Eurovision 2023: history of song contest and who are all the past winners?

Whether you love it or loathe it, the Eurovision Song Contest is back.

The annual event, which is watched by an audience of around 180 million people each year, remains immensely popular across Europe and the world. Not only does it entertain but the contest has also launched the career of huge names in music.

But how did the contest come to be? And who has won it in the past? Here’s everything you need to know about the history of the Eurovision Song Contest.

When did Eurovision Song Contest begin?

The first ever Eurovision Song Contest took place in 1956 as a way to reunite and connect Europe after the Second World War. The format was based on Italy’s Sanremo Music Festival, which had been held since 1951.

Eurovision was first held in Lugano, Switzerland with seven countries taking part - Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and Switzerland. The UK did not join the contest until the second event in 1957.

How many Eurovision Song Contests have there been?

Eurovision has been hosted annually since its inception in 1956. The only year that a contest did not take place in the past six decades is in 2020, due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

There have been 65 finals held, with the 2022 contest being the 66th.

What is the most successful country at Eurovision?

Winning the contest has given countries bragging rights in the modern era, with all of those competing hoping to pick up as many wins as possible. The most successful country in the competition is Ireland, having won Eurovision a total of seven times.

Ireland had a successful run of wins in the 1990s, becoming the first country to win the competition three years in a row. They are followed by Sweden, who have six wins. Luxembourg, France, the UK and the Netherlands all take bronze position, with five wins.

The full list of Eurovision winners

The Eurovision stage has been home to some famous faces and has even launched the career of huge names such as ABBA and Celine Dion. The two then-unknown stars became famous overnight after taking home the Eurovision trophy.

Results have often thrown up some surprises, with a four-way tie even being called in one year. Here are a full list of the winners:

1956

Switzerland: Refrain - Lys Assia

1957

The Netherlands: Net Als Toen - Corry Brokken

1958

France: Dors Mon Amour - André Claveau

1959

The Netherlands: Een Beetje - Teddy Scholten

1960

France: Tom Pillibi - Jaqueline Boyer

1961

Luxembourg: Nous Les Amoureux - Jean-Claude Pascal

1962

France: Un Premier Amour - Isabelle Aubret

1963

Denmark: Dansevise - Grethe and Jørgen Ingmann

1964

Italy: Non Ho L’étà - Gigliola Cinquetti

1965

Luxembourg: Poupée De Cire, Poupée De Son - France Gall

1966

Austria: Merci Chérie - Udo Jürgens

1967

United Kingdom: Puppet On A String - Sandie Shaw

1968

Spain: La, La, La... - Massiel

1969

Four-way tie

France: Un Jour, Un Enfant - Frida Boccara

United Kingdom: Boom Bang-a-bang - Lulu

The Netherlands: De Troubadour - Lenny Kuhr

Spain: Vivo Cantando - Salomé

1970

Ireland: All Kinds of Everything - Dana

1971

Monaco: Un Banc, Un Arbre, Une Rue - Séverine

1972

Luxembourg: Après Toi - Vicky Leandros

1973

Luxembourg: Tu Te Reconnaîtras - Anne-Marie David

1974

Sweden: Waterloo - ABBA

1975

The Netherlands: Ding-A-Dong - Teach-In

1976

United Kingdom: Save Your Kisses For Me - Brotherhood of Man

1977

France: L’oiseau Et L’enfant - Marie Myriam

1978

Israel: Abanibi - Izhar Cohen and the Alphabeta

1979

Israel: Hallelujah - Milk and Honey

1980

Ireland: What’s Another Year - Johnny Logan

1981

United Kingdom: Making Your Mind Up - Bucks Fizz

1982

Germany: Ein Bißchen Frieden - Nicole

1983

Luxembourg: Si La Vie Est Cadeau - Corinne Hermès

1984

Sweden: Diggi-loo Diggy-ley - Herrey’s

1985

Norway: La Det Swinge - Bobbysocks

1986

Belgium: J’aime Le Vie - Sandra Kim

1987

Ireland: Hold Me Now - Johnny Logan

1988

Switzerland: Ne Partez Pas Sans Moi - Céline Dion

1989

Yugoslavia: Rock Me - Riva

1990

Italy: Insieme: 1992 - Toto Cutugno

1991

Sweden: Fångad Av En Stormvind - Carola

1992

Ireland: Why Me - Linda Martin

1993

Ireland: In Your Eyes - Niamh Kavanagh

1994

Ireland: Rock ‘n’ Roll Kids - Paul Harrington and Charlie McGettigan

1995

Norway: Nocturne - Secret Garden

1996

Ireland: The Voice - Eimear Quinn

1997

United Kingdom:Love Shine A Light - Katrina and The Waves

1998

Israel: Diva - Dana International

1999

Sweden: Take Me To Your Heaven - Charlotte Nilsson

2000

Denmark: Fly On The Wings Of Love - Olsen Brothers

2001

Estonia: Everybody - Tanel Padar, Dave Benton & 2XL

2002

Latvia: I Wanna - Marie N

2003

Turkey: Everyway That I Can - Setab Erener

2004

Ukraine: Wild Dances - Ruslana

2005

Greece: My Number One - Helena Paprizou

2006

Finland: Hard Rock Hallelujah - Lordi

2007

Serbia: Molitva - Marija Šerifović

2008

Russia: Believe - Dima Bilan

2009

Norway: Fairytale - Alexander Rybak

2010

Germany: Satellite - Lena

2011

Azerbaijan: Running Scared - Ell & Nikki

2012

Sweden: Euphoria - Loreen

2013

Denmark: Only Teardrops - Emmelie de Forest

2014

Austria: Rise Like A Phoenix - Conchita Wurst

2015

Sweden: Heroes - Måns Zelmerlöw

2016

Ukraine: 1944 - Jamala

2017

Portugal: Amar Pelos Dois - Salvador Sobral

2018

Israel: TOY - Netta

2019

The Netherlands: Arcade - Duncan Laurence

2021

Italy: Zitti E Buoni - Måneskin

2022

Ukraine: Stefania by Kalush Orchestra

Who is favourite to win Eurovision 2023?

The current favourite to take home the Eurovision trophy in 2023 is Sweden. Loreen is back to represent her country once again, after winning the 2012 edition of the contest with 'Euphoria'.

It's a strong year for the Nordic countries, with Finland becoming a strong contender for Sweden. France and Ukraine also are in a good position in the bookies' odds.