Eurovision Song Contest 1998

Due to the high number of countries wishing to enter the contest a relegation system was introduced in 1993 in order to reduce the number of countries which could compete in each year's contest. Any relegated countries would be able to return the following year, thus allowing all countries the opportunity to compete in at least one in every two editions.[18] The relegation rules introduced for the 1997 contest were again utilised ahead of the 1998 contest, based on each country's average points total in previous contests.[6][8] The twenty-five participants were made up of the previous year's winning country and host nation, the eighteen countries which had the highest average points total over the preceding five contests, and any eligible countries which did not compete in the 1997 contest.[6][8] In cases where the average was identical between two or more countries the total number of points scored in the most recent contest determined the final order.[8]

Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Denmark, Germany, Iceland and Russia were therefore excluded from participating in the 1998 contest; however, after Italy declined to participate Germany was subsequently provided a reprieve and allowed to enter.[9][19] The calculations used to determine the countries relegated for the 1998 contest are outlined in the table below.

Table key

Calculation of average points to determine qualification for the 1998 contest[lower-alpha 3]

Rank	Country	Average	Yearly Point Totals[20][21][22][23][24]
			1993	1994	1995	1996	1997
1	Ireland	155.20	187	226	44	162	157
2	United Kingdom	121.40	164	63	76	77	227
3	Norway	91.60	120	76	148	114	0
4	France	80.40	121	74	94	18	95
5	Italy[lower-alpha 4]	79.50	45				114
6	Malta	75.20	69	97	76	68	66
7	Sweden	74.60	89	48	100	100	36
8	Poland	66.50		166	15	31	54
9	Cyprus	63.40	17	51	79	72	98
10	Spain	61.40	58	17	119	17	96
11	Estonia	59.33		2		94	82
12	Hungary	54.67		122	3	DNQ	39
13	Croatia	54.20	31	27	91	98	24
14	Turkey	52.25	10		21	57	121
15	Greece	50.20	64	44	68	36	39
16	Switzerland	47.50	148	15		22	5
17	Portugal	46.00	60	73	5	92	0
18	Netherlands	44.75	92	4		78	5
19[lower-alpha 5]	Slovenia	42.25	9		84	16	60
20[lower-alpha 5]	Germany[lower-alpha 4]	42.25	18	128	1	DNQ	22
21	Denmark	42.00	9		92	DNQ	25
22	Russia	40.00		70	17	DNQ	33
23	Austria	39.60	32	19	67	68	12
24	Iceland	38.20	42	49	31	51	18
25	Bosnia and Herzegovina	23.00	27	39	14	13	22

The contest featured four representatives who had previously performed as lead artists for the same country. Two artists returned as lead artists in the 1998 contest: Danijela had previously represented Croatia in 1995 as a member of the group Magazin;[12][25] and José Cid, a member of Alma Lusa, had represented Portugal in 1980.[26] Additionally, Egon Egemann, who had previously represented Switzerland in the 1990 contest, and Paul Harrington, winner of the 1994 contest for Ireland with Charlie McGettigan, returned as backing performers for their respective countries, with Egemann performing on stage as violinist for Gunvor and Harrington providing backing vocals for Dawn Martin.[27][28]

Terry Wogan (pictured in 2015), co-presenter of the 1998 contest

The Swedish-British television presenter and model Ulrika Jonsson and the Irish television and radio presenter Terry Wogan were the presenters of the 1998 contest. Wogan had previously provided television and radio commentary on the BBC since 1971, and performed this role once again for the contest's broadcast on BBC One from a separate commentary booth erected behind the stage in addition to his role as the contest presenter.[6][35]

The draw to the determine the running order, held on 13 November 1997 in the National Indoor Arena, was compered by Wogan and Katrina Leskanich, lead vocalist of the 1997 contest winners Katrina and the Waves.[6][36]

For those countries which opted to utilise the orchestra during their performance a separate musical director could be nominated to lead the orchestra during their performance, with the host musical director, Martin Koch, also conducting for those countries which did not nominate their own conductor.[8][14][37]

The entries from Belgium, Greece, Germany, Israel, Malta, Slovenia and Switzerland were performed entirely without orchestration; however, in the case of Germany and Slovenia, conductors for those countries were present during the contest.[12] Stefan Raab, the writer of the German entry under the pseudonym "Alf Igel", had no intention of conducting the orchestra but insisted on taking the customary conductor's bow before the entry, while the Slovenian entry had been due to be performed with the orchestra before a change of mind by the songwriters during the rehearsals led to the full backing track being used and their conductor Mojmir Sepe instead signalling to start the track.[16][17] The French entry had been planned to be performed completely with the backing track, but during rehearsals a decision was reached to incorporate additional live string accompaniment from the orchestra directed by Martin Koch.[38]

During rehearsals conflict occurred between the contest organisers and the Greek delegation, with the Greeks unhappy with the way that their entry was being presented on screen. Aggressive behaviour by the Greek composer, Yiannis Valvis, during the dress rehearsals led to his accreditation being rescinded, and on the day of the contest the Greek broadcaster Hellenic Broadcasting Corporation (ERT) withdrew from the contest, a decision which was ultimately reversed minutes later.[12][19][39] Issues also arose during the rehearsals for the Turkish entry, when their conductor Ümit Eroğlu was found to be leading the orchestra at too slow a tempo, resulting in the performance running over the three minute limit and thus breaking the rules of the contest. Ultimately the final performance lasted two minutes and fifty-nine seconds, ensuring that Turkey could not be disqualified for exceeding the time limit during the final and would remain in the competition.[39][40]

The trophy awarded to the writers of the winning song was designed by Anongkarat Unyawong, a student at the Birmingham School of Jewellery, who had won a competition conducted at the school for the occasion.[41][42] The winning performers received a glass bowl designed by Susan Nickson bearing the Eurovision Song Contest 1998 logo.[43] The winners were heralded by the trumpeters of the Life Guards as they entered the stage, and the awards were presented by Katrina Leskanich.[44][42]

Each participating broadcaster submitted one song to the contest, which was required to be no longer than three minutes in duration and performed in the language, or one of the languages, of the participating country. Short quotations from another language, no more than a single phrase repeated a maximum of three times, were permitted.[8] Each entry was able to utilise all or part of the live orchestra and could use instrumental-only backing tracks.[8] This was the second edition of the contest in which the entire song could be performed with a backing track, following the 1997 contest; previously any backing tracks which were used could only include the sound of instruments which featured on stage being mimed by the performers.[45] A maximum of six performers were allowed on stage during each country's performance, and all performers must have reached the age of 16 in the year of the contest.[8]

Selected entries were not permitted to be released commercially before 1 January 1998; entries were only permitted to be released after being selected for the contest, and were then only allowed to be released in the country they represented until after the contest was held.[8] Entries were required to be selected by each country's participating broadcaster by 15 March, and the final submission date for all selected entries to be received by the contest organisers was set for 23 March. This submission was required to include the score of the song for use by the orchestra, a sound recording of the entry and backing track for use during the contest, and the text of the song lyrics in its original language and translations in French and English for distribution to the participating broadcasters, their commentators and juries.[8]

For the first time a watermark was included on screen during each entry with the name of the country being performed, an innovation which has become a standard feature in each contest.[9] This edition of the contest would conversely be the last in which countries would be obliged to perform in their own language and the last to feature an orchestra accompanying the competing entries; from the following year's contest participating countries were able to send entries in any language and the organising broadcaster was no longer obliged to provide an orchestra.[46][47] In subsequent years the rules would be modified again to remove the option for entries to be accompanied by live music entirely.[48]

The results of the 1998 contest were determined through the same scoring system as had first been introduced in 1975: each country awarded twelve points to its favourite entry, followed by ten points to its second favourite, and then awarded points in decreasing value from eight to one for the remaining songs which featured in the country's top ten, with countries unable to vote for their own entry.[8][49] For the first time each participating country was required to use televoting to determine their points, with countries with weak telephone networks that prevented them from holding a large-scale televote being granted an exception.[8][9][42] This followed a trial held in the 1997 contest where televoting was used to determine the points from five of the twenty-five competing countries.[49] Viewers had a total of five minutes to register their vote by calling one of twenty-four different telephone numbers to represent the twenty-five competing entries except that which represented their own country, with voting lines opening following the performance of the last competing entry.[43][8] Once phone lines were opened a video recap containing short clips of each competing entry with the accompanying phone number for voting was shown in order to aid viewers during the voting window.[43] Systems were also put in place to prevent lobby groups from one country voting for their song by travelling to other countries.[8]

The points from countries which were unable to use televoting were determined by an assembled jury of sixteen individuals, which was required to be split evenly between members of the public and music professionals, comprised additionally of an equal number of men and women, and below and above 30 years of age. In addition countries using televoting were required to appoint a back-up jury of eight members which would be called into action upon technical failure preventing the televote results from being used, with the same equal split of gender, age and occupation.[42][8] Each jury member voted in secret and awarded between one and ten votes to each participating song, excluding that from their own country and with no abstentions permitted. The votes of each member were collected following the country's performance and then tallied by the non-voting jury chairperson to determine the points to be awarded. In any cases where two or more songs in the top ten received the same number of votes, a show of hands by all jury members was used to determine the final placing; if a tie still remained, the youngest jury member would have the deciding vote.[8]

Each entry was preceded by a video postcard which served as an introduction to the competing artists from each country, as well as providing an opportunity to showcase the running artistic theme of the event and creating a transition between entries to allow stage crew to make changes on stage.[50][51] The postcards for the 1998 contest continued the theme of the opening segment, with each clip focussing on a particular theme – either an object, place or concept – and creating a juxtaposition between its older and newer versions. Each postcard was accompanied by extracts of Britpop or classical music, with a pattern featured in the final moments of the footage forming into the flag of the country which was about to perform.[12][43] The various themes for each postcard, and the musical accompaniment which featured, are listed below by order of performance:[12][43]

Each country nominated a spokesperson who was responsible for announcing, in English or French, the votes for their respective country.[8][63] As had been the case since the 1994 contest, the spokespersons were connected via satellite and appeared in vision during the broadcast.[64] Spokespersons at the 1998 contest are listed below.[43]

During the voting procedure Ulrika Jonsson had an unplanned comical moment with the Dutch spokesperson Conny Vandenbos; after Vandenbos had expressed her sympathy with the performers in the contest – having previously represented the Netherlands in 1965 – she added that "it's long ago". This comment was not heard by the audience in the arena due to noise, but Jonsson's reply, "a long time ago, was it?" was, leading to a reaction from the crowd due to the perceived rudeness of the remark out of context.[60]

The below table summarises how the maximum 12 points were awarded from one country to another. The winning country is shown in bold. Malta and the United Kingdom each received the maximum score of 12 points from four countries, with Germany and Israel receiving three sets of 12 points each, Croatia and the Netherlands receiving two sets each, and Belgium, Cyprus, Estonia, Greece, Norway, Sweden and Turkey each receiving one maximum score.[70][71]

Distribution of 12 points awarded at the Eurovision Song Contest 1998[70][71]

N.	Contestant	Nation(s) giving 12 points
4	Malta	Ireland,  Norway,  Slovakia,  United Kingdom
	United Kingdom	Croatia,  Israel,  Romania,  Turkey
3	Germany	Netherlands,  Spain,   Switzerland
	Israel	France,  Malta,  Portugal
2	Croatia	Macedonia,  Slovenia
	Netherlands	Belgium,  Hungary
1	Belgium	Poland
	Cyprus	Greece
	Estonia	Finland
	Greece	Cyprus
	Norway	Sweden
	Sweden	Estonia
	Turkey	Germany

The Barbara Dex Award, created in 1997 by fansite House of Eurovision, was awarded to the performer deemed to have been the "worst dressed" among the participants.[115] The winner in 1998 was Germany's representative Guildo Horn, as determined by the founders of the House of Eurovision site Edwin van Thillo and Rob Paardekam.[116][117][118]