A recap for the first 10 countries:

Country	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	5th
Albania	Rona Nishliu - Suus (2012, 5th)	Shkodra Electronique - Zjerm (2025, 8th)	Jonida Maliqi - Ktheju Tokës (2019, 17th)	Adrian Lulgjuraj and Bledar Sjeko - Identitet (2013, DNQ)	Aurela Gaçe - Feel The Passion (2011, DNQ)
Andorra	Marian van de Wal - La Mirada Interior (2005, DNQ)	Susanne Georgi - La Teva Decisió (Get A Life) (2009, DNQ)	Anonymous - Salvem El Món (2007, DNQ)	Gisela - Casanova (2008, DNQ)	Jenny - Sense Tu (2006, DNQ)
Armenia	Aram MP3 - Not Alone (2014, 4th)	Iveta Mukuchyan - LoveWave (2016, 7th)	Brunette - Future Lover (2023, 14th)	Artsvik - Fly With Me (2017, 18th)	Ladaniva - Jako (2024, 8th)
Australia	Voyager - Promise (2023, 9th)	Kate Miller-Heidke - Zero Gravity (2019, 9th)	Dami Im - Sound Of Silence (2016, 2nd)	Delta Goodrem - Eclipse (2026, 4th)	Go-Jo - Milkshake Man (2025, DNQ)
Austria	George Nussbaumer - Weil's Da Guat Got (1996, 10th)	Teya & Selena - Who The Hell Is Edgar? (2023, 15th)	Udo Jürgens - Merci, Chérie (1966, 1st)	Zoë - Loin d'Ici (2016, 13th)	Conchita Wurst - Rise Like A Phoenix (2014, 1st)
Azerbaijan	Sabina Babayeva - When The Music Dies (2012, 4th)	Efendi - Mata Hari (2021, 20th)	Efendi - Cleopatra (2020)	Chingiz - Truth (2019, 8th)	Fahree featuring Ilkin Dovlatov - ÖzünlƏ (2024, DNQ)
Belarus	Pete Elfimov - Eyes That Never Lie (2009, DNQ)	Anastasia Vinnikova - I Love Belarus (2011, DNQ)	Koldun - Work Your Magic (2007, 6th)	Alekseev - Forever (2018, DNQ)	Uzari and Maimuna - Time (2015, DNQ)
Belgium	Urban Trad - Sanomi (2003, 2nd)	Blanche - City Lights (2017, 4th)	Vanessa Chinitor - Like The Wind (1999, 12th)	Loïc Nottet - Rhythm Inside (2015, 4th)	Jean Vallée - L'amour Ça Fait Chanter La Vie (1978, 2nd)
Bosnia and Herzegovina	Dino Merlin - Love In Rewind (2011, 6th)	Dino and Béatrice - Putnici (1999, 7th)	Regina - Bistra Voda (2009, 9th)	Hari Mata Hari - Lejla (2006, 3rd)	Vukašin Brajíc - Thunder and Lightning (2010, 17th)
Bulgaria	Poli Genova - If Love Was A Crime (2016, 4th)	Elitsa and Stoyan - Water (2007, 5th)	Dara - Bangaranga (2026, 1st)	Siri Marinova - Love Unlimited (2012, DNQ)	Elitsa and Stoyan - Samo Shampioni (2013, DNQ)

Country 11: Croatia

Croatia joined the contest in 1993, right after the break-up of Yugoslavia. They have competed almost every time since, aside from a hiatus in 2014 and 2015 after 4 successive DNQs. That means they have 32 entries in total including 2020.

Their early years in the contest were very successful, including 6 top 10 finishes in 7 years. However their results haven’t been so good since the introduction of the semifinals. Despite their early success they had to wait until 2024 for their first top 3 finish, when they were the runners up.

Overall I don’t think there’s a signature Croatian sound in their entries, but they’ve certainly had some great moments. For me they’ve really hit a run of strong form in the last few years.

My notes:

Year	Artist	Song	Language	Final	Points	Semi	Points
1993	Put	"Don't Ever Cry"	Croatian, English	15	31	3	51	A very sweet melody to this and I remember hearing it at the time, but not a whole lot else to it
1994	Tony Cetinski	"Nek' ti bude ljubav sva"	Croatian	16	27	No semi-finals		There's not much distinctive about this ballad, but the backing harmonies are nice
1995	Magazin and Lidija	"Nostalgija"	Croatian	6	91	No semi-finals		The last note and operatic singing are very impressive, but the effect is rather old fashioned
1996	Maja Blagdan	"Sveta ljubav"	Croatian	4	98	19	30	Top 10
1997	E.N.I.	"Probudi me"	Croatian	17	24	No semi-finals		This has something of the B*Witched about it though it pre-dates them; it's not bad
1998	Danijela	"Neka mi ne svane"	Croatian	5	131	No semi-finals		Top 10
1999	Doris	"Marija Magdalena"	Croatian	4	118	No semi-finals		Top 10
2000	Goran Karan	"Kad zaspu anđeli"	Croatian	9	70	No semi-finals		Another of those not very distinctive and plodding romantic ballads
2001	Vanna	"Strings of My Heart"	English	10	42	No semi-finals		I really like the violin in this which plays the part of the heart strings, but overall it's unremarkable
2002	Vesna Pisarović	"Everything I Want"	English	11	44	No semi-finals		A nice performance but I find that this has a rather straight laced and unimaginative chorus
2003	Claudia Beni	"Više nisam tvoja"	Croatian, English	15	29	No semi-finals		This has the Britney and *Nsync early 2000s pop style to it, and sounds a little formulaic
2004	Ivan Mikulić	"You Are the Only One"	English	12	50	9	72	Nothing really special but it has a nice intensity and the performance is strong
2005	Boris Novković feat. Lado members	"Vukovi umiru sami"	Croatian	11	115	4	169	Top 10
2006	Severina	"Moja štikla"	Croatian	12	56	Top 11 in 2005 final		Top 10
2007	Dragonfly feat. Dado Topić	"Vjerujem u ljubav"	Croatian, English	Failed to qualify		16	54	Their first DNQ and it is rather a head scratcher with two singers and styles that don't really gel
2008	Kraljevi ulice and 75 Cents	"Romanca"	Croatian	21	44	4	112	At the time 75 cents was the oldest ever performer, but it's rather an odd song and delivery
2009	Igor Cukrov feat. Andrea	"Lijepa Tena"	Croatian	18	45	13	33	Too many competing vocals at the same time, and nothing really distinctive happening
2010	Feminnem	"Lako je sve"	Croatian	Failed to qualify		13	33	This builds well and the performance is well put together, but it's not interesting musically
2011	Daria	"Celebrate"	English	Failed to qualify		15	41	A rather cheesy piece of Eurodance, but it's sweet enough
2012	Nina Badrić	"Nebo"	Croatian	Failed to qualify		12	42	Top 10
2013	Klapa s Mora	"Mižerja"	Croatian	Failed to qualify		13	38	Another performance that verges on the classical: it's impressive and touching but old fashioned
2016	Nina Kraljić	"Lighthouse"	English	23	73	10	133	Quite Ellie Goulding in sound this; it's pretty but with nothing to make it stand out
2017	Jacques Houdek	"My Friend"	English, Italian	13	128	8	141	This has a rather Disney feel to it and the lead vocal has an odd split personality: it isn't for me
2018	Franka	"Crazy"	English	Failed to qualify		17	63	A vintage jazz feel to this and it is nicely performed, but I don't think the song quite hits
2019	Roko	"The Dream"	English, Croatian	Failed to qualify		14	64	This isn't bad but the ideas have all been used before and it has the feeling of trying too hard
2020	Damir Kedžo	"Divlji vjetre"	Croatian	Contest cancelled				A shame this performer didn't get a second chance but the song is quite ordinary
2021	Albina	"Tick-Tock"	English, Croatian	Failed to qualify		11	110	This was top 10 with both the juries and televote alone, but for me is the soulless kind of catchy
2022	Mia Dimšić	"Guilty Pleasure"	English, Croatian	Failed to qualify		11	75	A second straight semi 11th was very unlucky, but this is quite basic lyrically and not exciting
2023	Let 3	"Mama ŠČ!"	Croatian	13	123	8	76	Top 10
2024	Baby Lasagna	"Rim Tim Tagi Dim"	English	2	547	1	177	Top 10
2025	Marko Bošnjak	"Poison Cake"	English	Failed to qualify		12	28	Top 10
2026	Lelek	"Andromeda"	Croatian	15	124	6	175	Top 10

I never noticed how poor Croatian entries have been until now. I will have a quick listen before I judge but there are two absolute standouts here.

#late but just popping in to say that Krassimir Avramov's Illusion is a MUST watch for possibly all the wrong reasons.

And Water is S-tier.

3 hours ago, Dobbo said:

#late but just popping in to say that Krassimir Avramov's Illusion is a MUST watch for possibly all the wrong reasons.

And Water is S-tier.

Substandard?

15 minutes ago, Colm said:

Substandard?

S-tier means the highest possible rank or category. It is reserved for the best of the best, sitting above an "A" grade. The "S" typically stands for "super," "superb," or "superior," originating from Japanese grading and gaming culture.

22 minutes ago, Dobbo said:

S-tier means the highest possible rank or category. It is reserved for the best of the best, sitting above an "A" grade. The "S" typically stands for "super," "superb," or "superior," originating from Japanese grading and gaming culture.

shū

10 Nina Badrić - Nebo (2012, DNQ)

2012 was well endowed with heartfelt ballads, and I think this is a really classy one, although I can see why it didn’t wow the audience.

9 Danijela - Neka Mi Ne Svane (1998, 5th)

This is quite of its time but a lovely performance and very good for its style.

8 Boris Novković featuring Lado members - Vukovi Umiru Sami (2005, 11th)

I really like the folk style of the instruments and backing vocals here, and the song has a satisfying rhythm.

7 Marko Bǒsnjak - Poison Cake (2025, DNQ)

I really felt for him as he nailed the performance and it’s a very clever song whose sections flow well together.

6 Doris - Marija Magdalena (1999, 4th)

It feels like this was inspired by Dana International from the previous year, but it’s a very good song and earned a great result.

5 Severina - Moja Štikla (2006, 12th)

Apparently she’s singing about various chat up attempts from local men. It’s a delightful and energetic song with traditional instruments and folk singing, and their most adventurous entry until the last few.

4 Lelek - Andromeda (2026, 15th)

This didn’t do badly but deserved to do a whole lot better. It’s a hugely atmospheric track that builds beautifully with a culturally authentic feel and great interplay between the singers.

3 Maja Blagda - Sveta Ljubav (1996, 4th)

1996 seems to be doing very well so far in my reviews. I think this is quite special for its time. I love how she goes for the high notes, and the fact that it’s a song that only really has the impact on stage with a live performance.

1996 is one of my favourite 90s years in Eurovision so nice to see lots of entries from there ranking highly.

I was quite into Croatia in 2002 and 2003. Loved the moody Everything I Want, which was like a Britney album track done by a Shania Twain meets Sharon Corr kind of figure, one of only 7 songs I enjoyed in a very weak year. And then Više Nisam Tvoja again was very Britney/Cheiron and a little dated by 2003 but I always liked it.

Moja Štikla is wonderful, I've always loved it and wanted it to come top 10 in 2006, and thought it would.

I thought Poison Cake was very poor. Was it an attempt to replicate the harsh/sweet switch ups of Doomsday Blue?

Severina and Doris would probably end up in my top 2, both songs are ultimate Eurovision packages

2 Baby Lasagna - Rim Tim Tagi Dim (2024, 2nd)

Listening to “Ich Will” by Rammstein (a wonderful track), it’s pretty clear that the chorus of this was heavily inspired by that. Nonetheless I think this is a brilliant and off the wall entry that deserved its popularity. It won the televote but 3rd place with the juries brought it to 2nd overall.

1 Let 3 - Mama ŠČ! (2023, 13th)

Apparently it’s an anti-war song, although they deliberately weren’t too explicit about it to avoid any controversy. Anyway it’s an extraordinary and unusual song and performance. I don’t think there’s been anything that sounds quite like this before or since. It has a military sounding verse but then erupts beautifully into a triumphant chorus. The audience really did get behind this and it came 7th in the televote, but was rather sunk by being 2nd last with the juries.

Correct top 2 and in the right order. Mama ŠČ is musically great and in my top 5 ever Eurovision entries. And that's without the visuals.

Country 12: Cyprus

Cyprus weren’t involved in the very early days of Eurovision but did join as early as 1981. Since then they’ve only missed 3 years, leaving them with 43 entered songs; the most of any country that has not won. In 1988 they withdrew their own entry because it had contravened their selection rules, in 2001 they were relegated and in 2014 they withdrew due to financial pressures (not helped by a run of mostly DNQs).

Overall I feel like with the odd exception Cyprus’ entries could be much stronger than they are, especially since the turn of the century. Occasionally they do really dip into Greek or Middle Eastern sounds but there’s a lot of fairly lightweight pop without a very strong identity. There are some very enjoyable moments here and there in both the earlier and later years.