Former EBU Executive Supervisor, Svante Stockselius, has received the first ever Special Achievement Award from the Swedish OGAE fan club, Melodifestivalklubben.

During OGAE Sweden’s annual gala, hosted in the city of Umeå, the former Executive Supervisor of the Eurovision Song Contest, Svante Stockselius, was presented with the newly-introduced Special Achievement Award for his outstanding services to the European competition, together with services to the Swedish national selection Melodifestivalen.

Award presented to Svante Stockselius

Stockselius, who was Executive Supervisor from 2003 right through to 2010, accepted the award on the night of the gala with the following speech:

It’s an incredible feeling to be recognised in this way, by the greatest experts and the most dedicated people you meet at Melodifestival or Eurovision.

It means so much to me and colleagues I worked with over the years who helped modernise Melodifestivalen and Eurovision.

Newly-elected OGAE Sweden President, Alexander Borodin, continued:

Our choice shows the breadth of the award. The first winner is not an artist, showman or songwriter, but a journalist who reformed both the national contest and Eurovision.

Following his award presentation, Stockselius is now set to feature in OGAE Sweden’s Hall of Fame, formerly reserved for Swedish winners of the Eurovision Song Contest.