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OGAE (Organisation Générale des Amateurs de l'Eurovision, English: General Organisation of Eurovision Fans) is an international organisation that was founded in 1984 in Savonlinna, Finland by Jari-Pekka Koikkalainen. The organisation consists of a network of 40 Eurovision Song Contest fan clubs across Europe and beyond, and is a non-governmental, non-political, and non-profitable company.

Four non-profitable competitions are organised independently every year to promote the national popular music to Eurovision fans from around the world. The international organisation works frequently in cooperation with the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) in order to help promote the Eurovision Song Contest, and has also established a strong relationship with the national broadcasting companies from across the participating countries.

The current President of the OGAE International Network is Maiken Mäemets from OGAE Finland, who succeeded the role in 2011 from Antonis Karatzikos of OGAE Greece. At the annual committee meeting for the board members of OGAE held on 17 May 2013 in Malmö, Sweden; Mäemets was re-elected for another 2 year term.

History
Although the Eurovision Song Contest began in 1956, the OGAE International Network was founded by Jari-Pekka Koikkalainen in 1984 in Savonlinna, Finland. The organisation which is an independent Eurovision Fan club, operates as a non-governmental, non-political and non-profitable body; and works frequently in cooperation with the European Broadcasting Union (EBU). The network is open to countries that take part in the Eurovision Song Contest or have participated in the past. Several other countries around Europe and beyond that do not have their own independent OGAE Network; including Australia, Latvia, Kazakhstan, Monaco, San Marino, South Africa, and the United States of America; participate under the name 'OGAE Rest of the World'.

Every year the organisation arranges four non-profitable competitions - Song Contest, Second Chance Contest, Video Contest and Home Composed Song Contest. The cooperative exercise of the OGAE Network is to raise awareness of popular national music across the world, in collaboration with the fans of the Eurovision Song Contest, as well as establishing a strenuous relationship between national broadcasting companies and the marketing of the Eurovision Song Contest itself to a wider fan-base.

In 2007, Antonis Karatzikos was elected as new International Coordinator for OGAE, until 2009. In July 2009 was re-elected for the same post. In 2011, OGAE International Network became a registered organisation in France, and Maiken Mäemets was elected President. During the annual OGAE Presidents’ Meeting, which took place on 17 May 2013 at the Euro Fan Café (Moriska Paviljongen) in Malmö, Sweden; the presidents of the OGAE Clubs elected a new board for the OGAE International Network (shown below) who will maintain their roles until the next election in 2015.



OGAE Branches
OGAE currently has 40 branches within the OGAE International Network, including two in Germany. Membership requirements vary within each branch of the OGAE Network.

The Balkan nation of Albania made their debut at the Eurovision Song Contest 2004 in Istanbul, Turkey, with the song "The Image of You" performed by Anjeza Shahini. The excellent result from the contest surged the initiative work for the founding of OGAE Albania to commence. Prior to the contest in May, which was held in Kiev, Ukraine, OGAE Albania was granted full membership into the OGAE International Network. Since the increased popularity of the Eurovision Song Contest in Albania, the Albanian branch is steadily increasing its membership figures. Their headquarters are based in the Albanian capital, Tirana.
 * Albania

Although the Andorran branch was originally established in 2005, it was at the 2006 OGAE Presidents meeting in Athens, Greece, when OGAE Andorra was granted full membership. Towards the latter part of 2007, OGAE Andorra registered their status as an organisation promoting the cultural language of Catalan within the music industry. Members of the club hold informal meetings several times a year to discuss Eurovision-related issues and to cast votes in the annual OGAE Eurovision Song Contest Poll. Their headquarters are based in the Andorran capital, Andorra la Vella.
 * Andorra

During the debut participation of Armenia in the Eurovision Song Contest in, OGAE Armenia was founded by Edgar Barseghyan. Although full active membership to the OGAE International Network was not granted until 2010, the Armenian branch continued to organise events for their members. Some members created the official website for OGAE Armenia which was established in late-2009. The Armenian branch of OGAE is heavily involved in the promotion of their Eurovision and Junior Eurovision participants. Their headquarters are based in the Armenian capital and host city of the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2011, Yerevan.
 * Armenia

In 1995, OGAE Austria was formed by Franz Gruber Jr. The Austrian branch hold regular meetings, which include screenings of preview clips for Eurovision Song Contest participants, as well a variety of celebrity guests attending some of the meetings. The club regularly produce a magazine for their members which is entitled "Reflection", a name inspired by the 1999 Austrian entry "Reflection" performed by Bobbie Singer. As well as taking part in other contests internationally, OGAE Austria also hold their own contest in Austria entitled "Grand Prix d´Autriche". Their headquarters are based in the Austrian city of Graz.
 * Austria

Four Azeri citizens - Fariz Gasimli, Omar Abdulkerimov, Ruslan Ismayilzade, and Rufat Khanmammadov - founded the Azerbaijan branch of OGAE in 2007. At the Eurovision Song Contest 2009 in Moscow, Russia; full active membership into the OGAE International Network was officially awarded. With close working unity between İctimai Television (the national broadcaster) and OGAE Azerbaijan having a secure establishment since the first Eurovision participation back in. Although a relatively new club, they have gained continuous interest from fans across Azerbaijan who submit applications to become members of the OGAE branch, as accredited fans. As with most branches, OGAE Azerbaijan also participate in the contests organised by the OGAE International Network. Their headquarters are situated in the Azerbaijani capital and host city of the Eurovision Song Contest 2012, Baku.
 * Azerbaijan

On 25 January 2012, OGAE Belarus was created by Artyom Isachenko who was President of the newly formed club. The Belarussian branch play a role in the filming of the national preselection process, as well as any other events connected to the Belarus National Selection format, in conjunction with Belteleradiocompany and other media organisations in Belarus. Alyona Lanskaya, representative for Belarus at the Eurovision Song Contest 2013 is a notable member of the Belarus branch of OGAE. On 14 Feberuary 2013 during a live broadcast of a show on Belarus-1, she was presented with her OGAE Belarus membership card. OGAE Belarus is currently a candidate member and is awaiting full active membership to be awarded by the UGAE International Network. However, they will be making their debut at both OGAE Song Contest 2013, and OGAE Video Contest 2013 both of which are scheduled to take place in Italy. The branch headquarters are situated in the Belarussian capital and host city of the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2010, Minsk.
 * Belarus

Founded in 1991, OGAE Belgium was created by 2 Belgian fans of the Eurovision Song Contest. The Belgian branch organise regular meetings for their members in order to promote the Eurovision Song Contest throughout Belgium. The Presidential role within the club has been held by many people throughout their history. Majority of the branches meetings are held close to their headquarters in the city of Leuven, a province of Flemish Brabant. Belgium OGAE also participate in many of the other contests organised by OGAE International, including OGAE Song Contest and OGAE Second Chance Contest. They achieved second place at the OGAE Second Chance Contest 1999 achieving 143 points with the song "Diep in mijn huid" performed by Petra de Steur, and the group Formule II achieved first place at the 1984 Retrospective Second Chance Contest with the song "Merci à la vie".
 * Belgium

Founded in the Bulgarian capital Sofia in 2010, it was in Düsseldorf host city of the Eurovision Song Contest, that OGAE Bulgaria became a full active member of OGAE International. Apart from the Bulgarian national selection shows for the Eurovision Song Contest, the members infrequently meet up. However, when they do, they discuss all things connected to the Eurovision and Junior Eurovision Contests. OGAE Bulgaria work unswervingly with Bulgarian National Television on the publicity of Bulgarian participation at the Eurovision Song Contest. The branch headquarters are located in the capital city, Sofia.
 * Bulgaria

OGAE Croatia, also known as Eurofest Croatia, was founded as an unofficial organisation in 1997. Their headquarters where originally in the Croatian city of Split, before moving to Makarska and then to Zagreb where they are still based. It was in 2004 when the official registration of the "Croatian Association of Eurovision Song Contest Fans" was made. As with most branches, OGAE Croatia regularly participate in Second Chance Contest, Song Contest and Video Contest, all major events organised by OGAE International. Members of the Croatian branch attend DORA - Croatian National Preselection for the Eurovision Song Contest.
 * Croatia

It was in 1989 that OGAE Cyprus was founded by Sotos Avlonitis, who was the President of the Cypriot branch until 1996. Just like other OGAE branches, they heavily promote the Eurovision and Junior Eurovision Song Contests. The current President is Michalis Antoniou, lyricist of the Cypriot entry "San Aggelos S'agapisa". Antoniou has been in the role for almost two decades. Their headquarters are situated in Nicosia, the capital city of Cyprus.
 * Cyprus

Created in 1989, OGAE Denmark has existed in a variety of names including "Melodi Grand Prix Fans". OGAE Denmark is very much a social club for Eurovision fans, who publish a quarterly magazine called "Douze Points" for their members, with exclusive interviews from participants of the Dansk Melodi Grand Prix, the Danish preselection show for Eurovision Song Contest. In addition to that, the Danish branch hold three meetings per year in Funen, Jutland, and Zealand, where members get the chance to discuss Eurovision-related issues. Once a year, normally around autumn-time, OGAE Denmark hold an annual meeting where members of the club get the opportunity to meet several celebrity guests. Notable Eurovision performers of yesteryear to have attended such meetings in the past include Danish representitives - Birthe Wilke ( and ), Gry Johansen, Kirsten Siggard from Hot Eyes (, , and ), Lise Haavik , Sidsel Ben Semmane , and Niels Brinck. The branch headquarters are located in the Danish capital Copenhagen.
 * Denmark

During a meeting hosted by OGAE Finland in 2003, Estonia was granted full membership status into the OGAE International Network. The club was formed following the recent success of Baltic nation during the -  Eurovision Song Contests. Lennart Kitt was elected as a president of the new club, with Katrin Ohno as vice-president. It was also at this meeting that the new members of OGAE Estonia selected their entry "Club Kung Fu" performed by Vanilla Ninja for the OGAE Second Chance Contest 2003. They also selected the girl group Nightlight Duo to represent them at the 2003 OGAE Song Contest with the song "La Fiesta Del Sol". The branch headquarters are located in the Estonian capital, Tallinn.
 * Estonia

OGAE Finland, or Euroviisuklubi as the club is known in Finland, is the founding branch of the entire OGAE International Network. Established in the Finnish town of Savonlinna in 1984, the club started off as a small fan base, but the conceptual framework of this small OGAE club evolved into the OGAE International Network expanding across to other countries across Europe. The club registered as an official association in 2004. OGAE Finland publishes their own webzine 5 times a year, as well as organising the annual Eurovision Cruise and Christmas parties for its members. The branch headquarters are still based in Savonlinna.
 * Finland

OGAE France is one of the founding members of the OGAE International Network and was established in 1995. Eurofans, as it is known, has an international following with fans from France and abroad, including in New Zealand. Members of the branch meet twice a year, in April to preview entries participating in the Eurovision Song Contest, and in November for a Parisian disco gathering. The French OGAE club publish two magazines for its members, including "Cocoricovision" published every 4 months; and "The Eurosong News" published annually. OGAE France hosted the annual OGAE Video Contest in 2004 and 2012. The branch headquarters are situated in the French capital Paris, host city of the contest.
 * France

Unlike all the other countries which have one OGAE Club, Germany has two OGAE Organisations. The first Eurovision Club Germany was founded in 2000 with over 800 members throughout Germany and abroad. The club publishes a fanzine called "Top Of Music in Europe (T.O.M.)". The clubs most famous meeting takes place annually at the Gloria Theatre in Cologne. Many former Eurovision-participants have attended the event including Nicki French, Marie Myriam, Hera Björk, and Ott Lepland. The headquarters for Eurovision Club Germany is also in Cologne. The second organisation in Germany is called OGAE Germany, and was also founded in 2000, although it was not officially recognised as a club until 2001.
 * Germany

Although founded in 1988, OGAE Greece was not officially recognised as an organisation until 2000 by the Greek state. Since 2003, the club has organised a competition annually for its members called "ΜΠΛΕ - Μουσικό Παιχνίδι για Λάτρεις της Eurovision" (Music Game for Eurovision Lovers). The games consists of teams of 2-5 persons and a draw takes place every January in which each team is allocated the name of a country. The teams are required to select a song from the country they have been allocated, to participate in their own version of OGAE Song Contest. This competition takes place every November. Former Eurovision participants have attended this festival in previous years, including Anne Marie David and the first ever winner of Eurovision - Lys Assia. The headquarters for OGAE Greece are located in Athens.
 * Greece

OGAE Iceland {or FÁSES in Icelandic, is the official network for the Icelandic fans of the Eurovision Song Contest. As with most other OGAE clubs, they organise events relating to Eurovision as well as for the Icelandic national selection show, Söngvakeppni Sjónvarpsins. Functioning as an information source for the members within Iceland, and also for the international fans within the OGAE Network. The headquarters for OGAE Iceland are located in Reykjavik.
 * Iceland

OGAE Ireland was formed in the early 1990's, and is the official Eurovision Song Contest fanclub for the Irish community. The club was founded by Johnnie Walsh was president of the club, until the succession of Charles Meagher in 1997. Meagher resigned from this position in 2005, and the new president, Diarmuid Furlong has been in the role ever since. OGAE Ireland has strong business relations with the national broadcaster Raidió Teilifís Éireann (RTÉ), and the current club president has also been a member of the judging panel for EuroSong, the national preselection event to select the Irish entry for the Eurovision Song Contest. The headquarters for OGAE Ireland are located in Dublin.
 * Ireland

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 * Israel

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 * Italy

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 * Lithuania

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 * Luxembourg

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 * Macedonia

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 * Malta

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 * Moldova

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 * The Netherlands

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 * Norway

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 * Poland

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 * Portugal

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 comprise of this OGAE Network are:
 * Rest of the World



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 * Romania

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 * Russia

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 * Serbia

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 * Slovenia

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 * Spain

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 * Sweden

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 * Switzerland

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 * Turkey

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 * United Kingdom


 * Notes
 * 1. Bosnia and Herzegovina, Czech Republic, Georgia, Hungary, Latvia, Monaco, Montenegro, San Marino, Slovakia, and Ukraine which have also participated in the Eurovision Song Contest, still do not have Full OGAE Membership and therefore part of OGAE Rest of the World.

OGAE Home Page

OGAE Eurovision Song Contest Poll
The Marcel Bezençon Fan Award was handed out in 2002 and 2003, and voted on by the members of OGAE, the Eurovision international fan club. It was discontinued and replaced by the Composer Award in 2004.

Every year since 2007, OGAE has conducted a pre-Eurovision Contest poll in which every national club plus OGAE Rest of the World vote all entries, using the same scoring system of Eurovision Voting (the most voted songs on each club receive 1 to 8, and then 10 and 12 points, and countries can't vote for themselves). The winners of this poll are:

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.

OGAE Second Chance Contest
The OGAE Second Chance Contest is a visual event which was founded in 1987 and is organised by branches of OGAE, the international fan club of the Eurovision Song Contest. Four nations competed in the first contest which took place in 1987. The contest was previously a non-televised event, but evolved over the years by the usage of video tape and nowadays DVD and Youtube.

Each summer following the Eurovision Song Contest, each branch can enter one song that failed to win the country's national selection process for the annual Eurovision Song Contest. The members of each club choose amongst the songs that did not win and select one to represent the club in the event. Votes are cast by members of the OGAE clubs and are returned to the OGAE branch organising the particular year's event. Guest juries have been used to cast votes since 1993.

OGAE Video Contest
The OGAE Video Contest is a video event in which, much like the OGAE Song Contest, all OGAE national clubs can enter with an original song and video released in the previous 12 months in their countries. There is no obligation on the entry for the OGAE Video Contest to be sang in one of the country's official language.