Greece in the Eurovision Song Contest

Greece has participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 40 times since its debut in 1974, missing six contests in that time (1975, 1982, 1984, 1986, 1999 and 2000). Greece's first win came in 2005 with "My Number One", sung by Helena Paparizou. The Greek national broadcaster, Ellinikí Radiofonía Tileórasi (ERT), broadcasts the event each year and organises the process for the selection of the Greek entry.[1] Greece has never finished last in the contest.

Greece
Member stationHellenic Broadcasting Corporation (ERT)
National selection events
Participation summary
Appearances40 (38 finals)
First appearance1974
Best result1st: 2005
External links
ERT Page
Greece's page at Eurovision.tv
For the most recent participation see
Greece in the Eurovision Song Contest 2020

Throughout the 20th century, Greece achieved only two top five results, finishing fifth with Paschalis, Marianna, Robert and Bessy in 1977 and again fifth with Kleopatra in 1992. The start of the 21st century saw Greece become one of the most successful countries in the contest, with ten out of eleven top-ten results between 2001 and 2013, including third-place finishes for Antique in 2001 (with 2005 winner Paparizou as lead singer), Sakis Rouvas in 2004 and Kalomira in 2008.

In the last six contests (2014–19), Greece has not reached the top ten, including twice failing to qualify from the semi-final to the grand final (2016, 2018).

History

Before Greece as a country participated in the contest, singers from Greece have represented other countries. These singers were Jimmy Makulis (1961) for Austria, Yovanna (1965) for Switzerland, and Nana Mouskouri (1963) and Vicky Leandros (1967 and 1972) for Luxembourg.

After debuting in the 1974 contest, Greece did not participate in 1975 for "unknown reasons" according to the EBU, but it was later discovered that it was in protest of Turkey's debut and its invasion of Cyprus in 1974.[2][3] Greece was disqualified from the Eurovision Song Contest 1982 after it was revealed that Themis Adamantidis was to sing "Sarantapente Kopelies" (Σαρανταπέντε Κοπελιές), a previously released song. A known Greek folk song, it had been revised for the competition, but this violated the rules which stated that all songs had to be original in terms of songwriting and instrumentation and cannot be cover songs. Greece was forced to pay a fine and was allowed to return the following year.[4] Had Adamantidis been allowed to perform "Sarantapente Kopelies", he would have appeared second at Harrogate.[5] After returning in 1983, ERT decided that all of the possible songs were of "low quality" and decided not to participate in the Eurovision Song Contest 1984.

Greece returned once again to the Contest in 1985, and Polina was picked in the 1986 national selection to represent Greece at the Eurovision Song Contest 1986 in Bergen, Norway, but ERT pulled out of the Contest unexpectedly. Polina stated that it was due to political troubles in Greece at the time,[6] but she noted that a Eurovision website had learned that the real reason was that the Contest was to be held the night before Orthodox Easter.[6] Had she performed, she would have appeared eighteenth and she would have performed the song "Wagon-lit".[6][7]

Greece returned to the Contest in 1987 and performed each year until the Eurovision Song Contest 1999, when it as not permitted to participate because its five-year points average had fallen under the limit for participation after Thalassa's 20th-place finish in 1998. The following year, ERT announced that it would not return at the Eurovision Song Contest 2000 due to financial reasons.

Thirty-one years after its debut, Greece won for the first time in 2005 with Elena Paparizou singing "My Number One", which at the time tied for the record for the most number of twelve points allocated to a song (ten in total) along with Katrina and the Waves' 1997 "Love Shine A Light". The song also made Greece the first country not a member of Big Four to win the contest without going through a semifinal. After Eurovision, the song topped the charts in Greece, Cyprus as well as Sweden and entered the top ten in Romania, the Netherlands, Hungary, Belgium, as well as the American Billboard Hot Dance Club Play Chart. In 2005, Eurovision held a commemorative program, Congratulations, to celebrate 50 years of the contest, in which "My Number One" came fourth in a vote for the show's most popular entry, behind "Hold Me Now" (1987), "Nel blu dipinto di blu" (1958) and ABBA's "Waterloo" (1974).

Before Greece's win, the highest score was third place, achieved by duo Antique (of which Elena Paparizou was a member) in 2001 with "Die for You" and then again by Sakis Rouvas in 2004 with "Shake It". Greece's least successful result was at 16th place in the 2016 semi-final with the song "Utopian Land" by Argo, with 44 points.

In 2006, the 51st Eurovision Song Contest was held in Athens, iν the O.A.C.A. Olympic Indoor Hall, Greece, following Elena Paparizou's victory the previous year. The two hosts were popular singer, and former contestant, Sakis Rouvas and Greek American presenter Maria Menounos. The singer representing Greece in their own country was popular Greek Cypriot artist Anna Vissi.

From 2004 to 2006, ERT had selected high-profile artists internally and set up national finals to choose the song, while in 2007 and 2008 it held a televised national final to choose both the song and performer. For the 2009 Eurovision Song Contest, ERT was able to secure a high-profile artist once again and planned a national final to choose the song.[8] The song voted by the public was "This Is Our Night", another song performed by Sakis Rouvas on the show.

Greece has been one of the most successful countries in the Eurovision Song Contest in the 21st century, ten times finishing in the top-ten,[9] including ninth in 2006, seventh in 2007, third in 2008, seventh in 2009, eighth in 2010 and seventh in 2011. After Eleftheria Eleftheriou placed 17th in 2012 with her song "Aphrodisiac", Greece achieved its 10th top-ten result of the century and 18th in total in 2013, finishing sixth with the song "Alcohol is Free". In 2014, Greece finished in 20th place, which, along with 1998, were the country's worst result in the contest at that time. Greece was one of only three countries (along with Romania and Russia) to have never failed to qualify from the semifinals since their 2004 introduction (2004–15). In addition, Greece also qualified from the 1996 audio-only pre-qualifying round. In 2015, Greece failed to reach the top-ten for the third time in four years, finishing 19th.

From 2013 through 2015, the music channel MAD produced the Greek national final.

For 2016, ERT selected the Eurovision entry internally. They selected the band Argo with the song "Utopian Land".[10] For the first time since the semi-finals were introduced in 2004, Greece failed to qualify for the final. They finished 16th in the first semi-final.

In 2017, ERT selected the composer Dimitris Kontopoulos and the choreographer Fokas Evangelinos internally. They chose Demy for representing Greece in Kiev. ERT agreed, and on the 6 March 2017, Greece chose their song via a national final. Three songs were competed: "Angels", "This Is Love" and "When The Morning Comes Around". The final result was combined by 70% from televoting and by 30% from international juries from nine countries. Finally, "This Is Love" gained 70% and won the national final. At Eurovision, she qualified for the Grand Final, where she finished in 19th place with 77 points.

Voting
"Cyprus and Greece are commonly accused of favouring each other and of all the countries, statistics suggest they are the most likely to vote for each other. Wogan seemed to sum it up when Cyprus awarded Greece 12 points in last year's contest. 'Over the years people say this is ludicrous [...] but still they do it. They just don't care.' "

Ruth Alexander, "The maths of Eurovision voting", BBC News[11]

Greece is famous for, especially in recent years, always giving twelve points to Cyprus and always receiving twelve points from Cyprus. This is one of many examples of the bloc voting seen in contest which also occurs between Iberian, Balkan, Scandinavian, ex-Soviet and Baltic countries. In the case of Greece and Cyprus, the exchange of twelve points is probably because the majority of Cypriot citizens are Greeks thus sharing linguistic ties (speaking Greek) and musical taste. Furthermore, Greece and Cyprus share the same music industry. This was not always the case, as until 1997 (and, for Greece and Cyprus, 1998), all the votes were given by juries, who may be less biased by diaspora or neighbourly influence than televoters. While Greece and Cyprus did exchange top marks a few times (1987, 1994, and 1997 all saw an exchange of twelves), there were also several years where one or the other didn't receive the twelve. In 1983, only the second time Greece and Cyprus competed together, Greece awarded the Cypriot entry no points for the first and only time (the only occasion in which one of the two didn't vote for the other when they had the ability to). However, between 1997 and 2013 (excepting the contests from 1999-2000, which Greece didn't compete in, and 2001, which Cyprus didn't compete in), the two countries always gave each other twelve points if presented the opportunity. Due to the controversies caused by political voting, two semi-finals were introduced for the 2008 Contest in which Cyprus and Greece were unable to vote for each other in the semi-finals.[12] In the build-up to the 2008 contest, however, the artists representing Greece and Cyprus jointly held a successful warm-up party at the Euroclub, attended by 17 other delegations from the contest and 1500 guests attracted by the promised "confluence of the Greek-Cypriot sound".[13] However, for the first time since 1990, in 2015 Greece and Cyprus did not give each other 12 points, with Greece giving Cyprus 10 points and Cyprus giving Greece only 8 points, and curiously both countries gave the maximum to Italy. It was also the first time since 1996 that one of the two hadn't given the other twelve (with the exceptions of 1985 and 1990, one of the two countries gave the other twelve points every year).

Popularity of the contest

Until 2001, Greece was seen as one of the least successful countries in the contest, and therefore the interest of Greek people in the contest was relatively low. Since Antique's third place in 2001, the contest has grown into one of the most popular events in Greece with an estimated five million viewers each year. The high expectations of the Greek public has led to seeing the contest as a "national affair" of very big importance, and this has caused controversy. The Greek viewers expect their singers to qualify from the semi-final to the final and place inside the Top 10, except from one 17th place: in 2012 for the first time since the introduction of the semifinals failed to place in the Top 10 in Baku. In 2013 Greece was again in top 10 finishing 6th. They are the second most successful country, behind Russia, in the contest between 2000 and 2009, with one win and three third places. Since 2014 their performance has declined, having failed to finish in the top 10 six consecutive years. In 2016, Greece failed to qualify for the first time since the introduction of the semifinals in 2004 with the group Argo, breaking their qualification record. This was the first year Greece was absent from the final since 2000. Greece failed to qualify for the final again in 2018.

Contestants

The following table lists the forty entries which have competed for Greece in the Eurovision Song Contest.

Table key
1
 Winner
2
 Second place
3
 Third place
X
 Entry selected but did not compete
Year Artist Language Title Final Points Semi Points
1974
 Marinella Greek "Krasi, thalassa ke t'agori mou" (Κρασί, θάλασσα και τ'αγόρι μου) 11 7 No semi-finals
1976
 Mariza Koch Greek "Panagia mou, panagia mou" (Παναγιά μου, παναγιά μου) 13 20
1977
 Paschalis, Marianna, Robert and Bessy Greek "Mathima solfege" (Μάθημα σολφέζ) 5 92
1978
 Tania Tsanaklidou Greek "Charlie Chaplin" (Τσάρλυ Τσάπλιν) 8 66
1979
 Elpida Greek "Sokratis" (Σωκράτης) 8 69
1980
 Anna Vissi & The Epikouri Greek "Autostop" (Ωτοστόπ) 13 30
1981
 Yiannis Dimitras Greek "Feggari kalokerino" (Φεγγάρι καλοκαιρινό) 8 55
1982
 Themis Adamadidis Greek "Sarantapente kopelies" (Σαρανταπέντε κοπελιές) Withdrawn X
1983
 Kristi Stassinopoulou Greek "Mou les" (Μου λες) 14 32 No semi-finals
1985
 Takis Biniaris Greek "Moiazoume" (Μοιάζουμε) 16 15
1986
 Polina Greek "Wagon-lit" (Βαγκόν λι) Withdrawn X
1987
 Bang Greek "Stop" (Στοπ) 10 64 No semi-finals
1988
 Afroditi Frida Greek "Clown" (Κλόουν) 17 10
1989
 Mariana Efstratiou Greek "To diko sou asteri" (Το δικό σου αστέρι) 9 56
1990
 Christos Callow & Wave Greek "Horis Skopo" (Χωρίς σκοπό) 19 11
1991
 Sophia Vossou Greek "I anoixi" (Η ανοιξη) 13 36
1992
 Kleopatra Greek "Olou tou kosmou i Elpida" (Όλου του κόσμου η Ελπίδα) 5 94
1993
 Katy Garbi Greek "Ellada, chora tou fotos" (Ελλάδα, χώρα του φωτός) 9 64 Kvalifikacija za Millstreet
1994
 Kostas Bigalis Greek "To trehandiri" (Το τρεχαντήρι) 14 44 No semi-finals
1995
 Elina Konstantopoulou Greek "Poia prosefchi" (Ποια προσευχή) 12 68
1996
 Mariana Efstratiou Greek "Emeis forame to himona anoixiatika" (Εμείς φοράμε το χειμώνα ανοιξιάτικα) 14 36 12 45
1997
 Marianna Zorba Greek "Horepse" (Χόρεψε) 12 39 No semi-finals
1998
 Thalassa Greek "Mia krifi evaisthisia" (Μια κρυφή ευαισθησία) 20 12
2001
 Antique English, Greek "(I Would) Die for You" 3 147
2002
 Michalis Rakintzis English "S.A.G.A.P.O." 17 27
2003
 Mando English "Never Let You Go" 17 25
2004
 Sakis Rouvas English "Shake It" 3 252 3 238
2005
 Helena Paparizou English "My Number One" 1 230 Top 12 previous year[lower-alpha 1]
2006
 Anna Vissi English "Everything" 9 128 Host country[lower-alpha 2]
2007
 Sarbel English "Yassou Maria" (Γεια σου Μαρία) 7 139 Top 10 previous year[lower-alpha 1]
2008
 Kalomira English "Secret Combination" 3 218 1 156
2009
 Sakis Rouvas English "This Is Our Night" 7 120 4 110
2010
 Giorgos Alkaios & Friends Greek[lower-alpha 3] "OPA!" (ΩΠΑ!) 8 140 2 133
2011
 Loukas Giorkas feat. Stereo Mike Greek, English "Watch My Dance" 7 120 1 133
2012
 Eleftheria Eleftheriou English "Aphrodisiac" 17 64 4 116
2013
 Koza Mostra feat. Agathonas Iakovidis Greek, English "Alcohol Is Free" 6 152 2 121
2014
 Freaky Fortune feat. RiskyKidd English "Rise Up" 20 35 7 74
2015
 Maria Elena Kyriakou English "One Last Breath" 19 23 6 81
2016
 Argo Greek,[lower-alpha 4] English "Utopian Land" Failed to qualify 16 44
2017
 Demy English "This Is Love" 19 77 10 115
2018
 Yianna Terzi Greek "Oniro mou" (Όνειρό μου) Failed to qualify 14 81
2019
 Katerine Duska English "Better Love" 21 74 5 185
2020
 Stefania English "Supergirl" Contest cancelled[lower-alpha 5] X
2021
 Stefania[14]

Congratulations: 50 Years of the Eurovision Song Contest
Artist Language Title At Congratulations At Eurovision
Final Points Semi Points Year Place Points
Helena Paparizou English "My Number One" 4 245 4 167 2005 1 230

Hostings
Year Location Venue Presenters
2006 Athens Olympic Indoor Hall Maria Menounos and Sakis Rouvas

Awards

Marcel Bezençon Awards
Further information: Marcel Bezençon Awards
Year Category Song Performer Final Points Host city Ref.
2005 Artistic Award[lower-alpha 6] "My Number One" Helena Paparizou 1 230 Kiev
[15]

Barbara Dex Award
Further information: Barbara Dex Award
Year Performer Host city Ref.
2002 Michalis Rakintzis Tallinn
[16]

Commentators and spokespersons
Year Commentator Channel Radio commentator Spokesperson Ref.
1971 Mako GeorgiadouEIRTNo broadcastDid not participate
1972
1973
1974 Irini Gavala
1975 ERTDid not participate
1976 Irini Gavala
1977 Dimitris KonstantarasNaki Agathou
1978 Niki Venega
1979
1980
1981 Tatiana Darra
1982 No broadcastDid not participate
1983 Dimitris KonstantarasIrini Gavala
1984 No broadcastNo broadcastDid not participate
1985 Mako GeorgiadouERTDimitris KonstantarasKelly Sakakou
1986 No broadcastDid not participate
1987 Dafni BokotaDimitris KonstantarasKelly Sakakou
1988 Fotini Giannoulatou
1989
1990
1991 Giorgos Mitropoulos
1992
1993
1994
1995
1996 Niki Venega
1997
1998 Giorgos MitropoulosDimitris KonstantarasAlexis Kostalas
1999 Dafni BokotaNo broadcastDid not participate
2000
2001 Giorgos MitropoulosAlexis Kostalas
2002
2003
2004 No broadcast
2005 Alexandra Pascalidou
2006 Giorgos Kapoutzidis, Zeta Makrypoulia
2007 Maria Bakodimou, Fotis Sergoulopoulos
2008 Maggira Sisters
2009
2010 Rika Vayani
2011 Maria KozakouLena Aroni
2012 Andrianna Maggania
2013 Maria Kozakou, Giorgos Kapoutzidis
2014 Maria Kozakou (all shows), Giorgos Kapoutzidis (final)NERIT
2015 Maria Kozakou, Giorgos KapoutzidisMaria Kozakou, Giorgos KapoutzidisHelena Paparizou
2016 ERTConstantinos Christoforou
2017
2018 Alexandros Lizardos, Daphne SkalioniAlexandros Lizardos, Daphne SkalioniOlina Xenopoulou
2019 Maria Kozakou, Giorgos KapoutzidisMaria Kozakou, Giorgos KapoutzidisGus G
2020 Maria Kozakou, Giorgos KapoutzidisMaria Kozakou, Giorgos KapoutzidisNot announced before cancellation
[29]

Stage directors
Year Stage director Ref.
2004 Fokas Evangelinos
[30]
2005 Fokas Evangelinos
[31]
2009 Fokas Evangelinos
[32]
2011 Konstantinos Rigos
[33]
2012 Konstantinos Rigos
[33]
2013 Maria Liraraki
[34]
2016 Maria Liraraki
[35]
2017 Fokas Evangelinos
[36]
2018 Chali Jennings
[37]
2019 Efi Gousi
[21]
2020 Fokas Evangelinos
[38]

Photogallery

    See also

    Notes
    1. According to the then-Eurovision rules, the top ten non-Big Four countries from the previous year along with the Big Four automatically qualified for the Grand Final without having to compete in semi-finals. For example, if Germany and France placed inside the top ten, the 11th and 12th spots were advanced to next year's Grand Final along with all countries ranked in the top ten.
    2. If a country had won the previous year, they did not have to compete in the semi-finals the following year.
    3. Contains one phrase in English.
    4. Particularly Pontic Greek, except the first two sentences of the song.
    5. The 2020 contest was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
    6. Voted by previous winners.

    References
    1. Paravantes, Maria. (2005-06-11). Joy In Greece Over Eurovision Win. Billboard 117(24), 17-17. Retrieved on 2009-01-16.
    2. "EUROVISION SONG CONTEST 1975" (in Greek). OGAE Greece. Retrieved 2008-08-30.
    3. Raycoff, Ivan; Robert Deayom Tobin (July 2007). A Song for Europe. Aldershot, Hampshire, England: Ashgate Publishing. ISBN 978-0-7546-5878-8.
    4. Konstantopoulos, Fotis (2005-02-03). "Greek, Cypriot and Lebanese news". Oikotimes. Archived from the original on 2005-02-05. Retrieved 2008-08-24.
    5. TV.com - Eurovision 1982
    6. "Polina Biography" (in Greek). Archived from the original on 2008-09-07. Retrieved 2008-08-24.
    7. ""Wagon-lit" single - 1986". Sony Music. Retrieved 2008-08-24.
    8. ERT Staff (2008-07-16). "Ο Σάκης Ρουβάς και πάλι στη EUROVISION" (in Greek). ERT. Retrieved 2008-07-16.
    9. Osborn, Michael (2008-05-25). "Eurovision vote 2008: Top 10". BBC News. Retrieved 2008-05-22.
    10. Vasileiadis, George. "Greece: Argo release Eurovision song "Utopian Land"". Eurovision 2016 Predictions, Polls, Odds, Rankings | wiwibloggs. Retrieved 2016-03-27.
    11. Alexander, Ruth (2008-05-19). "The maths of Eurovision voting". BBC News. Retrieved 2008-05-22.
    12. Osborn, Michael (2008-05-20). "Sweden tipped to win Eurovision". BBC News. Retrieved 2008-05-22.
    13. Floras, Stella (2008-05-17). "Greece-Cyprus party hugely successful". ESCToday. Archived from the original on 2008-05-19. Retrieved 2008-05-22.
    14. Argyriou, Giannis (2020-03-18). "Ελλάδα: Η ανακοίνωση της ΕΡΤ για την ακύρωση της Eurovision 2020 | Mε την Stefania και στην Eurovision 2021!". Eurovision News | Music | Fun (in Greek). Retrieved 2020-03-18.
    15. "Marcel Bezençon Awards". eurovision.tv. Archived from the original on 16 July 2019. Retrieved 8 December 2019.
    16. Adams, William Lee (9 July 2015). "Poll: Who was the worst dressed Barbara Dex Award winner?". Wiwibloggs. Retrieved 8 December 2019.
    17. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=etnSvPmnKHk&t=352s
    18. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YPDNfg2ZqEM
    19. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iJ-uxBP6Kwg
    20. "Eurosong 2016 – Argo – Utopian Land". webtv.ert.gr. 10 March 2016. Retrieved 10 March 2016.
    21. Christou, Costa (April 13, 2019). "Greece: Katerine Duska reveals backing singers and dancers for Tel Aviv!". escxtra.com. Retrieved April 13, 2019.
    22. Farren, Neil (6 September 2019). "Greece: Eurovision 2020 Participation Confirmed". eurovoix.com. Retrieved 8 December 2019.
    23. Argyriou, Yiannis (8 February 2020). "Celia Kritharioti is back". eurovisionfun.com. Retrieved 8 February 2020.
    24. "Backstage of the Eurovision Song Contest 2005". infegreece.gr. 6 March 2017. Retrieved 6 March 2017.
    25. "Backstage of the Eurovision Song Contest 2005". infegreece.gr. 13 March 2017. Retrieved 13 March 2017.
    26. "Demy's dress for Eurovision 2017". iefimerida.gr.
    27. "Yianna Terzi's costume designer for the Eurovision Song Contest". infegreece.gr. 2 May 2018. Retrieved 2 May 2018.
    28. Novak, Kelly (14 May 2019). "Eurovision 2019: Katerine Duska's renaissance style dress is the most impressive we have seen this year". ladylike.gr. Retrieved 14 May 2019.
    29. Granger, Anthony (12 February 2020). "Greece: Maria Kozakou & Giorgos Kapoutzidis Confirmed as Commentators for Rotterdam". Eurovoix. Archived from the original on 15 February 2020. Retrieved 12 February 2020.
    30. Ranta, Riku (9 April 2013). "Fokas Evangelinos to create the choreography for Azerbaijan". escwebsblog.wordpress.com. Retrieved 9 April 2013.
    31. "Biography of Fokas Evangelinos". eurovision.ert.gr.
    32. Jiandani, Sanjay (Sergio) (16 February 2019). "Spain: Fokas Evangelinos will be responsible for Miki's staging in Tel Aviv". esctoday.com. Retrieved 16 February 2019.
    33. "Konstantinos Rigos talks about "Aphrodisiac" choreography". ogaegreece.com. 9 April 2012. Retrieved 9 April 2012.
    34. "Eurovision 2013: Θερμή υποδοχή από την ελληνική ομογένεια για τους Koza Mostra και τον Αγάθωνα!". tlife.gr. 10 May 2013. Retrieved 10 May 2013.
    35. "Eurosong 2016 – Argo – Utopian Land". webtv.ert.gr. 10 March 2016. Retrieved 10 March 2016.
    36. Jiandani, Sanjay (Sergio) (January 25, 2017). "Greece: ERT officially presents the 2017 Greek Eurovision Dream Team". esctoday.com. Retrieved January 25, 2017.
    37. Agadellis, Stratos (February 22, 2018). "Greece: Yianna Terzi talks about her Eurovision performance; choreographer revealed". esctoday.com. Retrieved February 22, 2018.
    38. van Rossem, Aline (March 1, 2020). "Stefania releases Greek Eurovision entry "SUPERG!RL"". escxtra.com. Retrieved March 1, 2020.
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