The following tables list the entries which have been performed at the contest over its history. Entries are listed by order of their first performance in the contest; entry numbers provide a cumulative total of all songs performed at the contest throughout its history, and a second cumulative total outlines the total entries for each country. Songs which were performed multiple times are counted only once in the tables, with entry numbers for the performances of semi-final qualifiers marked in italics in the respective finals.[1] For the purposes of the first contest, where each country was represented by two songs, each song is counted as a distinct entry but both songs are counted as a single entry for that country.
Only songs which have competed in the contest final or in the semi-finals since 2004 are considered contest entries. Songs which failed to qualify from the 1993 qualifying round for new Eastern European countries or the 1996 audio-only pre-qualifying round are subsequently not counted as official entries and are not included in the participation history for each country on the official Eurovision website.[2] Submitted entries for the ultimately cancelled 2020 contest are also excluded from this list for the purposes of calculating cumulative totals for entry numbers and country totals.[3][4]
In line with the official Eurovision Song Contest website, entries which represented the former West Germany prior to German reunification (until 1990) and those from the subsequently unified state Germany (since 1991) are considered to have represented the same country.[3] Also in keeping with the official Eurovision records, the 1992 entry which represented the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, subsequently renamed Serbia and Montenegro in 2003, is listed as having represented Yugoslavia rather than Serbia and Montenegro; Serbia and Montenegro is therefore considered to have made its first appearance in 2004.[5][6]
Table key
1 Winner – Winning entries in each edition of the contest
2 Second place – Entries which came second in each edition of the contest
3 Third place – Entries which came third in each edition of the contest
◁ Last place – Entries which came last in each edition of the contest
† Semi-final qualifier – Entries which qualified for the final by placing within the top 10 in each edition's semi-final(s) (2004–present)
‡ Back-up jury selection – Entries which qualified for the final as the back-up juries' highest-placed country which had failed to place in the top 9 countries (2008–2009)
Pre-qualifying competitions were held in advance of the 1993 and 1996 editions of the contest, as a measure to reduce the number of competing entries. In 1993 Kvalifikacija za Millstreet was held between seven new Eastern European countries competing for three places in the contest proper;[45][72] in 1996 an audio-only competition was held for all interested participants, with Norway automatically qualified as host country and 29 additional countries competing for 22 places in the contest.[48][73] Unlike the semi-final system in place since 2004, in which countries that do not advance from the semi-finals are still credited as having participated in the contest, countries which competed in these pre-qualifying rounds but failed to progress to the main contest have not been credited with having participated in that year's contest.
On a number of occasions entries into the contest have been prevented from competing at a late stage, either through withdrawal by the participating broadcaster or through disqualification by the European Broadcasting Union. The list below highlights cases where an entry for a given country had been planned in a particular year but which ultimately did not occur, either by withdrawal, disqualification or the cancellation of the contest.
On a number of occasions participation in the contest has been either suggested or attempted by countries which are ineligible due to a lack of a participating EBU member broadcaster, such as past media reports of interest by broadcasters in China, Kosovo, Liechtenstein and Qatar.[75][76][77][78] Participation has also been suggested for a number of nations and territories whose participation is currently covered by another country. Potential entries from Wales and Scotland (currently countries of the United Kingdom) and the Faroe Islands (currently a territory of Denmark) have been reported, but are generally prevented due to the exclusive participation rights of the sovereign nation to which they belong.[79][80][81] Wales and Scotland have participated in other Eurovision events where the United Kingdom as a whole do not participate, including the Junior Eurovision Song Contest and Eurovision Choir.[82][83]
The Eurovision Song Contest 2020 was planned to be the 65th edition of the contest, however the contest was cancelled in March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[120][121] A statement released by the EBU following the cancellation confirmed that the entries chosen to compete in the 2020 contest would not be eligible for the 2021 contest.[4] As these songs have not been performed live in the competition they are not considered to be contest entries and are not counted in the running total of entries performed.
^The full results of the first contest are unknown as only the winner was announced. The official Eurovision website lists all remaining entries as having placed second.[7]
^Maruv won the Ukrainian national final with "Siren Song" but refused to participate at Eurovision. The Ukrainian broadcaster UA:PBC approached the second- and third-placed artists but they also refused, leading to Ukraine withdrawing from the competition.
Roxburgh, Gordon (2012). Songs for Europe: The United Kingdom at the Eurovision Song Contest. Volume One: The 1950s and 1960s. Prestatyn: Telos Publishing. ISBN978-1-84583-065-6.
Roxburgh, Gordon (2014). Songs for Europe: The United Kingdom at the Eurovision Song Contest. Volume Two: The 1970s. Prestatyn: Telos Publishing. ISBN978-1-84583-093-9.
Roxburgh, Gordon (2016). Songs for Europe: The United Kingdom at the Eurovision Song Contest. Volume Three: The 1980s. Prestatyn: Telos Publishing. ISBN978-1-84583-118-9.
Roxburgh, Gordon (2020). Songs for Europe: The United Kingdom at the Eurovision Song Contest. Volume Four: The 1990s. Prestatyn: Telos Publishing. ISBN978-1-84583-163-9.