Marcel Bezençon first proposed what became the Eurovision Song Contest in 1954, and is considered by many to be the �father� of Eurovision. Since 2002, a series of awards in his name have been given to performers and songwriters. With 36 entrants, this year offers the largest number of potential winners ever!
One of the prizes is voted upon by the press covering the contest live each year. The second is chosen by the songwriters whose songs are in the competition each year. The final award is selected by former winners of the contest!
The categories of the Marcel Bezençon Award are:
Press Award for the Best song according to the collective accredited press. (press votes)
Composer Award for The best composition with special consideration taken to originality and cultural identity, in music and lyrics. (this year�s composers vote)
There is also an Artistic Award for the Best artistic performance (jury of former ESC winners)
The winners are announced at the official afterparty after Saturday night�s show. Previous winners of the Artistic Award include Esther Hart (Netherlands, 2003) and Afro-dite (Sweden, 2002).
