Eurovision Song Contest - Spin-offs

Spin-offs

A number of spin-offs and imitators of the Eurovision Song Contest have been produced over the years:

• Junior Eurovision Song Contest—held annually since 2003, for artists under the age of 16.
• MGP Nordic—Nordic contest similar to the Junior Eurovision Song Contest.
• Our Sound—Asia-Pacific version
• Bundesvision Song Contest—held annually between the 16 states of Germany since 2005.
• Intervision Song Contest—held by the Eastern Bloc countries between 1977 and 1980.
• Sopot International Song Festival—held in Sopot, Poland, annually since 1961.
• OTI Festival—held by Spanish and Portuguese-speaking countries annually between 1972 and 1998, and again in 2000.
• Yamaha Music Festival, also called World Popular Song Festival—held in Tokyo between 1970 and 1989.
• World Oriental Music Festival—held from 2005; includes participants from Europe and Asia.
• Baltic Song Contest—held annually in Karlshamn, Sweden.
• Castlebar Song Contest—held annually in Castlebar, County Mayo, Ireland, between 1966 and 1989.

In Autumn 2005, the EBU organised a special programme to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the contest. The show, entitled Congratulations (after Cliff Richard's entry for the United Kingdom in 1968) was held in Copenhagen, and featured many artists from the last 50 years of the contest. A telephone vote was held to determine the most popular Eurovision song of all-time, which was won by ABBA's "Waterloo" (winner, Sweden 1974).