Wikipedia

Switzerland in the Eurovision Song Contest

Switzerland has participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 64 times since its debut at the first contest in 1956, missing only four contests because of being relegated due to poor results the previous year: 1995, 1999, 2001, and 2003. Switzerland hosted the inaugural contest in 1956 in Lugano, where it also won. The country claimed its second victory in 1988, 32 years after the first, and its third in 2024, 36 years after the second win. The Swiss participant broadcaster in the contest is the Swiss Broadcasting Corporation (SRG SSR).

Switzerland in the Eurovision Song Contest
Switzerland
Participating broadcasterSwiss Broadcasting Corporation (SRG SSR)
Participation summary
Appearances64 (53 finals)
First appearance1956
Highest placement1st: 1956, 1988, 2024
Host1956, 1989, 2025
Participation history
    • 1963
    • 1964
    • 1965
    • 1966
    • 1967
    • 1968
    • 1969
    • 1970
    • 1971
    • 1972
    • 1973
    • 1974
    • 1975
    • 1976
External links
Switzerland's page at Eurovision.tv Edit this at Wikidata
For the most recent participation see
Switzerland in the Eurovision Song Contest 2024

"Refrain" performed by Lys Assia won the inaugural contest in 1956 for Switzerland; she returned to place second in 1958 with "Giorgio". The country achieved second place with "T'en va pas" by Esther Ofarim (1963) and "Pas pour moi" by Daniela Simmons (1986), and third place with "Nous aurons demain" by Franca di Rienzo (1961) and "Amour on t'aime" by Arlette Zola (1982). It won for the second time in 1988 with "Ne partez pas sans moi" performed by Céline Dion. "Moi, tout simplement" by Annie Cotton secured Switzerland's 15th top-five finish by placing third in 1993.

Since the introduction of the qualifying round in 1993, Switzerland has reached the top ten only four times. Since the semi-final round's inception in 2004, the country has failed to reach the final in 11 of 19 contests, finishing last in the semi-final on four occasions. Switzerland returned to the top five after 26 years when "She Got Me" by Luca Hänni finished fourth in 2019, achieving the country's 16th top-five result. This was followed by "Tout l'univers" by Gjon's Tears placing third in 2021, marking the 17th top-five finish. Switzerland won the contest for the third time in 2024, with "The Code" by Nemo. The country has also finished last in the semi-finals four times since 2004, with "Celebrate" by Piero and the MusicStars (2004), "Il pleut de l'or" by Michael von der Heide (2010), "Time to Shine" by Mélanie René (2015), and "The Last of Our Kind" by Rykka (2016).

Participation

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The Swiss Broadcasting Corporation (SRG SSR) is a full member of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), thus eligible to participate in the Eurovision Song Contest. It has participated in the contest representing Switzerland since the first contest in 1956.

Switzerland has four official languages, French, German, Italian, and Romansh. For intermittent periods prior to its abolition in 1999, the rules stated that the song had to be performed in an official language, which gave SRG SSR leeway as it could submit entries in any of the four languages. Out of its 64 appearances in the contest, it has sent 65 songs, 24 of which were in French,[a] 12 in German, 18 in English, 10 in Italian, and one in Romansh. The first two of Switzerland's winning songs were sung in French, with the third being sung in English.

SRG SSR has used a mix of different selection processes to determine its entry in each year's contest. Since 2019, it has used an internal selection process, although televised national finals were used in previous years, held under various names including Concours Eurovision from the 1950s to 2000s, and Die Grosse Entscheidungsshow between 2011 and 2018. In the 1980s, the Swiss national finals tended to have ten participating songs each year: three in French, three in German, three in Italian, and one in Romansch.

Participation overview

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Table key
1 First place
2 Second place
3 Third place
◁ Last place
X Entry selected but did not compete
† Upcoming event
Year Artist Song Language Final Points Semi Points
1956 Lys Assia "Das alte Karussell" German —[b] —[b] No semi-finals
"Refrain" French 1
1957 Lys Assia "L'Enfant que j'étais" French 8 5
1958 Lys Assia "Giorgio" German, Italian 2 24
1959 Christa Williams "Irgendwoher" German 4 14
1960 Anita Traversi "Cielo e terra" Italian 8 5
1961 Franca di Rienzo "Nous aurons demain" French 3 16
1962 Jean Philippe "Le Retour" French 10 2
1963 Esther Ofarim "T'en va pas" French 2 40
1964 Anita Traversi "I miei pensieri" Italian 13 ◁ 0
1965 Yovanna "Non, à jamais sans toi" French 8 8
1966 Madeleine Pascal "Ne vois-tu pas ?" French 6 12
1967 Géraldine "Quel cœur vas-tu briser ?" French 17 ◁ 0
1968 Gianni Mascolo "Guardando il sole" Italian 13 2
1969 Paola "Bonjour, bonjour" German 5 13
1970 Henri Dès "Retour" French 4 8
1971 Peter, Sue and Marc "Les Illusions de nos vingt ans" French 12 78
1972 Véronique Müller "C'est la chanson de mon amour" French 8 88
1973 Patrick Juvet "Je vais me marier, Marie" French 12 79
1974 Piera Martell "Mein Ruf nach dir" German 14 ◁ 3
1975 Simone Drexel "Mikado" German 6 77
1976 Peter, Sue and Marc "Djambo Djambo" English 4 91
1977 Pepe Lienhard Band "Swiss Lady" German 6 71
1978 Carole Vinci "Vivre" French 9 65
1979 Peter, Sue and Marc, Pfuri, Gorps and Kniri "Trödler und Co." German 10 60
1980 Paola "Cinéma" French 4 104
1981 Peter, Sue and Marc "Io senza te" Italian 4 121
1982 Arlette Zola "Amour on t'aime" French 3 97
1983 Mariella Farré "Io così non ci sto" Italian 15 28
1984 Rainy Day "Welche Farbe hat der Sonnenschein" German 16 30
1985 Mariella Farré and Pino Gasparini "Piano, piano" German 12 39
1986 Daniela Simons "Pas pour moi" French 2 140
1987 Carol Rich "Moitié moitié" French 17 26
1988 Céline Dion "Ne partez pas sans moi" French 1 137
1989 Furbaz "Viver senza tei" Romansh 13 47
1990 Egon Egemann "Musik klingt in die Welt hinaus" German 11 51
1991 Sandra Simó "Canzone per te" Italian 5 118
1992 Daisy Auvray "Mister Music Man" French 15 32
1993 Annie Cotton "Moi, tout simplement" French 3 148 Kvalifikacija za Millstreet
1994 Duilio "Sto pregando" Italian 19 15 No semi-finals
1996 Kathy Leander "Mon cœur l'aime" French 16 22 8 67
1997 Barbara Berta "Dentro di me" Italian 22 5 No semi-finals
1998 Gunvor "Lass ihn" German 25 ◁ 0
2000 Jane Bogaert "La vita cos'è?" Italian 20 14
2002 Francine Jordi "Dans le jardin de mon âme" French 22 15
2004 Piero and the MusicStars "Celebrate" English Failed to qualify 22 ◁ 0
2005 Vanilla Ninja "Cool Vibes" English 8 128 8 114
2006 six4one "If We All Give a Little" English 16 30 Top 11 in 2005 final[c]
2007 DJ BoBo "Vampires Are Alive" English Failed to qualify 20 40
2008 Paolo Meneguzzi "Era stupendo" Italian 13 47
2009 Lovebugs "The Highest Heights" English 14 15
2010 Michael von der Heide "Il pleut de l'or" French 17 ◁ 2
2011 Anna Rossinelli "In Love for a While" English 25 ◁ 19 10 55
2012 Sinplus "Unbreakable" English Failed to qualify 11 45
2013 Takasa "You and Me" English 13 41
2014 Sebalter "Hunter of Stars" English 13 64 4 92
2015 Mélanie René "Time to Shine" English Failed to qualify 17 ◁ 4
2016 Rykka "The Last of Our Kind" English 18 ◁ 28
2017 Timebelle "Apollo" English 12 97
2018 Zibbz "Stones" English 13 86
2019 Luca Hänni "She Got Me" English 4 364 4 232
2020 Gjon's Tears "Répondez-moi" French Contest cancelled[d] X
2021 Gjon's Tears "Tout l'univers" French 3 432 1 291
2022 Marius Bear "Boys Do Cry" English 17 78 9 118
2023 Remo Forrer "Watergun" English 20 92 7 97
2024 Nemo "The Code" English 1 591 4 132
2025 Confirmed intention to participate †[1] Host country

Congratulations: 50 Years of the Eurovision Song Contest

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Further information: Congratulations: 50 Years of the Eurovision Song Contest
Artist Song Language At Congratulations At Eurovision
Final Points Semi Points Year Place Points
Céline Dion "Ne partez pas sans moi" French Failed to qualify 10 98 1988 1 137

Hostings

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Year Location Venue Presenter(s)
1956 Lugano Teatro Kursaal Lohengrin Filipello
1989 Lausanne Palais de Beaulieu Lolita Morena and Jacques Deschenaux
2025 Basel St. Jakobshalle TBA †

Awards

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Marcel Bezençon Awards

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Further information: Marcel Bezençon Awards
Year Category Song Composer(s)
lyrics (l) / music (m) 		Performer Final Points Host city Ref.
2021 Composer Award "Tout l'univers" Gjon Muharremaj, Xavier Michel, Wouter Hardy & Nina Sampermans (m & l) Gjon's Tears 3 432   Rotterdam
[2]
2024 Composer Award
Artistic Award[e] 		"The Code" Benjamin Alasu, Lasse Midtsian Nymann, Linda Dale, Nemo Mettler (m&l) Nemo 1 591   Malmö
[3]
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Conductors

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Year Conductor[f] Musical director Notes Ref.
1956 Fernando Paggi [g] [4]
1957   Willy Berking N/A [h]
1958 Paul Burkhard
1959   Franck Pourcel [i]
1960 Cédric Dumont
1961 Fernando Paggi
1962 Cédric Dumont
1963   Eric Robinson [j]
1964 Fernando Paggi
1965 Mario Robbiani
1966   Jean Roderes [k]
1967 Hans Moeckel
1968 Mario Robbiani
1969   Henry Mayer
1970   Bernard Gérard [5]
1971 Hardy Schneiders
1972   Jean-Pierre Festi
1973   Hervé Roy
1974   Pepe Ederer
1975 Peter Jacques
1976 Mario Robbiani
1977 Peter Jacques
1978   Daniel Janin
1979   Rolf Zuckowski
1980 Peter Reber [6]
1981   Rolf Zuckowski
1982   Joan Amils
1983 Robert Weber [l]
1984 Mario Robbiani
1985 Anita Kerr
1986     Atilla Şereftuğ
1987 No conductor
1988     Atilla Şereftuğ
1989   Benoît Kaufman [m]
1990 Bela Balint N/A
1991   Flaviano Cuffari
1992 Roby Seidel
1993 Marc Sorrentino
1994   Valeriano Chiaravalle
1996     Rui dos Reis
1997   Pietro Damiani
1998 No conductor

Heads of delegation

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Each participating broadcaster in the Eurovision Song Contest assigns a head of delegation as the EBU's contact person and the leader of their delegation at the event. The delegation, whose size can greatly vary, includes a head of press, the performers, songwriters, composers, and backing vocalists, among others.[7]

Year Head of delegation Ref.
2016–2021 Reto Peritz
[8][9]
2022–2024 Yves Schifferle
[10][11]
2025 Daniel Meister
[12]

Commentators and spokespersons

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Over the years SRG SSR has broadcast the Eurovision Song Contest in Switzerland on its three television stations: German-language Schweizer Radio und Fernsehen (SRF), French-language Radio télévision suisse (RTS), and Italian-language Radiotelevisione svizzera di lingua italiana (RSI).

Year Commentator Spokesperson Ref.
SRF RTS RSI
1956 Fritz Schäuffele [de][13] Raymond Colbert [fr][14] No broadcast No spokesperson
1957 No broadcast Commentary via RTF France Mäni Weber
1958 Theodor Haller
1959 Boris Acquadro
1960
1961
1962 Commentary via RAI Italy Alexandre Burger
1963 Georges Hardy
1964 Robert Burnier
1965 Jean Charles
1966 Georges Hardy Giovanni Bertini
1967 Robert Burnier
1968 Georges Hardy
1969
1970
1971 No spokesperson
1972
1973
1974 Michel Stocker
1975
1976
1977
1978
1979 Max Rüeger
1980 Theodor Haller
1981
1982
1983
1984 Bernard Thurnheer Serge Moisson Ezio Guidi
1985
1986
1987 Wilma Gilardi
1988 Ezio Guidi
1989 Thierry Masselot Giovanni Bertini
1990 Emanuela Gaggini
1991 Lolita Morena
1992 Mariano Tschuor Ivan Frésard
1993 Bernard Thurnheer Jean-Marc Richard
1994 Wilma Gilardi Sandra Studer
1995 Heinz Margot Joanne Holder Did not participate
1996 Sandra Studer Pierre Grandjean Yves Ménestrier
1997 Heinz Margot, Roman Kilchsperger Jonathan Tedesco Sandy Altermatt
1998 Jean-Marc Richard Regula Elsener
1999 Sandra Studer Did not participate
2000 Astrid Von Stockar
2001 Phil Mundwiller Did not participate
2002 Jonathan Tedesco, Claudio Lazzarino Diana Jörg
2003 Roman Kilchsperger Jean-Marc Richard, Alain Morisod Daniele Rauseo, Claudio Lazzarino Did not participate
2004 Marco Fritsche Daniela Tami, Claudio Lazzarino Emel Aykanat
2005 Sandra Studer Jean-Marc Richard, Marie-Thérèse Porchet Cécile Bähler
2006 Jean-Marc Richard, Alain Morisod Sandy Altermatt, Claudio Lazzarino Jubaira Bachmann
2007 Bernard Thurnheer Jean-Marc Richard (all), Henri Dès (final),
Nicolas Tanner (semi-final)		 Sven Epiney
2008 Sven Epiney Jean-Marc Richard, Nicolas Tanner Sandy Altermatt Cécile Bähler
2009
2010 Christa Rigozzi
2011 Jonathan Tedesco Cécile Bähler
2012 Clarissa Tami, Paolo Meneguzzi Sara Hildebrand
2013 Alessandro Bertoglio Mélanie Freymond
2014 Sven Epiney, Peter Schneider, Gabriel Vetter Alessandro Bertoglio, Sandy Altermatt Kurt Aeschbacher
2015 Clarissa Tami, Paolo Meneguzzi Laetitia Guarino
2016 Clarissa Tami, Michele Carobbio Sebalter
2017 Sven Epiney (all); Stefan Büsser, Micky Beisenherz (final) Clarissa Tami (all); Sebalter (final) Luca Hänni
[15][16][17]
2018 Sven Epiney Clarissa Tami, Sebalter Letícia Carvalho
[18][19][20][21]
2019 Jean-Marc Richard, Nicolas Tanner (all);
Bastian Baker (final)		 Sinplus
[22][23][24][25]
2021 Jean-Marc Richard, Nicolas Tanner (all);
Joseph Gorgoni (final)		 Clarissa Tami (2nd semi-final and final);
Sebalter (final)		 Angélique Beldner
[26][27][28][29][30]
2022 Jean-Marc Richard (all);
Nicolas Tanner (semi-finals)
Gjon's Tears (final)		 Clarissa Tami (all);
Francesca Marigiotta (1st semi-final and final)
Boris Piffaretti (2nd semi-final and final)		 Julie Berthollet
[31][32]
2023 Jean-Marc Richard, Nicolas Tanner, Priscilla Formaz Ellis Cavallini and Gian-Andrea Costa Chiara Dubey
[33][34][35]
[36][37][38][39][40][41]
2024 Jean-Marc Richard (all), Nicolas Tanner (all), Julie Berthollet (final) Jennifer Bosshard
[42][43][44][45]
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See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ The selected Swiss entry for the cancelled 2020 contest was also sung in French.
  2. ^ a b The 1956 contest had secret voting and, apart from the winner, no results were released.
  3. ^ 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 the next year's grand final along with all countries ranked in the top ten.
  4. ^ The 2020 contest was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
  5. ^ Voted by the national commentators.
  6. ^ All conductors are of Swiss nationality unless otherwise noted.
  7. ^ Also conducted the Dutch and German entries.
  8. ^ Host conductor
  9. ^ Host conductor
  10. ^ Host conductor
  11. ^ Host conductor
  12. ^ Conducted at the national final by Hans Moeckel
  13. ^ Also conducted the Luxembourgish entry and half of the Danish entry.

References

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  1. ^ "Eurovision Song Contest 2025: Wer vertritt die Schweiz?" [Who will represent Switzerland at the Eurovision Song Contest 2025?] (in Swiss High German). SRF. 2024-07-03. Retrieved 2024-07-04.
  2. ^ "The Marcel Bezençon Award". 22 May 2021.
  3. ^ "Eurovision 2024: The winners of Marcel Bezençon Awards 2024! - OGAE Greece".
  4. ^ Roxburgh, Gordon (2012). Songs for Europe: The United Kingdom at the Eurovision Song Contest. Vol. One: The 1950s and 1960s. Prestatyn: Telos Publishing. pp. 93–101. ISBN 978-1-84583-065-6.
  5. ^ Roxburgh, Gordon (2014). Songs for Europe: The United Kingdom at the Eurovision Song Contest. Vol. Two: The 1970s. Prestatyn: Telos Publishing. pp. 142–168. ISBN 978-1-84583-093-9.
  6. ^ Roxburgh, Gordon (2016). Songs for Europe: The United Kingdom at the Eurovision Song Contest. Vol. Three: The 1980s. Prestatyn: Telos Publishing. ISBN 978-1-84583-118-9.
  7. ^ "Heads of Delegation". European Broadcasting Union. Retrieved 27 May 2019.
  8. ^ Interview mit Reto Peritz, Head of Delegation Switzerland Eurovision Song Contest (in Swiss High German). douzepoints.ch. 2016-05-16. Retrieved 2023-12-22 – via YouTube.
  9. ^ Casellini, Stefano (2020-12-31). "Switzerland: The new song for Gjon's Tears is ready!". ESCToday. Retrieved 2023-12-22.
  10. ^ Arth, Rick (2022-05-27). "Host city speculation: Could Eurovision 2023 be held in Switzerland?". Wiwibloggs. Retrieved 2023-12-22.
  11. ^ Stephenson, James (2023-12-22). "Switzerland: Eurovision Song Won't Be 'Male Ballad'". Eurovoix. Retrieved 2023-12-22.
  12. ^ Estermann, Edi (2024-07-03). "ESC 2025: the core project team is in place" (Press release). SRG SSR. Retrieved 2024-07-03.
  13. ^ "Do. 24. Mai". Bild+Funk [de] (in German). No. 21/1956. 20 May 1956. p. 43. OCLC 643528928.
  14. ^ "Avec la télévision romande". La Liberté (in French). 2 June 1956. p. 31. OCLC 632871126. Retrieved 8 November 2023.
  15. ^ ""ESC" 2017: Satirischer Kommentar mit Stefan Büsser und "Aeschbacher Spezial – aus Kiew"" [«ESC» 2017: Satirical commentary with Stefan Büsser and «Aeschbacher Special – from Kyiv»]. SRF (in German). Retrieved 27 February 2020.
  16. ^ "Eurovision Song Contest 2017". RSI (in Italian). Archived from the original on 7 May 2017. Retrieved 27 February 2017.
  17. ^ Davies, Megan (1 May 2017). "Switzerland: Luca Hänni Announced As Spokesperson". Eurovoix. Retrieved 27 February 2020.
  18. ^ Granger, Anthony (16 April 2018). "Switzerland: Sven Epiney Returns to the Commentary Booth". Eurovoix. Retrieved 26 February 2020.
  19. ^ "Eurosong – TV – Play RTS". RTS (in French). Retrieved 26 February 2020.
  20. ^ "Eurovision Song Contest 2018 – RSI Radiotelevisione svizzera". RSI (in Italian). 7 May 2018. Retrieved 26 February 2020.
  21. ^ Granger, Anthony (19 April 2018). "Switzerland: Leticia Carvalho Revealed as Spokesperson". Eurovoix. Retrieved 26 February 2020.
  22. ^ Granger, Anthony (16 April 2019). "Switzerland: Sven Epiney Confirmed as SRF's Eurovision Commentator". Eurovoix. Retrieved 26 February 2020.
  23. ^ Brown, Alistair (3 May 2019). "Switzerland: Bastian Baker Announced As Commentator For Grand Final". Eurovoix. Retrieved 26 February 2020.
  24. ^ "Dal 3 giugno addio al Digitale Terrestre in Svizzera, niente più Eurovision sulla RSI per gli italiani" [Farewell to DTT in Switzerland from 3 June, no more Eurovision on CSR for Italians]. eurofestivalnews.com (in Italian). 6 May 2019. Retrieved 26 February 2020.
  25. ^ Herbert, Emily (24 April 2019). "Switzerland: Sinplus Revealed as Eurovision 2019 Spokespersons". Eurovoix. Retrieved 26 February 2020.
  26. ^ "TV-Programm" (in German). Swiss Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 2021-05-10.
  27. ^ "Eurovision 2021: scarica la Guida completa all'evento (anche in versione eBook!)". Eurofestival (in Italian). 10 May 2021. Retrieved 2021-05-11.
  28. ^ "Programme TV" (in French). Radio Télévision Suisse. Retrieved 2021-05-10.
  29. ^ Granger, Anthony (2021-04-12). "Switzerland: Sven Epiney Confirmed as SRF's Eurovision 2021 Commentator". Eurovoix. Retrieved 2021-04-12.
  30. ^ Granger, Anthony (2021-04-27). "Switzerland: Angélique Beldner Revealed as Spokesperson For Eurovision 2021". Eurovoix. Retrieved 2021-04-27.
  31. ^ "Switzerland: Eurovision 2022 Commentators for RSI Revealed". 8 May 2022.
  32. ^ "Switzerland: Julie Berthollet Spokesperson for Eurovision 2022". 7 May 2022.
  33. ^ "Sie war 2018 in der Vorauswahl - Chiara Dubey verteilt die ESC-Punkte für die Schweiz". srf.ch (in German). SRF. 2023-04-25. Retrieved 2023-04-26.
  34. ^ "Remo Forrer mit «Watergun» für die Schweiz am «Eurovision Song Contest» 2023". Medienportal (in German). Retrieved 2023-03-07.
  35. ^ "ESC 2023 - Svizra prenda part cun «Watergun»". rtr.ch (in Romansh). Radiotelevisiun Svizra Rumantscha. 7 March 2023. Retrieved 2023-03-07.
  36. ^ "TV-Programm – 09.05.2023". Play SRF (in German). Retrieved 2023-04-05.
  37. ^ "TV-Programm – 11.05.2023". Play SRF (in German). Retrieved 2023-04-05.
  38. ^ "TV-Programm – 13.05.2023". Play SRF (in German). Retrieved 2023-04-06.
  39. ^ Granger, Anthony (2023-04-11). "Switzerland: Sven Epiney Confirmed as SRF's Eurovision 2023 Commentator". Eurovoix. Retrieved 2023-04-11.
  40. ^ "'Watergun': Remo Forrer fait son entrée dans l'Eurovision avec force". rts.ch (in Swiss French). Radio Télévision Suisse. 7 March 2023. Retrieved 2023-03-07.
  41. ^ "Eurovision Song Contest 2023 - Remo Forrer in gara per la Svizzera con 'Watergun'". rsi.ch (in Italian). Radiotelevisione svizzera. Retrieved 2023-03-07.
  42. ^ "11. Mai 2024". Play SRF (in Swiss High German). SRG SSR. Retrieved 12 April 2024.
  43. ^ Granger, Anthony (27 March 2024). "Switzerland: Jennifer Bosshard Spokesperson for Eurovision 2024". Eurovoix. Retrieved 27 March 2024.
  44. ^ "9. Mai 2024". Play SRF (in Swiss High German). SRF. Retrieved 12 April 2024.
  45. ^ "1ère demi-finale internationale". Play RTS (in Swiss French). SRG SSR. Retrieved 9 May 2024.
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