The European Broadcasting Union has launched a global search for missing recordings of the 1956 and 1964 editions of the Eurovision Song Contest.
The appeal comes as Eurovision marks its 70th anniversary, with the EBU asking fans, collectors, broadcasters and archivists to help locate footage from two of the contest’s earliest broadcasts.
No complete recordings of the 1956 contest in Lugano or the 1964 contest in Copenhagen exist in the archives of their original host broadcasters, SRG SSR and DR.
The EBU said the missing editions reflect the realities of early television, when recordings were not always preserved and expensive tape was often wiped and reused.
Only audio, fragments and still material are known to survive, although previously lost footage of Gigliola Cinquetti’s winning 1964 performance was recently rediscovered by Yle in Finland and added to the official Eurovision archive.
The EBU is now seeking full recordings, partial footage, home recordings, photographs or film material that could help rebuild the missing broadcasts.
Martin Green, director of the Eurovision Song Contest, described the appeal as “a global treasure hunt”, adding that even small discoveries could help complete the contest’s archive.
Anyone with relevant material is being asked to contact the EBU.
