Greece in the Eurovision Song Contest 2005

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Greece in the Eurovision Song Contest 2005

Greece took part in Eurovision 2005 with the song "My Number One," written by Christos Dantis, Natalia Germanou, and Manos Psaltakis, and performed by Helena Paparizou. The Hellenic Broadcasting Corporation (ERT) selected Paparizou after a national final called Eurovision Party.

Selection process
- The artist was chosen internally, and on January 22, 2005 ERT announced Paparizou as Greece’s representative.
- For the 2005 contest, ERT held a televised national final on March 2, 2005. Fifteen songs were submitted; four were chosen by a jury and Paparizou to perform. The winning song, "My Number One," was selected by a mix of public voting (60%) and a jury (40%).
- One song, "The Light in Our Soul," was disqualified because it had been released before the allowed date.

Paparizou’s promotion and the contest
- Paparizou promoted the song in several countries before the contest began.
- The Eurovision Song Contest 2005 took place in Kyiv, Ukraine, with Greece prequalified for the final after finishing third in 2004.
- Greece performed 19th in the final. Paparizou wore a short orange-yellow dress, her dancers formed the number 1 on stage, and she played the lyra.

Results
- "My Number One" won the final with 230 points, giving Greece its first Eurovision victory.
- It received 12 points from ten countries, including Albania, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Germany, Hungary, Serbia and Montenegro, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and Turkey.
- Greece’s 26th entry marked its first win; its best previous results were third place in 2001 and 2004, while its worst result was 20th in 1998.

Aftermath and impact
- Paparizou’s victory sparked a major homecoming with large crowds and high TV ratings in Greece.
- The song charted well, earning platinum in Greece and gold in Sweden, and it also charted in several other European countries and reached the US Billboard dance chart.
- The song was later part of the Eurovision 50th-anniversary show, Congratulations: 50 Years of the Eurovision Song Contest. It reached the final round, finishing fourth in the first round (167 points) and fourth in the final (245 points), and it was the only Greek entry included in the lineup.