The participation of Venezuela in the OTI Festival first began at the inaugural OTI Festival in 1972 held in Madrid and continued continuously until the last edition in 2000 held in Acapulco. Radio Caracas Televisión (RCTV), Venevisión, and Venezolana de Televisión, members of the Organización de Televisión Iberoamericana (OTI), were responsible for the Venezuelan participation in different years.
| Venezuela | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Participating broadcaster |
|
| Participation summary | |
| Appearances | 28 |
| First appearance | 1972 |
| Last appearance | 2000 |
| Highest placement | 1st: 1982, 1987 |
History
Venezuela won the festival on two occasions, the first one in 1982 with the teenage boy band Grupo Unicornio with the song "Puedes contar conmigo".[1] The second Venezuelan victory came in 1987 in Lisbon with Alfredo Alejandro, with the song "La felicidad esá en un rincón de tu corazón". Apart from their victories, the country got two second places in 1976 and 1979 and three third places in 1974, 1975, and 1994.[2]
Many Venezuelan singers well known in all Ibero-America, such as Jose Luis Rodríguez "El Puma", her daughter Lilibeth Morillo, Mirla Castellanos, and Delia Dorta represented their country in the contest with successful participations.
Venezuela hosted the contest in 1979. The venue of the festival was the Teatro del Círculo Militar of Caracas and the presenters were Eduardo Serrano and Carmen Victoria Pérez, who presented the event in a golden and blue colored stage. The opening theme of this edition of the festival was an orchestral fantasy based on the hymn, "Alma llanera".
Participation overview
| 1 | First place |
| 2 | Second place |
| 3 | Third place |
| F | Finalist |
| SF | Semi-finalist |
| X | Contest cancelled |
| Year | Artist | Song | Place | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1972 | Mirla Castellanos | "Sueños de cristal y miel"[a] | 4 | 6 |
| 1973 | Mayra Martí | "Poema para el olvido"[b] | 9 | 3 |
| 1974 | Jose Luis Rodríguez | "Vuelve"[c] | 3 | 11 |
| 1975 | Mirla Castellanos | "Soy como el viento, soy como el mar"[d] | 3 | 10 |
| 1976 | Las Cuatro Monedas | "Soy"[e] | 2 | 13 |
| 1977 | Héctor José | "Iberoamérica toda"[f] | 6 | 3 |
| 1978 | Nancy Ramos | "Con la suerte a mi favor"[g] | 15 | 2 |
| 1979 | Delia Dorta | "Cuando era niño"[h] | 2 | 33 |
| 1980 | Héctor Cabrera | "Haces bien"[i] | 16 | 8 |
| 1981 | Neyda Pedromo | "Aquel ciego"[j] | 17 | 7 |
| 1982 | Grupo Unicornio | "Puedes contar conmigo"[k] | 1 | 43 |
| 1983 | Maria Teresa Chacín | "Esperanza Americana"[l] | 4 | – |
| 1984 | José Antonio García | "Ilusión de un soñador"[m] | 8 | – |
| 1985 | Doris Hernández | "El primer vuelo"[n] | 7 | – |
| 1986 | Nilda López | "Un nuevo amanecer"[o] | 18 | – |
| 1987 | Alfredo Alejandro | "La felicidad está en un rincón de tu corazón"[p] | 1 | – |
| 1988 | Iñaki | "Hoy he vuelto a reír"[q] | 14 | – |
| 1989 | Salvador Pino | "Caras perdidas"[r] | 21 | – |
| 1990 | Lilibeth Morillo | "Ser mujer"[s] | 12 | – |
| 1991 | Jesús Alfredo Ruiz | "Podría ser"[t] | 8 | – |
| 1992 | Karolina | "Sueños"[u] | 14 | – |
| 1993 | Nicolás Felizola | "No me arriesgo"[v] | 4 | – |
| 1994 | Luis Silva | "Enfurecida"[w][3] | 3 | – |
| 1995 | Rogelio Ortiz | "El viaje"[x] | 9 | – |
| 1996 | Dina | "Junto a tu boca"[y] | 4 | – |
| 1997 | Felix valentino | "Nada igual que tu amor"[z] | 4 | – |
| 1998 | Asdruval Astudillo | "Más allá"[aa] | SF | – |
| 1999 | Contest cancelled X | |||
| 2000 | Mary Olga Rodríguez | "Yo cantante"[ab] | SF | – |
Hosting
| Year | City | Venue | Hosts | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1979 | Caracas | Teatro del Círculo Militar |
| [4] |