Rules
Each country is responsible for picking its own entrant into the contest. 23 countries perform in a semifinal and the top 10 from that competition move on to the final. The final is composed of the Big 4 automatic entrants (major financial contributors) - France, Germany, Spain, United Kingdom, plus the 9 top countries from the previous year and the 10 qualifiers from the semifinal.
After the performances, viewers in each participating country vote for the favorites. They may vote for anyone except their own country's competitor. Performers receive points for placing in the top 12 among the voters in any individual country. Points from all of the countries are totaled to produce a winner. The winning country is eligible to host the contest in the following year. Last year's winner, Greece, is this year's host of the competition.
Schedule
The semifinal will be broadcast beginning at 8 p.m. BST (British summer time), Thursday, May 18th. That is 3 p.m. ET in the U.S. The final will be broadcast beginning at 8 p.m. BST Saturday, May 20th. The BBC will be broadcasting the event online.
Past Notable Contestants
- Nana Mouskouri performed for Luxembourg in 1963 but only placed 8th.
- Cliff Richard performed for the UK in 1968 and 1973. His best finish was second in 1968 with "Congratulations."
- Abba are probably the best known winners. The victory of "Waterloo" in 1974 helped propel them to world stardom.
- Olivia Newton-John represented the UK in 1974 and finished a respectable 4th.
- Johnny Logan of Ireland is the only performer to win Eurovision twice. He was victorious in 1980 and 1987. He also wrote 1992's winning song, "Why Me?" for Linda Martin of Sweden. He is now fondly referred to as "Mr. Eurovision."
- A relatively unknown Celine Dion represented Switzerland in 1988 and won the competition.
- Long after their popularity had faded, Katrina and the Waves made a comeback by winning Eurovision for the UK in 1997.
- Las Ketchup, the group best-known for the international hit "The Ketchup Song," is representing Spain this year in Eurovision 2006.
