contest 2020 was the thirty-fourth edition of the contest, and took place in the cities of Paris, Lille and Limoges, France following their win in 2019. Despite the cancellation of the Eurovision Song Contest 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic,[57] the OGAE went ahead with organising an edition of the Second Chance Contest in 2020. Twenty-two countries took part in the contest and the competing entries were revealed on 28 June 2020.[58]Armenia, Israel, Poland, and San Marino (as part of OGAE Rest of the World) all returned to the competition. However, France (host country), Germany, Hungary, Moldova, Spain and United Kingdom, all of whom took part in the 2019 contest, withdrew.[58] This is the second time in the history of the competition, after the 2001 edition, that the host country is unable to send an entry to compete, since the nation's chosen act for Eurovision was selected through an internal selection. Sweden took its 17th victory overall with "Kingdom Come" by Anna Bergendahl, beating Finland and Italy into second and third place respectively.
The OGAE Second Chance Contest 2021 was the thirty-fifth edition of the contest, and took place in Stockholm, Sweden, following their win in 2020. Fourteen countries took part in the contest and the competing entries were revealed on 21 May 2021. France, Russia and Spain all returned to the competition. However, Armenia, Australia, Czech Republic, Iceland, Latvia, Poland, Romania, San Marino, Serbia, Slovenia and Ukraine, all of whom took part in the 2020 contest, withdrew.[59] Norway took its fourth victory with "Monument" by Keiino, setting a new points record. Sweden and Italy rounded out the top three.
The OGAE Second Chance Contest 2023 was the thirty-seventh edition of the contest, and took place in Eskilstuna, Sweden, following their win in 2022. Twenty-three countries took part in the contest and the competing entries were revealed on 11 June 2023.[62] Sweden took its 19th victory overall with "Air" by Marcus & Martinus, with Norway and Finland rounding out the top three.[63]
The Guest Jury Hits contest was introduced in 2003, giving guest juries of the Retro contests the opportunity to compete in their own contest. The contest was formed as a way for OGAE branches to become juries in the Second Chance Retro Contest, with each non-competing branch selecting a hit song from their country in that year. The first contest was held in 2003, when hit songs from 1985 competed in the contest. So far eighteen contests have been held, with Italy winning eight contests, the United States won twice, and Belgium, Germany, Spain, Sweden, Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic, and Jamaica all winning once. Umberto Tozzi has so far been responsible for three of Italy's wins.[64]
Italy has participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 48 times since making its debut as one of only seven countries to compete at the first contest in 1956, which took inspiration from the Sanremo Music Festival. Italy competed at the contest without interruption until 1980, discontinuing its participation on a number of occasions during the 1980s and 1990s. After a 13-year absence starting in 1998, the country returned to the contest in 2011. Italy has won the contest three times, along with an additional 16 top-five finishes. Italy hosted the contest in Naples (1965), Rome (1991) and Turin (2022).
The Organisation Générale des Amateurs de l'Eurovision, shortened to OGAE, is a non-governmental and non-profit international organisation, consisting of 42 Eurovision Song Contest fan clubs from across Europe and beyond. It was founded in 1984 in Savonlinna, Finland by Jaripekka Koikkalainen.
Liet International, formerly Liet-Lávlut, is an international music competition for songs in European minority and regional languages. The inaugural edition took place on 28 April 2002 as a spin-off of the West Frisian-language song contest Liet (transl. 'Song'), held annually in Leeuwarden, Netherlands since 1991.
Boglárka Dallos-Nyers, better known as simply Bogi or Bogi Dallos, is a Hungarian singer, best known for participating in A Dal 2013, 2014 and 2015.
Switzerland participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2016 with the song "The Last of Our Kind" written by Christina Maria Rieder, Mike James, Jeff Dawson and Warne Livesey. The song was performed by Rykka, which is the artistic name of singer Christina Maria Rieder. The Swiss entry for the 2016 contest in Stockholm, Sweden was selected through the national final ESC 2016 – die Entscheidungsshow, organised by the Swiss German speaking broadcaster Schweizer Radio und Fernsehen (SRF) in collaboration with the other broadcasters part of the Swiss Broadcasting Corporation. Artists that were interested in entering the Swiss national final had the opportunity to apply to one of three open selections with defined submission periods organised by SRF together with the Swiss-Romansh broadcaster Radiotelevisiun Svizra Rumantscha (RTR), the Swiss-French broadcaster Radio Télévision Suisse (RTS) and/or the Swiss-Italian broadcaster Radiotelevisione svizzera (RSI). A total of 19 entries were selected to advance to an "Expert Check" round; ten entries were selected from the SRF/RTR selection, six entries were selected from the RTS selection and three entries were selected from the RSI selection. The "Expert Check" was held on 6 December 2015 and involved four experts evaluating the live performances of the 19 entries and selecting six entries to advance to the televised national final—three artists and songs from the SRF/RTR candidates, two from the RTS candidates and one from the RSI candidates. The six finalists performed during the national final on 13 February 2016 where a combination of jury voting and public voting ultimately selected "The Last of Our Kind" performed by Rykka as the winner.
Sweden participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2016 with the song "If I Were Sorry" written by Oscar Fogelström, Michael Saxell, Fredrik Andersson and Frans Jeppsson Wall. The song was performed by Frans. In addition to participating in the contest, the Swedish broadcaster Sveriges Television (SVT) also hosted the Eurovision Song Contest after winning the competition in 2015 with the song "Heroes" performed by Måns Zelmerlöw. SVT organised the national final Melodifestivalen 2016 in order to select the Swedish entry for the 2016 contest in Stockholm. After a six-week-long competition consisting of four heats, a Second Chance round and a final, "If I Were Sorry" performed by Frans emerged as the winner after achieving the highest score following the combination of votes from eleven international jury groups and a public vote.
Finland participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2017 with the song "Blackbird" and performed by Lasse Piirainen and Leena Tirronen under the name Norma John. The Finnish broadcaster Yleisradio (Yle) organised the national final Uuden Musiikin Kilpailu 2017 in order to select the Finnish entry for the 2017 contest in Kyiv, Ukraine. Ten entries were selected to compete in the national final on 28 January 2017 where the 50/50 combination of votes from ten international jury groups and votes from the public selected "Blackbird" performed by Norma John as the winner.
The Eurovision Song Contest 2018 was the 63rd edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It took place in Lisbon, Portugal, following the country's victory at the 2017 contest with the song "Amar pelos dois" by Salvador Sobral. Organised by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and host broadcaster Rádio e Televisão de Portugal (RTP), the contest was held at the Lisbon Arena, and consisted of two semi-finals on 8 and 10 May, and a final on 12 May 2018. The three live shows were presented by Portuguese television presenters Filomena Cautela, Sílvia Alberto and Catarina Furtado, and Portuguese-American actress Daniela Ruah, marking the first time that the contest was presented by four hosts.
The Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2018 was the sixteenth edition of the annual Junior Eurovision Song Contest, organised by the Belarusian Television and Radio Company (BTRC) and the European Broadcasting Union (EBU). It took place in the Belarusian capital city, Minsk on 25 November 2018 at the Minsk-Arena. It was the second time that the contest was held in Belarus, after it staged the 2010 edition at the same venue.
Israel participated in and won the Eurovision Song Contest 2018. The Israeli broadcaster Israeli Public Broadcasting Corporation (IPBC/Kan) collaborated with the commercial broadcaster Keshet and Tedy Productions, which organised the reality singing competition HaKokhav HaBa L'Eurovizion to select the singer. The winner of the Israeli national selection was Netta Barzilai, and a committee of the Israeli broadcaster internally selected the song "Toy" for her.
The Eurovision Song Contest 2019 was the 64th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It took place in Tel Aviv, Israel, following the country's victory at the 2018 contest with the song "Toy" by Netta. Organised by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and host broadcaster the Israeli Public Broadcasting Corporation (IPBC/Kan), the contest was held at Expo Tel Aviv, and consisted of two semi-finals on 14 and 16 May, and a final on 18 May 2019. The three live shows were presented by Israeli television presenters Erez Tal, Assi Azar and Lucy Ayoub, and Israeli model Bar Refaeli.
The United Kingdom participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2019 with the song "Bigger than Us" written by Laurell Barker, Anna-Klara Folin, John Lundvik and Jonas Thander. The song was performed by Michael Rice. Songwriter John Lundvik represented Sweden in the Eurovision Song Contest the same year with the song "Too Late for Love". The British entry for the 2019 contest in Tel Aviv, Israel was selected via the national final Eurovision: You Decide, organised by the British broadcaster BBC. Six acts competed in the national final and the winner was selected through two rounds of voting.
Armenia originally planned to participate in the Eurovision Song Contest 2020 with the song "Chains on You" written by Athena Manoukian and DJ Paco. The song was performed by Athena Manoukian. The Armenian entry for the 2020 contest in Rotterdam, Netherlands was selected through the national final Depi Evratesil 2020, organised by the Armenian broadcaster Public Television of Armenia (AMPTV). The national final took place on 15 February 2020 where twelve entries competed. "Chains on You" performed by Athena Manoukian was selected as the winner following the combination of votes from an international jury, an Armenian jury and a public televote.
Slovenia originally planned to participate in the Eurovision Song Contest 2020 with the song "Voda" written by Ana Soklič and Bojan Simončič. The song was performed by Ana Soklič. Slovenian broadcaster Radiotelevizija Slovenija organised the national final EMA in order to select the Slovenian entry for the 2020 contest in Rotterdam, Netherlands. 18 entries competed in the first stage of the national final, EMA FREŠ 2020, from which two entries qualified to compete in EMA 2020 following a two-month-long competition. Twelve entries competed in EMA 2020 where the winner was selected over two rounds of voting. In the first round, the top two entries were selected by a three-member jury panel. In the second round, "Voda" performed by Ana Soklič was selected as the winner entirely by a public vote.
The Eurovision Song Contest 2021 was the 65th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It took place in Rotterdam, Netherlands, following the country's win at the 2019 contest with the song "Arcade" by Duncan Laurence. The Netherlands was set to host the 2020 contest, before it was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Organised by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and host broadcasters Nederlandse Publieke Omroep (NPO), Nederlandse Omroep Stichting (NOS) and AVROTROS, the contest was held at Rotterdam Ahoy, and consisted of two semi-finals on 18 and 20 May, and a final on 22 May 2021. The three live shows were presented by Dutch television presenters and singers Chantal Janzen, Edsilia Rombley and Jan Smit, and Dutch YouTuber and make-up artist Nikkie de Jager.
The Eurovision Song Contest 2022 was the 66th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It took place in Turin, Italy, following the country's victory at the 2021 contest with the song "Zitti e buoni" by Måneskin. Organised by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and host broadcaster Radiotelevisione italiana (RAI), the contest was held at the PalaOlimpico, and consisted of two semi-finals on 10 and 12 May, and a final on 14 May 2022. The three live shows were presented by Italian television presenter Alessandro Cattelan, Italian singer Laura Pausini and Lebanese-born British-French singer Mika.
The Eurovision Song Contest 2023 was the 67th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It took place in Liverpool, United Kingdom, as Ukraine—the winner of the 2022 contest with the song "Stefania" by Kalush Orchestra—was unable to host the event due to the Russian invasion of the country. It was organised by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), with the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) acting as host broadcaster on behalf of the Public Broadcasting Company of Ukraine (UA:PBC). The contest was held at Liverpool Arena, and consisted of two semi-finals on 9 and 11 May and a final on 13 May 2023. The three live shows were presented by British singer Alesha Dixon, British actress Hannah Waddingham, and Ukrainian singer Julia Sanina, with Irish television presenter Graham Norton joining for the final.
Slovenia participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2022 in Turin, Italy, with the song "Disko", written by Filip Vidušin, Žiga Žvižej, Gašper Hlupič, Mark Semeja, Zala Velenšek and Jakob Korošec and performed by LPS. The Slovenian entry for the 2022 contest was selected via a two-stage national final organised by the Radiotelevizija Slovenija (RTVSLO). The first stage EMA Freš began on 29 November 2021 with the purpose of selecting four newcomer artists to advance to the second stage EMA 2022. The national final featured twenty entries competing across two semi-finals on 5 and 12 February 2022, and the final on 19 February 2022, where a combination of jury and public voting decided the Slovenian representative in Turin among twelve entries.
Finland participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2022 in Turin, Italy, with the song "Jezebel" written by Lauri Ylönen and Desmond Child, and performed by The Rasmus. The Finnish broadcaster Yleisradio (Yle) organised the national final Uuden Musiikin Kilpailu2022 in order to select the Finnish entry for the contest. Seven entries were selected to compete in the national final on 26 February 2022, where the combination of votes from seven international jury groups and votes from the public selected the winner.
Finland participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2023 in Liverpool, United Kingdom, with the song "Cha Cha Cha" performed by Käärijä. The Finnish broadcaster Yleisradio (Yle) organised the national final Uuden Musiikin Kilpailu2023 in order to select the Finnish entry for the contest. Seven entries were selected to compete in the national final on 25 February 2023, where the combination of votes from seven international jury groups and votes from the public selected the winner.
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