1994 was the first year Romania participated in Eurovision. And over time, the competition has become a phenomenon in our country, with many emotions both at the national selections and on the big European stage. We present to you the history of Romania’s moments at Eurovision, with all the places obtained.
The first years of competition
Romania participated for the first time in Eurovision in 1994, in Dublin. Representing the country was Dan Bittman, with the piece “Beyond the cloudsIt ranked 21st.
That year’s edition was won by Ireland through Paul Harrington and Charlie McGettigan with the play “Rock ‘n’ Roll Kids”.
After three years in which she failed to participate, Romania returned again to the big stage of Eurovision in 1998. The late Mălina Olinescu represented us then with the song “I believe”a sensitive piece, with an interpretation to match. However, it ranked 22nd.
The Eurovision trophy was then won by Dana International for Israel, with the song “Diva”.
Two years later, in 2000, the band Taxi participated with the song “The Moon” and got 17th place.
The edition was won by Denmark, with the song “Fly on the Wings of Love” sung by the Olsen Brothers.
Romania’s rise to Eurovision
The rise began in 2002, when Monica Anghel and Marcel Pavel represented us with the song “Tell Me Why”. The two artists finished the competition in the top 10, in 9th place, with 71 points.
The winner of the edition was Marie N from Latvia, with the song “I Wanna” (176 points).
A year later, Nicola achieved a 10th place with the piece “Don’t Break My Heart” (73 points).
The Eurovision trophy was won by the representative of Turkey, Sertab Erener, with “Every Way That I Can” (176 points).
In 2004, Sanda Ladoși represented Romania with the song “I Admit It” and ranked 18th with 40 points.
The contest was won by Ruslana for Ukraine, with the song “Wild Dances” and an unprecedented score: 280 points.
The period in which Romania made a sensation
Two very good years followed for Romania in the international competition, with excellent scores and spectacular rankings.
In 2005, Luminița Anghel and Sistem impressed with the song “Let Me Try” and they went up to the podium. They got 3rd place with 158 points.
The competition was won by Greece. Helena Paparizou scored 230 points with the piece “My Number One”.
A year later, Mihai Trăistariu represented Romania with “Tornero” and took 4th place, with 172 points, Romania’s highest score in a Eurovision final. The song became a hit in several European countries.
The trophy then went to the band Lordi from Finland, with the song “Hard Rock Hallelujah”which scored 292 points.
Again on a downward slope
In 2007, the Todomondo project participated with the song “Love, Love, I Love You” and ranked 13th, with 84 points.
The edition was won by Marija Šerifović for Serbia, with “Prayer” (268 points).
A year later, Romania was represented by Nico and Vlad Mirita with “On the edge of the worldThey finished 20th with 45 points.
Dima Bilan from Russia won Eurovision with the song “Believe”which scored 272 points.
In 2009, Elena Gheorghe took to the Eurovision stage with the song “The Balkan Girls”and Romania ended the competition in 19th place, with 40 points.
The winner of the edition was Alexander Rybak for Norway with the song “Fairy Tales” and a record score: 387 points.
Another exceptional place for Romania
A good year for Romania followed. In 2010, Paula Seling and Ovi conquered the public with the song “Playing With Fire” and they got 3rd place with 162 points.
The competition was won by Lena, representing Germany, with “Satellites”which received 246 points.
Middle years
In 2011, the Hotel FM Band participated with the song “Change” and ranked 17th with 77 points.
The Eurovision trophy was won by Ell & Nikki for Azerbaijan with the song “Running Scared” (221 points).
A year later, the Mandinga band represented Romania with “Zaleilah” and took 12th place with 71 points.
Sweden won the competition, with Loreen and the song “Euphoria” (372 points).
In 2013, Cezar Ouatu participated with “It’s My Life”and Romania ranked 13th, with 65 points.
The winner was Emmelie de Forest for Denmark, with the song “Only Teardrops” (281 points).
In 2014, Paula Seling and Ovi returned to Eurovision with the song “Miracles”. They then occupied 12th place, with 72 points.
The edition was won by Conchita Wurst, from Austria, with “Rise Like a Phoenix” (290 points).
A year later, the band Voltaj participated with “From the end”, an emotional piece. Romania finished in 15th place, with 35 points.
The winner was Måns Zelmerlöw, from Sweden, with “Heroes” (365 points).
The unprecedented situation in 2016
In 2016, Ovidiu Anton was supposed to represent Romania, with the piece “Moment of Silence” after won the national selection. But, just a few weeks before the big contest, Romania was disqualified from the competition by the EBU (European Broadcasting Union), following unpaid debts by TVR.
From behind the scenes of Eurovision 2026: how Alexandra Căpitănescu tries to get rid of her emotions before the semi-final
Also in 2016, the voting system changed. If until then each country offered a single set of points (combining both public preferences and jury scores), from 2016 each country awards two separate sets of points: one from the jury, one from televoting. That’s why scores started to rise significantly.
Message from Tudor Chirilă for Romania’s representative at Eurovision: “I love Alexandra”
Romania returns to the top 10
In 2017, Romania returned to Eurovision and got a good place. Ilinca and Alex Florea represented us with “Yoddle It!”an original piece and they ranked 7th, with 282 points.
The Eurovision trophy was won by Salvador Sobral for Portugal, with “Bitter pelos dois”which collected 758 points.
2018-2021, difficult years for Romania at Eurovision
In 2018, The Humans failed to make it past the semi-final with the song “goodbye”.
A year later, Ester Peony competed with “On a Sunday”but she didn’t qualify for the final either.
In 2021, Roxen participated with “Amnesia”but Romania did not reach the final. Eurovision 2021 was won by the band Måneskin from Italy with the song “Zitti is good”which scored 524 points.
2022 – WRS brings Romania back to the final
WRS represented Romania with the song “Llamame” and placed 18th in the final with 65 points. Even though it did not chart in the top half of the chart, the song gained high visibility and was heard on the radio in several countries in Europe.
The edition was won by the Kalush Orchestra for Ukraine, with the song “Stefania” ( 631 points).
A year later, Theodor Andrei participated with the song “DGT (Off and On)”, but did not pass the semi-finals.
The Eurovision trophy was won again by Loreen, for Sweden, with the song “Tattoo” (583 points).
