Prior to the 2018 Contest , Switzerland had participated in the Eurovision Song Contest fifty-eight times since its first entry in 1956 . Switzerland is noted for having won the first edition of the Eurovision Song Contest with the song " Refrain " performed by Lys Assia . Their second and , to this point , most recent victory was achieved in 1988 when Canadian singer Céline Dion won the contest with the song " Ne partez pas sans moi " . Following the introduction of semi-finals for the , Switzerland had managed to participate in the final four times up to this point . In 2005 , the internal selection of Estonian girl band Vanilla Ninja , performing the song " Cool Vibes " , qualified Switzerland to the final where they placed 8th . Due to their successful result in 2005 , Switzerland was pre-qualified to compete directly in the final in 2006 . Between 2007 and 2010 , the nation failed to qualify to the final after a string of internal selections . Since opting to organize a national final from 2011 onwards , Switzerland has managed to qualify to the final twice . In 2017 , Switzerland failed to qualify to the final , placing 12th in the semi-final with the song " Apollo " performed by Timebelle . The last time they had qualified was in 2014 . The Swiss national broadcaster , Swiss Broadcasting Corporation ( SRG SSR ) , broadcasts the event within Switzerland and organises the selection process for the nation 's entry . SRG SSR confirmed their intentions to participate at the 2018 Eurovision Song Contest on 30 June 2017 . Along with their participation confirmation , the broadcaster also announced that the Swiss entry for the 2018 contest would be selected through a revamped national final . Switzerland has selected their entry for the Eurovision Song Contest through both national finals and internal selections in the past . Between 2005 and 2010 , the Swiss entry was internally selected for the competition . Since 2011 , the broadcaster has opted to organize a national final in order to select their entry
first edition
Eurovision Song Contest 1956
Switzerland in the Eurovision Song Contest 2018