Eurovision Contest 2007

Armenia: Hayko with "Anytime You Need". Like many of the entrants in Helsinki this year, Hayko are HUGE in their native Armenia. Which makes the whole Scooch situation even more bewildering. Photograph: HEIKKI SAUKKOMAA/AFP

Bosnia and Herzegovina : Maria, full name Marija Sestic, with "Nameless River". This year's slogan for Bosnia and Herzegovina is "sound of rivers”, otherwise known as 19-year-old Maria Sestic, seen here sporting a big frock and some energetic support. Photograph: Kimmo Mantyla/AFP

Britain: Scooch with "Flying The Flag (For You)". Ah, Scooch. There’s that famous British Charisma the French entrants sing about. Never has the UK been so hopeful for a win! Photograph: Heikki Saukkomaa/AFP

Finland: Hanna Pakarinen with "Leave Me Alone". Hanna is a down to earth rock diva, even after all the gold and platinum albums and countless hit singles. Which probably means she’ll never win. Photograph: Sari Gustafsson/AFP

France: Les Fatals Picards with "Love In The French Way" (L'amour a la francaise). Love In A French way actually celebrates something called Frenglish, which is a hybrid of French romanticism and British charisma. Inspired by Scooch, naturally. Photograph: Heikki Saukkomaa/AFP

Germany: Roger Cicero with "Women Rule The World" (Frauen Regier'n die Welt). Here is Cicero, a German jazz musician, clearly going for the gender vote with his title “Women Rule The World”. Photograph: Heikki Saukkomaa/AFP

Greece: Sarbel with "Yassou Maria". A keen advocate of modern laiko music, Sarbel says: I can't tell you whether Eurovision helps my career or not, because I don't know. It's very dangerous.” Crikey, what’s he planning? Photograph: Seppo Sirkka/EPA

Ireland: Dervish with 'They Can't Stop The Spring'. Dervish have got it all really. A lovely looking leading lady, flutes, Irish charm. But they haven’t got Scooch’s British charisma! Photograph: Markku Ulander/AFP

Lithuania: 4FUN with "Love or Leave". “When I started playing” says Lithuania’s Julija Ritik, lead singer with 4FUN, “ I was fond of Russian romances, different parts from the rock opera Jesus Christ Superstar.” Now she’s all about the ballads. Photograph: Markku Ulander/AFP

Romania: Todomondo with "Liubi,Liubi" (I Love You). So far, most of the Romanian’s entrants time has been taken up with name changes and indecision. Finally they settled on Tododmondo, which means Whole World. Which makes you wonder what the other options were… Photograph: Alastair Grant/AP

Russia: Serebro with "Song 1". A manufactured band comprising of one member with a diploma in translation and entrepreneurship, one ex-reality TV contestant and one backing singer/dancer. Here seen working the classic hair-over-face move. The judges love that one. Photograph: Heikki Saukkomaa/AFP

Spain: D'Nash with "I Love You Mi Vida". Recently changed their name from NASH to D'NASH, due to the existence of a rapper called NACH, which sounds similar. It’s a small world and you don’t want to confuse people, hence the t-shirts. Photograph: Sari Gustafsson/AFP

Sweden: The Ark with their song "The Worrying Kind". Touted as both a wildcard and the competition favourite (well, remember Lordi?), Ark are Sweden’s answer to the Darkness. Oh… Photograph: Heikki Saukkomaa/AP

Ukraine: Verka Serduchka with the song "Dancing Lasha Tumbai". Verka Serduchka is not just a pop singer and dancer, he’s also (unsurprisingly) a comedian. Let’s hope he takes things seriously once he gets to Helsinki, because it’s no laughing matter. Photograph: Heikki Saukkomaa/AFP

Belarus: Koldun with "Work Your Magic". Dmitry Koldun used to be a chemist, and a first rate one at that, before entering a reality TV tlanet contest and winning. Alchemy’s loss is Eurovision’s gain. Photograph: Sven Nackstrand/AFP

Bulgaria: Elitsa Todorova (R) and Stoyan Yankoulov with "Water". "I feel very comfortable here in Finland, Everything is the best - the staff is professional. The drums are put up and caught by the cameras just the way I would have done it myself. The sound is brilliant, the team is good, I'm happy to be here!" Seems Elitsa’s feeling confident. Photograph: Sven Nackstrand/AFP

Georgia: Sopho with "Visionary Dream". Sopho Khalvashi,is a modern day renaissance woman: she sings, she acts, she knows her fine Georgian wines. Now all she needs to do is declare her desire for world peace and next stop: Miss World! Photograph: Sven Nackstrand/AFP

Hungary: Magdi Ruzsa with "Unsubstantial Blues". Ex-winner of the Hungarian Pop Idol (anyone else noticing a theme here?) has gone triple platinum back home, so Eurovision is small fry for this 21-year-old. Why she’s holding a sign saying Bus Stop is unclear. Perhaps she heard random is in. Photograph: Johannes Simon/Getty

Latvia: Bonaparti.lv with "Questa Notte". Six tenors in one band seems a little unfair, does it not? Most bands only manage one, if that. But spotting the top hats, scarves and little medals on their lapels, all is forgiven. Photograph: Sari Gustafsson/AFP

Macedonia: Karolina with "My World". Hey, here’s something that doesn’t happen much. Karolina has represented her country in Eurovision before! In 2002! She didn’t win, but perhaps she hadn’t considered the sexy green shorts-suit way back when. Photograph: Sven Nackstrand/AFP

Moldavia: Natali Barbu with "Fight". Barbu simply cannot imagine life without songs. It’s a sentiment we can surely all understand, though not one immediately associated with Eurovision. Photograph: Johannes Simon/Getty

Serbia: Marija Serifovic with "Prayer" (Molitva). Serifovic is, it’s fair to say, a peripherally successful singer in her native Serbia, which chimes more with the Eurovision entrants we know and love. Backing singers with sashes is always a winner. Photograph: Sari Gustafsson/AFP

Slovenia: Alenka Gotar with "Flower of the South" (Cvet z juga). A soprano to balance out those tenors, Gotar is a classically trained musician who is a little like Slovenia’s Vanessa Mae. Except she sings rather than plays violin, one of the many reasons Mae was never a Eurovision entrant for the UK. Photograph: Sari Gustafsson/AFP

Turkey: Kenan Dogulu with "Shake It Up Shekerim". And finally, Turkey. Kenan is really big back home, he even has a ‘fanatic club’ section on his website, which in this day and age really isn’t advisable. Not previous form as a reality TV winner though. And that’s Eurovision 2007! See you in Helsinki! Photograph: Sven Nackstrand/AFP