A Crash Course In:
EUROVISION
Whether you are a Eurovision newbie or the whole
annual contest has left you baffled, here’s a quick guide to how the Eurovision
Song Contest works. Impress others with your knowledge of the annual event with
a daily lesson that will provide you with everything you need to know about
Eurovision!
THE CONTEST’S ORIGINS
Swiss
entrepreneur Marcel Bezençon based the concept of Eurovision on the annual
Italian Sanremo Song Festival (which still exists today) while he was director
of the European Broadcasting Union in 1955.
Europe had
been devastated by World War 2 and the idea was to bring nations together using
technology: a live television event where each year songs would compete.
The inaugural
Eurovision Song Contest was held the following year in Lugano, Switzerland.
Only 7 countries competed that year: the Netherlands, Switzerland, Belgium,
West Germany, France, Luxembourg and Italy. At the time, it was assumed each
country would perform in its official languages. The Swiss entry “Refrain”,
performed in French by Lys Assia, became the first winning song. 
Denmark,
Austria and the United Kingdom had registered too late for the 1956 event, but
participated in 1957. Over the decades, many more countries have helped expand
the Contest. In 2020, 41 countries will compete for the top prize. This will be
the 65th year of the Contest.
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