The Organisation Générale des Amateurs de l'Eurovision, often called OGAE, is a group that is not run by the government and does not make money. It has 42 fan clubs from Europe and other parts of the world that support the Eurovision Song Contest. OGAE was created in 1984 in Savonlinna, Finland, by Jaripekka Koikkalainen.

Each year, OGAE holds four competitions that are not for profit. These events help share music from different countries with Eurovision fans around the world. OGAE also often works with the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and radio and television stations in countries that take part in the contest to support the Eurovision Song Contest.

The current president of the OGAE International Network is Simon Bennett from OGAE United Kingdom. He became president in 2015 after Maiken Mäemets from OGAE Finland left the role.

History

The Eurovision Song Contest began in 1956. In 1984, the OGAE International Network was created by Jaripekka Koikkalainen in Savonlinna, Finland. This group is a fan club that is not controlled by the government, politics, or for-profit groups. It works together with the European Broadcasting Union (EBU). The network allows countries that take part in the Eurovision Song Contest or have joined before to be members. Some countries that do not have their own OGAE group, such as Monaco, San Marino, Kazakhstan, South Africa, and the United States of America, join under the name "Rest of the World."

Each year, the organization holds two contests: the OGAE Second Chance Contest and the OGAE Song Contest. The goal of the OGAE Network is to help people learn about popular music from different countries. It also helps build connections between national broadcasters and the Eurovision Song Contest to reach more fans.

In 2007, Antonis Karatzikos was chosen as the International Coordinator for OGAE and held this role until 2009. He was re-elected in 2009. In 2011, the OGAE International Network officially registered as an organization in France. Maiken Mäemets became president and was re-elected in 2013 at the Euro Fan Café in Malmö, Sweden. In 2015, during the OGAE Presidents’ Meeting in Vienna, the presidents of OGAE Clubs selected a new board to lead the organization until the next election in 2017.

OGAE branches

OGAE currently has forty-four members, including two in Germany. These are:

Countries that do not have their own OGAE Network but are active or associate members of the EBU are grouped together under the name "Rest of the World." The countries that make up this OGAE Network are:

OGAE contests

Since 2007, the OGAE has held a poll before the Eurovision Song Contest. Every national club and OGAE Rest of the World vote on all songs in the contest using the same scoring system as Eurovision. Clubs give 1 to 8 points, plus 10 and 12 points, to the most popular songs. A club cannot vote for its own country.

The Marcel Bezençon Fan Award was given in 2002 and 2003 by OGAE members. It was stopped in 2004 and replaced by the Composer Award.

The OGAE Second Chance Contest is a visual event organized by OGAE branches. It started in 1987 as "Europe's Favourite." Four branches from the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, and the United Kingdom competed in the first contest. The event grew, and now about 20 countries usually compete each year. Countries sometimes join or leave the contest because their Eurovision selection methods change over time. The contest was not televised at first but later used videotape, DVD, YouTube, and streaming services.

The contest happens in the summer after Eurovision. Each OGAE branch sends a video entry to every competing club. Votes are sent back to the organizing branch, usually the previous year’s winner, who hosts the final. Voting methods changed over time, starting with audio-tape, then videotape, and now DVD and online platforms.

From 1989 to 1991, Spain entered songs from its internal selection process in the Second Chance Contest. Italy entered songs from its Sanremo Music Festival in 1990, 1991, 1998, and 1999. After 1999, only songs from televised national finals could compete. This rule made some branches ineligible to join for years. Since 1993, guest juries from ineligible branches have voted in the contest. In 2024, Annalisa and Alcazar became the only artists to win the contest twice.

Since 2003, OGAE has held annual Retrospective Contests with songs from before 1987. The first contest in 2003 featured songs that did not compete in Eurovision 1986. Each year, a new year’s songs are included, such as 1985 in 2004 and 1984 in 2005.

The Guest Jury Hits contest began in 2003, allowing guest juries from Retrospective Contests to compete. Each non-competing branch selects a hit song from their country. The first contest in 2003 featured 1985 songs. Eighteen contests have been held, with Italy winning eight times, the United States twice, and other countries once. Umberto Tozzi contributed to three of Italy’s wins.

The OGAE Song Contest is an audio event where all OGAE clubs can enter an original song released in the past 12 months. Songs must be sung in an official language of the country. This rule was planned to end in 2022, but the event was canceled that year due to controversy over OGAE Russia’s participation and OGAE’s decision not to remove the Russian club.

Sixty countries have participated in the contest at least once. OGAE Rest of the World first joined in 1987, representing Botswana and Zimbabwe.

Fourteen countries have won the contest since 1986. The United Kingdom is the most successful, with eight wins.

The OGAE Video Contest is a video event where clubs can enter an original song and video released in the past 12 months. There is no requirement for the song to be in an official language. Fifty-one countries have participated at least once. OGAE Rest of the World first joined in 2005, representing Kazakhstan.

Nine countries have won the Video Contest since 2003. France has won four times. The last Video Contest was held in 2022.