The Sopot International Song Festival (also called Intervision Song Contest from 1977–1980) is an international song contest held in Sopot, Poland.[1] It is the biggest Polish music festival together with the National Festival of Polish Song in Opole, and one of the biggest annual song contest in Europe. The contest was transmitted live by the Polish state television, TVP between 1994 and 2004. Later, the concert was transmitted by private media station TVN.
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The first Sopot festival was initiated and organised in 1961 by Władysław Szpilman assisted by Szymon Zakrzewski from Polish Artists Management (PAGART).[2] The first three editions were held in the Gdansk Shipyard hall (1961-1963), after which the festival moved to the Forest Opera (Opera Lesna). The main prize has been Amber Nightingale through most of its history.
Between 1977 and 1980 it was replaced by the Intervision Song Contest, which was still held in Sopot. Unlike the Eurovision Song Contest, the Sopot International Music Festival often changed its formulas to pick a winner and offered many different contests for its participants. The festival has always been open to non-European acts, and countries like Cuba, Dominican Republic, Mongolia, New Zealand, Nigeria, Peru, South Africa and many others have been represented in this event.
The contest lost popularity in Poland and abroad in the 1980s, declining further during the 1990s, and the rather unconvincing organisations by TVP made the authorities of Sopot give the organisation of the 2005 Sopot International Song Festival to a private TV channel, TVN.
From 1999 there was no contest. TVP chose to invite well-known artists instead, featuring the likes of Whitney Houston or The Corrs. In 2005, TVN was expected to bring the competition back. In 2006 TVN invited Elton John. The Sopot International Song Festival is usually considered bigger than the Benidorm International Song Festival because of its ability to attract star performers.
The Sopot Festival also provided opportunity to listen to international stars. In the past, the festival has featured Charles Aznavour, Boney M, Johnny Cash, and more recently: Chuck Berry, Vanessa Mae, Annie Lennox, Vaya Con Dios, Chris Rea, Tanita Tikaram, Whitney Houston and Goran Bregovic.
This list includes only winners of the most prestigious contests within the Sopot Music Festival. Sometimes one contest has overshadowed another with time. Grand Prix de disque was the most prestigious award between 1974 and 1976. The Intervision Contest was relegated it to secondary importance, yet it continued until 1979. The festival has also given prizes for Best Interpretation in the 1960s, the Amber Nightingdale in the 1980s and 1990s and Winner Of The Polish Day on and off from the 1960s to the 1980s.[3]
1961-1973 - Price for the Masterpiece
1974-1976 - Grand Prix de disque
1977-1980 - Intervision Song Contest
1984-1987 Sopot Music Festival Grand Prix
1988-1990 - Golden Disc
1991-1993 Sopot Music Festival Grand Prix
1994-2004 - Sopot Music Festival Grand Prix (with TVP)
2005- Sopot Music Festival Grand Prix (with TVN)
| Wins | Country | Years |
|---|---|---|
| 10 |  Poland |
1967, 1968, 1972*, 1979, 1984, 1990, 1994, 1995, 2005, 2007 |
| 4 |  USSR |
1963*, 1972*, 1976, 1978 |
 United Kingdom |
1971, 1973, 1975, 2006 | |
| 3 |  USA |
1966, 1986, 1988 |
| 2 |  Greece |
1962, 1964 |
 Canada |
1965, 1970 | |
 Switzerland |
1961, 1969 | |
 Finland |
1974, 1980 | |
 Sweden |
1985, 2008 | |
| 1 |  Austria |
1992 |
 Italy |
1998 | |
 Czechoslovakia |
1977 | |
 France |
1963* | |
 West Germany |
1987 | |
 Latvia |
1991 | |
 Lithuania |
1993 | |
 Netherlands |
1997 | |
 Norway |
1989 | |
 Australia |
2009 |
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