Prior to the 2015 Contest , Switzerland had participated in the Eurovision Song Contest fifty-five 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 most recent victory was achieved in 1988 when Canadian singer Céline Dion won the contest with the song " Ne partez pas sans moi " . Since the introduction of a semi-final to the format of the Eurovision Song Contest in 2004 , Switzerland has managed to participate in the final four times . 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 out of the last four years . In 2014 , Switzerland earned their highest result in the contest since 2005 , qualifying to the final and placing 13th with the song " Hunter of Stars " performed by Sebalter
first edition
Eurovision Song Contest 1956
Switzerland in the Eurovision Song Contest 2015