Eurovision Song Contest 1991 — 36th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest
The 1991 Eurovision Song Contest introduced its tie-break procedure for the first time after France and Sweden finished level on points, with Sweden declared winner.
Key Facts
- Edition
- 36th Eurovision Song Contest
- Date
- 4 May 1991
- Venue
- Stage 15, Cinecittà Studios, Rome
- Participating countries
- 22
- Winning song
- "Fångad av en stormvind" by Carola (Sweden)
- Sweden's contest wins
- 3rd overall victory
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
Italy earned hosting rights after Toto Cutugno won the 1990 Eurovision Song Contest with "Insieme: 1992". The EBU and RAI organised the event at Cinecittà Studios in Rome, with Cutugno co-presenting alongside 1964 winner Gigliola Cinquetti. Twenty-two broadcasters participated, including Malta returning after a sixteen-year absence.
Held on 4 May 1991, the contest ended in a draw between France and Sweden, the first such tie since 1969. Sweden's entry "Fångad av en stormvind", performed by Carola and written by Stephan Berg, was declared the winner under the contest's newly applied tie-break rule, having received more top scores from competing countries than the French entry.
Sweden claimed its third Eurovision victory, and the tie-break procedure was formally implemented for the first time in the contest's history, establishing a precedent for resolving future draws. Germany also competed as a unified state for the first time following reunification, marking a notable geopolitical shift in the contest's composition.
Work
Eurovision Song Contest 1991
The 1991 contest established the Eurovision tie-break procedure and saw reunified Germany compete for the first time, reflecting post-Cold War European changes in the contest's format and participation.