# Turkey in the Eurovision Song Contest

Turkey has participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 34 times since its debut in 1975. The Turkish participant broadcaster in the contest is Türkiye Radyo ve Televizyon Kurumu (TRT). Turkey won the contest once in 2003, and hosted the 2004 contest in Istanbul. Since the introduction of the semi-finals in 2004, Turkey has only failed to qualify for the final once, in 2011.
Turkey finished last on its debut at the contest in 1975, and went on to finish last with nul points in 1983 and 1987. They reached the top ten for the first time in 1986. "Dinle" performed by Şebnem Paker achieved the country's first top five result in 1997, finishing third. The country went on to achieve five more top five placements after the introduction of the free language rule and televoting, with "Everyway That I Can" by Sertab Erener giving Turkey its first victory in 2003. Turkey's other top five results are "For Real" by Athena (2004), "Shake It Up Şekerim" by Kenan Doğulu (2007), "Düm Tek Tek" by Hadise (2009), who all finished fourth, and "We Could Be the Same" by Manga (2010), who finished second.
TRT announced in December 2012 that it would not participate in the 2013 contest, citing dissatisfaction with the rules of the competition. 2013 was the first time since 1979 that there was no television broadcast of the Eurovision Song Contest on TRT. The country has not returned to the contest since.

## History

Türkiye Radyoları, the national radio broadcasting service of Turkey, was one of the founding members of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) in 1950 along with other twenty-two broadcasting organisations; after beginning regular television broadcasts in December 1971, it would renew its EBU membership on 26 August 1972 fold as Türkiye Radyo ve Televizyon Kurumu (TRT). Its membership in the EBU is possible since Turkey is within the European Broadcasting Area and is a member of the Council of Europe.
As a full member of the EBU, TRT is eligible to participate in the Eurovision Song Contest. It had participated in the contest representing Turkey since its 20th edition in 1975 until the 57th edition in 2012. TRT televised the contest between 1973 and 2012, even during the years in which it did not enter the competition.

### 1970s

Turkey made its debut at the 1975 contest in Stockholm. Greece did not take part in the contest for "unknown reasons" according to the EBU, but it was later revealed that the withdrawal was in protest of Turkey's debut and their invasion of Cyprus in 1974. TRT organized a national final to select the first ever Turkish entrant to the Eurovision Song Contest. The final took place on 9 February 1975 in the studios of TRT and was hosted by Bülend Özveren. 106 songs were submitted for the national final. The winning song, "Seninle Bir Dakika" ("A minute with you") by Semiha Yankı, was picked by averaging the ranks from the professional jury and people's jury. At the close of voting during the contest, the song received only three points from Monaco and placed last.
In 1976, Greece's entry to the contest aroused controversy due to its subject matter being the Turkish invasion of Cyprus. Turkey withdrew from the contest to protest the political background of Greece's entry, called "Panagia mou, panagia mou." Turkey televised the final on 3 April 1976 but censored the Greek entrant's performance. They played a nationalist Turkish song titled "Memleketim" ("My motherland", the Turkish cover of the Yiddish folk song "Rabbi Elimelekh"), which was one of the symbols of the Turkish invasion of Cyprus in Turkey.
Turkey did not take part in the contest again until 1978, placing 18th with the song "Sevince" performed by Nazar and Nilüfer.
The 1979 contest was held in Jerusalem. The Turkish entry selected was "Seviyorum" ("I'm in love") by Maria Rita Epik. However, Turkey withdrew from the contest due to pressure from neighboring Arab countries to do so, which arose from the ongoing controversy regarding the status of Jerusalem.

### 1980s

Turkey participated in the Eurovision Song Contest consistently throughout the 1980s. In 1980, Turkish superstar Ajda Pekkan and the song "Petrol" was selected by TRT through a national final. Pekkan placed 15th with 23 points, including the first ever score 12 points received by Turkey, coming from Morocco.
Turkey had their best result (until 1997) in the 1986 contest in Bergen, Norway, when Klips ve Onlar placed ninth with a total of 53 points. The country scored nul points twice in the eighties, first in 1983 (shared with Spain) and later in 1987. Several famous Turkish artists performed for the contest during the 1980s, including Ajda Pekkan, Neco, Candan Erçetin and MFÖ.

### 1990s

The contest's popularity in Turkey suffered after Kayahan, one of the most famous singers in the country, placed 17th out of 22 participating countries with 21 points. After Kayahan's poor result, Turkey's Eurovision entrants were mostly unknown or amateur singers until 2003.
Şebnem Paker represented the country in two consecutive years. The first time being in 1996 where she qualified for the final and placed 12th, and the second in 1997 where she placed third, behind the UK and Ireland, with the song "Dinle" ("Listen"), sung in Turkish. This was the first time ever Turkey managed to make it in the top three and also it became the most successful result for the country until its victory in 2003. Şebnem Paker returned to the Turkish national final in 1998, but placed fourth and did not qualify for the contest as the Turkish participant for a third consecutive year. Tüzmen represented the country and placed 14th. Turkey participated throughout all of the 1990s except for the 1994 contest, from which they were relegated due to their 21st-place finish in 1993.
After the free language rule was re-introduced in 1999, the first Turkish entry to be partially sung in English was at the 2000 contest. The same year, Turkey reached the top 10 for a third since 1986, finishing tenth.

### 2000s and 2010s

In the late 1990s to early 2000s, the contest became one of the most popular events in Turkey as a result of the participation of other Central and Eastern European countries, and Sertab Erener's win in 2003 with the song "Everyway That I Can". Following the introduction of televoting in 1998, (initially trialed in 1997 and first implemented in Turkey in 2003), Turkey went on to achieve eight top 10 results in the contest.
"Everyway That I Can" was the first Turkish entry in the contest to be sung completely in English. TRT selected the entry through an internal selection mainly organised by OGAE Turkey.
The 2004 contest was held in the Abdi Ipekci Arena, with the first-ever semi-final held on 12 May, followed by the final on 15 May. After Erener's victory (with the exception of the 2004 and 2005 contests), Turkish entries to the contest were chosen internally. Turkey had always qualified for the final (except for the 2011 contest in Düsseldorf) since the introduction of the semi-finals in 2004 and always reached the top ten, except in 2005 and 2006. From 2000, Turkey had seven songs sung in English and four sung in both English and Turkish, with just three (2005, 2006, and 2008) songs sung entirely in Turkish.
Along with Greece, Turkey brought the contest a new outlook with flashy stage performances and dresses alongside their oriental/Mediterranean-flavoured pop music acts (Sertab Erener, Sibel Tüzün, Kenan Doğulu and Hadise). In 2004, 2008, 2010, and 2011, the country was represented by bands, most of them with rock-influenced songs with Ottoman, Eastern European and Balkan instruments. Athena ranked fourth in 2004, when the contest was held in Istanbul; Mor ve Ötesi ranked seventh with a song completely in Turkish in 2008 and the nu metal band Manga, named the Best European Act in the MTV Europe Music Awards 2009, ranked second in 2010. Yüksek Sadakat in 2011 placed 13th in the first semi-final of the contest and failed to qualify, marking the first and only time that Turkey failed to qualify for the final. In 2012, Turkey participated for the last time as of 2012 with the song "Love Me Back" by Can Bonomo, which placed seventh in the final with 112 points.

### 2013–present: Absence

TRT announced that it would not participate in the 2013 contest on 14 December 2012, citing dissatisfaction with the rules of the competition. TRT specifically cited changes to the voting system, in which a jury was introduced and the televote's influence was decreased to 50%. Turkey has not participated in or broadcast the contest since. In August 2018, İbrahim Eren, the Director-General of TRT, stated that TRT does not plan to return to the contest and break the boycott for various reasons, citing Conchita Wurst's participation and eventual victory in 2014. The EBU and Eren entered talks on a potential Turkish return ahead of 2022 contest; despite this, the country was not on the final list of participants.

## Participation overview

| Year | Artist | Song | Language | Final | Points | Semi | Points |
| 1975 | Semiha Yankı | "Seninle Bir Dakika" | Turkish | 19 ◁ | 3 | No semi-finals | No semi-finals |
| 1978 | Nilüfer and Nazar | "Sevince" | Turkish | 18 | 2 | No semi-finals | No semi-finals |
| 1979 | Maria Rita Epik and 21. Peron | "Seviyorum" | Turkish | Withdrawn X | Withdrawn X | | No semi-finals | No semi-finals |
| 1980 | Ajda Pekkan | "Pet'r Oil" | Turkish | 15 | 23 | No semi-finals | No semi-finals |
| 1981 | Modern Folk Trio and Ayşegül | "Dönme Dolap" | Turkish | 18 | 9 | No semi-finals | No semi-finals |
| 1982 | Neco | "Hani?" | Turkish | 15 | 20 | No semi-finals | No semi-finals |
| 1983 | Çetin Alp and the Short Waves | "Opera" | Turkish | 19 ◁ | 0 | No semi-finals | No semi-finals |
| 1984 | Beş Yıl Önce, On Yıl Sonra | "Halay" | Turkish | 12 | 37 | No semi-finals | No semi-finals |
| 1985 | MFÖ | "Didai didai dai" | Turkish | 14 | 36 | No semi-finals | No semi-finals |
| 1986 | Klips ve Onlar | "Halley" | Turkish | 9 | 53 | No semi-finals | No semi-finals |
| 1987 | Seyyal Taner and Grup Lokomotif | "Şarkım Sevgi Üstüne" | Turkish | 22 ◁ | 0 | No semi-finals | No semi-finals |
| 1988 | MFÖ | "Sufi (Hey Ya Hey)" | Turkish | 15 | 37 | No semi-finals | No semi-finals |
| 1989 | Pan | "Bana Bana" | Turkish | 21 | 5 | No semi-finals | No semi-finals |
| 1990 | Kayahan | "Gözlerinin Hapsindeyim" | Turkish | 17 | 21 | No semi-finals | No semi-finals |
| 1991 | Can Uğurluer, Reyhan Karaca and İzel Çeliköz | "İki Dakika" | Turkish | 12 | 44 | No semi-finals | No semi-finals |
| 1992 | Aylin Vatankoş | "Yaz Bitti" | Turkish | 19 | 17 | No semi-finals | No semi-finals |
| 1993 | Burak Aydos, Öztürk Baybora and Serter | "Esmer Yarim" | Turkish | 21 | 10 | Kvalifikacija za Millstreet | Kvalifikacija za Millstreet |
| 1995 | Arzu Ece | "Sev!" | Turkish | 16 | 21 | No semi-finals | No semi-finals |
| 1996 | Şebnem Paker | "Beşinci Mevsim" | Turkish | 12 | 57 | 7 | 69 |
| 1997 | Şebnem Paker and Grup Etnik | "Dinle" | Turkish | 3 | 121 | No semi-finals | No semi-finals |
| 1998 | Tüzmen | "Unutamazsın" | Turkish | 14 | 25 | No semi-finals | No semi-finals |
| 1999 | Tuba Önal and Grup Mistik | "Dön Artık" | Turkish | 16 | 21 | No semi-finals | No semi-finals |
| 2000 | Pınar and the S.O.S. | "Yorgunum Anla" | Turkish, English | 10 | 59 | No semi-finals | No semi-finals |
| 2001 | Sedat Yüce | "Sevgiliye Son" | Turkish, English | 11 | 41 | No semi-finals | No semi-finals |
| 2002 | Buket Bengisu and Group Safir | "Leylaklar Soldu Kalbinde" | Turkish, English | 16 | 29 | No semi-finals | No semi-finals |
| 2003 | Sertab Erener | "Everyway That I Can" | English | 1 | 167 | No semi-finals | No semi-finals |
| 2004 | Athena | "For Real" | English | 4 | 195 | Host country | Host country |
| 2005 | Gülseren and Shaman | "Rimi Rimi Ley" | Turkish | 13 | 92 | Top 12 in 2004 final | Top 12 in 2004 final |
| 2006 | Sibel Tüzün | "Süper Star" | Turkish | 11 | 91 | 8 | 91 |
| 2007 | Kenan Doğulu | "Shake It Up Şekerim" | English | 4 | 163 | 3 | 197 |
| 2008 | Mor ve Ötesi | "Deli" | Turkish | 7 | 138 | 7 | 85 |
| 2009 | Hadise | "Düm Tek Tek" | English | 4 | 177 | 2 | 172 |
| 2010 | Manga | "We Could Be the Same" | English | 2 | 170 | 1 | 118 |
| 2011 | Yüksek Sadakat | "Live It Up" | English | Failed to qualify | Failed to qualify | 13 | 47 |
| 2012 | Can Bonomo | "Love Me Back" | English | 7 | 112 | 5 | 80 |

### Congratulations: 50 Years of the Eurovision Song Contest

| Artist | Song | Language | At Congratulations | At Congratulations | At Congratulations | At Congratulations | At Eurovision | At Eurovision | At Eurovision |
| Artist | Song | Language | Final | Points | Semi | Points | Year | Place | Points |
| Sertab Erener | "Everyway That I Can" | English | Failed to qualify | Failed to qualify | 9 | 104 | 2003 | 1 | 167 |

## Hostings

| Year | Location | Venue | Presenters |
| 2004 | Istanbul | Abdi İpekçi Arena | Korhan Abay and Meltem Cumbul |

## Awards
### Marcel Bezençon Awards

| Year | Category | Song | Performer | Final | Points | Host city |
| 2003 | Press Award | "Everyway That I Can" | Sertab Erener | 1 | 167 | Riga |

## Conductors

| Year | Conductor |
| 1975 | Timur Selçuk |
| 1978 | Onno Tunç |
| 1979 | Tuğrul Karataş |
| 1980 | Atilla Özdemiroğlu |
| 1981 | Onno Tunç |
| 1982 | Garo Mafyan |
| 1983 | Buğra Uğur |
| 1984 | Selçuk Başar |
| 1985 | Garo Mafyan |
| 1986 | Melih Kibar |
| 1987 | Garo Mafyan |
| 1988 | Turhan Yükseler |
| 1989 | Timur Selçuk |
| 1990 | Ümit Eroğlu |
| 1991 | Turhan Yükseler |
| 1992 | Aydın Özarı |
| 1993 | No conductor |
| 1995 | Melih Kibar |
| 1996 | Levent Çoker |
| 1997 | Levent Çoker |
| 1998 | Ümit Eroğlu |

## Commentators and spokespersons

Prior to 2012 every contest Turkey had taken part in had always been commentated on by Turkish television presenter Bülend Özveren, with the exception of 1982–1985, 1990–1991, 1998–2001, and 2007. In addition Özveren also co-commentated the contest in 2004, 2011, and 2012. Out of the 38 years Turkey have broadcast the event Özveren has commentated on 29 of them making him nine years short of being the contest's longest commentator.
| Year | Channel | Commentator | Spokesperson |
| 1973 | TRT Televizyon | Unknown | Did not participate |
| 1974 | TRT Televizyon | Unknown | Did not participate |
| 1975 | TRT Televizyon | Unknown | Unknown |
| 1976 | TRT Televizyon | Unknown | Did not participate |
| 1977 | TRT Televizyon | Bülend Özveren | Did not participate |
| 1978 | TRT Televizyon | Unknown | Meral Savcı |
| 1979 | No broadcast | No broadcast | Did not participate |
| 1980 | TRT Televizyon | Bülend Özveren | Unknown |
| 1981 | TRT Televizyon | Unknown | Unknown |
| 1982 | TRT Televizyon | Ümit Tunçağ | Unknown |
| 1983 | TRT Televizyon | Unknown | Unknown |
| 1984 | TRT Televizyon | Başak Doğru | Başak Doğru |
| 1985 | TRT Televizyon | Unknown | Unknown |
| 1986 | TRT Televizyon | Gülgün Baysal | Unknown |
| 1987 | TV1 | Unknown | Unknown |
| 1988 | TV1 | Unknown | Unknown |
| 1989 | TV1 | Bülend Özveren | Unknown |
| 1990 | TV1 | Başak Doğru | Unknown |
| 1991 | TV1 | Unknown | Canan Kumbasar |
| 1992 | TV1 | Unknown | Korhan Abay |
| 1993 | TRT 1 | Bülend Özveren | Ömer Önder [tr] |
| 1994 | TRT 1 | Unknown | Did not participate |
| 1995 | TRT 1 | Unknown | Ömer Önder |
| 1996 | TRT 1 | Unknown | Ömer Önder |
| 1997 | TRT 1, TRT Int | Unknown | Ömer Önder |
| 1998 | TRT 1, TRT Int | Bülend Özveren | Osman Erkan |
| 1999 | TRT 1, TRT Int | Gülşah Banda | Osman Erkan |
| 2000 | TRT 1, TRT Int | Ömer Önder | Osman Erkan |
| 2001 | TRT 1, TRT Int | Unknown | Meltem Ersan Yazgan |
| 2002 | TRT 1 | Ömer Önder | Meltem Ersan Yazgan |
| 2003 | TRT 1, TRT Int | Bülend Özveren | Meltem Ersan Yazgan |
| 2004 | TRT 1, TRT Int | Unknown | Meltem Ersan Yazgan |
| 2005 | TRT 1 | Unknown | Meltem Ersan Yazgan |
| 2006 | TRT 1 | Bülend Özveren | Meltem Ersan Yazgan |
| 2007 | TRT 1 | Unknown | Meltem Ersan Yazgan |
| 2007 | TRT 1 | Hakan Urgancı | Meltem Ersan Yazgan |
| 2008 | TRT 1, TRT Int | Unknown | Meltem Ersan Yazgan |
| 2008 | TRT Türk (Final) | Bülend Özveren | Meltem Ersan Yazgan |
| 2009 | TRT 1 | Unknown | Meltem Ersan Yazgan |
| 2010 | TRT 1 | Bülend Özveren | Meltem Ersan Yazgan |
| 2011 | TRT 1 | Bülend Özveren and Erhan Konuk [tr] | Ömer Önder |
| 2012 | TRT 1, TRT HD, TRT Türk, TRT Müzik, TRT Avaz | Bülend Özveren and Erhan Konuk [tr] | Ömer Önder |
| 2013–2024 | No broadcast | No broadcast | Did not participate |

## Photo gallery

* Sertab Erener in the opening of the 2004 contest.
* Kenan Doğulu in Helsinki (2007)
* Mor ve Ötesi in Belgrade (2008)
* Hadise in Moscow (2009)
* Manga in Oslo (2010)