Latvia made its Song Contest debut in 2000 but had already made its Eurovision debut in the 1990s in another Eurovision format.
Latvia in Eurovision
Latvia made its debut in the Eurovision Song Contest in 2000, the last of the Baltic nations to compete in the contest. The Latvian broadcaster had signed up to compete in Eurovision 1999, however it withdrew before the contest in Jerusalem.
- 2000 – Brainstorm – “My Star” – 3rd – 136 points
- 2001 – Arnis Mednis – “Too Much” – 18th – 16 points
- 2002 – Marie N – “I Wanna” – 1st – 176 points
- 2003 – F.LY. – “Hello from Mars” – 24th – 5 points
- 2004 – Fomins and Kleins – “Dziesma par laimi” – 17th in the Semi-Final – 23 points
- 2005 – Walters and Kazkha – “The War Is Not Over” – 5th – 153 points
- 2006 – Vocal Group Cosmos – “I Hear Your Heart” – 16th – 30 points
- 2007 – Bonaparti.lv – “Questta notte” – 16th – 54 points
- 2008 – Pirates of the Sea – “Wolves of the Sea” – 12th – 83 points
- 2009 – Intars Busulis – “Probka” – 19th in the Semi-Final – 7 points
- 2010 – Aisha – “What For?” – 17th in the Semi-Final – 11 points
- 2011 – Musiqq – “Angel in Disguise” – 17th in the Semi-Final – 25 points
- 2012 – Anmary – “Beautiful Song” – 16th in the Semi-Final – 17 points
- 2013 – PeR – “Here We Go” – 17th in the Semi-Final – 13 points
- 2014 – Aarzemnieki – “Cake to Bake” – 13th in the Semi-Final – 33 points
- 2015 – Aminata – “Love Injected” – 6th – 186 points
- 2016 – Justs – “Heartbeat” – 15th – 132 points
- 2017 – Triana Park – “Line” – 18th in the Semi-Final – 21 points
- 2018 – Laura Rizzotto – “Funny Girl” – 12th in the Semi-Final – 106 points
- 2019 – Carousel – “That Night” – 15th in the Semi-Final – 50 points
- 2020 – Samanta Tīna – “Still Breathing” – Contest cancelled due to COVID-19
- 2021 – Samanta Tīna – “The Moon Is Rising” – 17th in the Semi-Final – 14 points
- 2022 – Citi Zēni – “Eat Your Salad” – 14th in the Semi-Final – 55 points
- 2023 – Sudden Lights – “Aijā” – 11th in the Semi-Final – 34 points
- 2024 – Dons – “Hollow” – 16th – 64 points
- 2025 – Tautumeitas – “Bur man laimi” – 13th – 158 points
- 2026 – Atvara – “Ēnā” – 13th in the Semi-Final – 49 points
LTV, the Latvian broadcaster, had aired the 1998 and 1999 editions of the contest without participating.
Latvia and other Eurovision family events
LTV the Latvian broadcaster has participated in many Eurovision formats and was the creator of its newest competition.
Eurovision Choir
Eurovision Choir was created by LTV the Latvian broadcaster, with discussions on the creation of the contest having started in 2014. The contest was first held in 2017 with Latvijas Televīzija holding the contest in Riga, Latvia alongside the European Choir Games. Latvia’s results are:
- 2017 – Spīgo – “Grezna saule debesīs” / “Es čigāna meita biju” – 3rd
- 2019 – Babīte Municipality Mixed Choir Maska – “Pērkontēvs” & “Come, God!” – 2nd
Eurovision Young Dancers
Latvia made its debut in Eurovision Young Dancers in 1997 and participated in five editions of the contest. Latvia qualified for the final in all of its appearances in the competition up to its withdrawal following the 2005 contest.
- 1997 – Viktorija Jansone
- 1999 – Elza Leimane
- 2001 – Anna Novikova
- 2003 – Linda Siliņa – 4th in the Contemporary Category – 777 points
- 2005 – Sabīne Guravska
Eurovision Young Musicians
Latvia’s Eurovision contest debut came in Eurovision Young Musicians in 1994. Latvia has participated in five editions of the contest to date, their last appearance was in 2002, they returned to the contest in 2026 and will host the contest in 2027.
- 1994 – Liene Circene (Piano) – 2nd
- 1996 – Baiba Skride (Violin)
- 1998 – Lauma Skride (Piano)
- 2000 – Ieva Rūtentāle (Flute) – Did not qualify for the final
- 2002 – Ruslans Viļenskis (Cello) – Did not qualify for the final
- 2026 – Sonja Misiņa (Percussion) – 2nd
- 2027 (Host)
Junior Eurovision Song Contest
Latvia was one of sixteen countries to take part in the first edition of the Junior Eurovision Song Contest in 2003. Latvia participated from 2003 to 2005 before withdrawing, they briefly returned to the contest in 2010 and 2011 before withdrawing again.
Latvia’s results are:
- 2003 – Dzintars Čīča – “Tu esi vasarā” – 9th – 37 points
- 2004 – Mārtiņš Tālbergs and C-Stones Juniors – “Balts vai melns” – 17th – 3 points
- 2005 – Kids4Rock – “Es esmu maza, jauka meitene” – 11th – 50 points
- 2010 – Šarlote and the Sea Stones – “Viva la Dance (Dejo tā)” – 10th – 51 points
- 2011 – Amanda Bašmakova – “Moondog” – 13th – 31 points
Other Programs
The following shows were also broadcast in Latvia:
- Congratulations: 50 Years of the Eurovision Song Contest – 2005
- Eurovision Song Contest’s Greatest Hits – 2015
- Eurovision Europe Shine a Light – 2020
Latvia & Other European Broadcasting Union Competitions
Europe Sings
Europe Sings held in 2015 in Vienna. The live event took place in Vienna at the Rathausplatz. Each choir performed a piece which had a national flavour to it, and then stay on stage to perform together popular choral songs. Sōla represented Latvia at the non-competitive event.
Let the Peoples Sing
The contest was first held in 1961 by the BBC as an annual choral contest for choirs in the United Kingdom, since 1966 it has been a choral competition for choirs across Europe. Since the late 1970s, the European Broadcasting Union has organised the event with choirs allowed to compete from across the globe.
Latvia’s history in the contest is:
- 1991 – Balsis – Winner
- 1997 – Participant unknown
- 1999 – Latvijas Radio aired the contest
- 2001 – Choir of the Latvian Music Academy – Winner
- 2003 – Girls’ Choir of Riga Cathedral Choir – Children’s Category Finalist
- 2009 – Sõla -Mixed Choir of the Latvian Academy of Culture – Adult Category Finalist
- 2011 – Latvijas Radio aired the contest with a Latvian finalist
- 2015 – Riga Latvian Society Chamber Choir “Austrums” – Adult Category Finalist
- 2017 – Latvijas Radio 3 aired the contest without a Latvian finalist
- 2019 – Anima Solla – Children / Youth Category finalist
- 2024 – Juventus – Adult Category Finalist
During the history of the Eurovision Song Contest and Eurovision family of events over fifty countries have competed, but there are more countries eligible or interested in participating. Find out more here.