OGAE Logo
OGAE, Organisation Générale des Amateurs de l'Eurovision, or the General Organisation of Eurovision Fans is an international organization that was founded in 1984, in Finland by Jari-Pekka Koikkalainen. The organisation consists of a network of 40 Eurovision fan clubs across the world, and has nothing to do with politics.
Four competitions are organised independently every year to promote the popular music in that country to Eurovision fans from around the world. This international organization works frequently in cooperation with the EBU in order to help promote the Eurovision Song Contest , and has also established a strong relationship with the national broadcasters from across all the participating countries.
The current President of the OGAE International Network is Simon Bennett of OGAE United Kingdom, who succeeded Maiken Mäemets of OGAE Finland in 2015.
OGAE Branches[]
The OGAE network has 40 members, including two in Germany. These are:
- Albania
- Andorra
- Armenia
- Austria
- Australia
- Azerbaijan
- Belarus
- Belgium
- Bulgaria
- Croatia
- Cyprus
- Denmark
- Estonia
- Finland
- France
- Germany
- Germany Eurovision Club
- Greece
- Iceland
- Ireland
- Israel
- Italy
- Lithuania
- Luxembourg
- Malta
- Moldova
- Netherlands
- North Macedonia
- Norway
- Poland
- Portugal
- Rest of the World*
- Russia
- Serbia
- Slovenia
- Spain
- Sweden
- Switzerland
- Turkey
- United Kingdom
OGAE Rest of the World[]
Countries that do not have an OGAE Network in their own right, but are active or associate members of the EBU are unified under the name 'Rest of the World'. The countries which constitute this OGAE Network are:
- Afghanistan
- Algeria
- Argentina
- Bosnia & Herzegovina
- Botswana
- Brazil
- Canada
- Chile
- Colombia
- Czech Rep.
- Egypt
- Georgia
- Hong Kong
- Hungary
- Japan
- Jordan
- Kazakhstan
- Kosovo
- Kyrgyzstan
- Latvia
- Lebanon
- Lesotho
- Liechtenstein
- Mexico
- Monaco
- Montenegro
- Morocco
- Namibia
- New Zealand
- Peru
- San Marino
- Seychelles
- Slovakia
- South Africa
- South Korea
- Swaziland
- Tunisia
- Ukraine
- United Arab Emirates
- United States of America
- Uzbekistan
- Venezuela
OGAE Contests[]
OGAE Fan Poll[]
The OGAE Fan Poll was started in 2007. Before each year's contest, every national club including both German clubs (OGAE Germany and EC Germany) plus OGAE Rest of the World vote on all the entries, using the same scoring system as the actual contest (the most voted songs from each club receive 1 to 8, and then 10 and 12 points, and countries can't vote for themselves). Clubs also have the right to abstain from voting in the poll if they so choose (as OGAE Moldova and OGAE Bulgaria chose to do in 2016, for example). It is worth noting that since the fan poll was started, only 6 actual Eurovision winners have been predicted correctly (2007, 2009, 2012, 2013, 2018 and 2023).
OGAE Second Chance Contest[]
The OGAE Second Chance Contest is an annual Eurovision-style contest in which OGAE member countries that had a national selection process choose a song to represent them. OGAE Rest of the World also participates with one song from any national selection that year chosen as their entry. Results are usually delivered via social media platforms, and other OGAE clubs often participate as guest jurors.
Sweden has won the contest 19 times, more than any other country. Sweden won the 2023 edition with the song "Air" by Marcus & Martinus
OGAE Song Contest[]
The OGAE Song Contest is an audio event in which all OGAE national clubs can enter with an original song released in the previous 12 months in their countries, and sung in one of the country's official languages. The 2022 edition was to have been hosted by OGAE Australia, however three clubs (Germany, Ukraine and United Kingdom) withdrew their entries in protest over OGAE Russia's participation following the Russian invasion of Ukraine. As a result, the edition was cancelled. The 2023 edition was won by the United Kingdom with the mega-hit "As It Was" by Harry Styles.
OGAE Video Contest[]
The OGAE Video Contest is a visual event in which all OGAE national clubs can enter with a music video of an original song. The song must be performed by the relevant artist with citizenship of the country of the club he/she is representing, not a live performance, must not have participated in Eurovision/Junior Eurovision, can be in any language and not exceed 5 minutes in length. The 2021 edition was won by France with the song "Nous" by Julien Doré.