Ukraine in the Eurovision Song Contest
Ukraine has been represented at the Eurovision Song Contest 20 times since making its debut in. The current Ukrainian participating broadcaster in the contest is the Public Broadcasting Company of Ukraine, which has selected its entrant with the national competition Vidbir in recent years. Ukraine has won the contest three times: in with "Wild Dances" by Ruslana, in with "1944" by Jamala, and in with "Stefania" by Kalush Orchestra, thus becoming the first country in the 21st century and the first Eastern European country to win the contest three times. The and contests were held in Kyiv, while the contest was held in Liverpool, United Kingdom, due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Since the introduction of the semi-final round in 2004, Ukraine is one of the only two countries outside of the "Big Five" to have qualified for the final of every contest they have competed, and has been placed outside the top-ten only six times. Ukraine has a total of nine top-five placements, with "Dancing Lasha Tumbai" by Verka Serduchka and "Shady Lady" by Ani Lorak both finishing second, "Gravity" by Zlata Ognevich as well as "Teresa & Maria" by Alyona Alyona and Jerry Heil third, "Angel" by Mika Newton fourth, and "Shum " by Go_A fifth, in addition to its wins. The only countries with more top-five results in the 21st century are and .
History
The National Television Company of Ukraine was a full member of the European Broadcasting Union since 1 January 1993, thus eligible to participate in the Eurovision Song Contest since then. It participated in the contest representing Ukraine since its in 2003. NTU had previously planned to debut at the Eurovision Song Contest in, but the planned entry failed to materialize. Since 2017, its successor, the Public Broadcasting Company of Ukraine, is the participating broadcaster representing Ukraine.NTU made its debut in the contest in 2003, when it finished in 14th place with the song "Hasta la vista" performed by Oleksandr Ponomariov.
Ukraine won the contest at the second attempt in, with the song "Wild Dances" by Ruslana, defeating second-placed by 17 points, 280 to 263. In, Ukraine became the first Eastern European country to win the contest twice, when "1944" by Jamala won. The televote was won by and the jury vote by ; Ukraine was second in both, but won with an overall total of 534 points, with Australia second with 511 points and Russia third with 491 points. In, Ukraine was pre-qualified for the final as hosts, however it achieved its worst result to date – 24th place with 36 points.
Ukraine was absent twice from the contest, in 2015 and 2019, for reasons related to the ongoing war with Russia:
- NTU sat out the 2015 contest because of financial difficulties in relation to the war in Donbas. However, Ukraine broadcast the contest despite not taking part. NTU pledged to bring Ukraine back to the contest for 2016, which was finalized and announced on 16 September 2015.
- Vidbir, the Ukrainian national selection for the 2019 contest, was won by Maruv with "Siren Song". However, UA:PBC required any potential representative in the contest to sign a contract which contained a clause to forbid them from performing in Russia. The winner Maruv, as well as runners-up Freedom Jazz and Kazka, all refused to sign the contract, leading to Ukraine's withdrawal from the contest on 27 February.
Since the introduction of the semi-final round in 2004, Ukraine is the only country to have qualified for the final of every edition it has competed in. Ukraine has a total of 13 top-ten placements. Ukraine's participation and success in the contest has been acknowledged as a factor in the country's growing soft power and international image. This view is shared by Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who has supported the country's continued participation following the Russian invasion as a way to promote the Ukrainian national cause internationally.
Participation overview
The following lists Ukraine's entries in the Eurovision Song Contest along with their result.| 1 | First place |
| 2 | Second place |
| 3 | Third place |
| X | Entry selected but did not compete |
Selection process
Hostings
AwardsMarcel Bezençon Awards
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center|escyr|2007
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