(en) The Eurovision Song Contest (French: Concours Eurovision de la chanson), often known simply as Eurovision, is an international song competition organised annually by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) among its members since 1956. Each participating broadcaster submits an original song representing its country to be performed and broadcast live to all of them via the Eurovision and Euroradio networks, and then casts votes for the other countries’ songs to determine a winner.

The contest was inspired by and based on the Italian Sanremo Music Festival, held in the Italian Riviera since 1951. Eurovision has been held annually since 1956 (except for 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic), making it the longest-running international music competition on television and one of the world’s longest-running television programmes. Active members of the EBU and invited associate members are eligible to compete; broadcasters from 52 countries have participated at least once. Each participating broadcaster sends an original song of three minutes duration or less to be performed live by a singer, or group of up to six people, aged 16 or older of its choice. Each country awards 1–8, 10, and 12 points to their ten favourite songs, based on the views of an assembled group of music professionals and their viewing public, with the song receiving the most points declared the winner. Other performances feature alongside the competition, including specially-commissioned opening and interval acts and guest performances by musicians and other personalities, with past acts including Cirque du Soleil, Madonna, Justin Timberlake, Mika, Rita Ora, and the first performance of Riverdance. Originally consisting of a single evening event, the contest has expanded as broadcasters from new countries joined (including countries outside of Europe, such as Israel and Australia), leading to the introduction of relegation procedures in the 1990s, before the creation of semi-finals in the 2000s. Germany has competed more times than any other country, having participated in all but one edition, while Ireland and Sweden both hold the record for the most victories, with seven wins each in total.

Traditionally held in the country that won the preceding year’s event, the contest provides an opportunity to promote the host country and city as a tourist destination. Thousands of spectators attend each year, along with journalists who cover all aspects of the contest, including rehearsals in venue, press conferences with the competing acts, in addition to other related events and performances in the host city. Alongside the generic Eurovision logo, a unique theme is typically developed for each event. The contest has aired in countries across all continents; it has been available online via the official Eurovision website since 2001. Eurovision ranks among the world’s most watched non-sporting events every year, with hundreds of millions of viewers globally. Performing at the contest has often provided artists with a local career boost and in some cases long-lasting international success. Several of the best-selling music artists in the world have competed in past editions, including ABBA, Celine Dion, Julio Iglesias, Cliff Richard, and Olivia Newton-John; some of the world’s best-selling singles have received their first international performance on the Eurovision stage.

While having gained popularity with the viewing public in both participating and non-participating countries, the contest has also been the subject of criticism for its artistic quality, as well as a perceived political aspect to the event. Concerns have been raised regarding political friendships and rivalries between countries potentially having an impact on the results. Controversial moments have included participating broadcasters withdrawing at a late stage, censorship of broadcast segments by broadcasters, disqualification of contestants, as well as political events impacting participation. The contest has also been criticised for an over-abundance of elaborate stage shows at the cost of artistic merit. Eurovision has, however, gained popularity for its camp appeal, its musical span of ethnic and international styles, as well as emergence as part of LGBTQ culture, resulting in a large, active fanbase and an influence on popular culture. The popularity of the contest has led to the creation of several similar events, either organised by the EBU or created by external organisations; several special events have been organised by the EBU to celebrate select anniversaries or as a replacement due to cancellation.

(en) EUROVISION HISTORY. The story of the Eurovision Song Contest can be traced back to the mid 1950s, and the creative endeavours of the former director general of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), Marcel Bezençon.

After a successful (and popular) live broadcast of the FIFA World Cup in 1954, the EBU was searching for a fresh entertainment format to test the limits of live television broadcasting technology.

The inspiration for the Eurovision Song Contest came from Italy, which had, in 1955, successfully broadcast for the first time on television the fifth edition of their Festival di Sanremo, another song contest.

In October 1955, at an EBU meeting in Palazzo Corsini alla Lungara, in Rome, the idea of a wider song contest for all of Europe was pitched by Italian broadcaster Rai’s director general, Sergio Pugliese. The suggestion was met with great enthusiasm by Bezençon, then head of the EBU’s Programme Committee, thus paving the way for an ongoing tradition to begin.

The very first Eurovision Song Contest was held in Switzerland on May 24, 1956, with seven nations participating. Each country contributed two songs each, with the performances backed by a live orchestra, which was tradition in the early years up until the late ’90s.

The Contest’s appealing variety of songs in different languages and genres were soon playing across the radio airwaves of Europe. The Eurovision Song Contest quickly became a much-anticipated annual tradition throughout Europe, and well beyond.

Traditionally, each Contest is held in the country that won the preceding year’s event; though there have been exceptions throughout the years, such as in 2023.

At the beginning of the Contest’s history, participants used to sing in their country’s national language; through habit or expectation, rather than because of any particular rule on the matter.

It was only in 1965, when the Swedish entry (Absent Friend) was sung in English, that the EBU set strict rules on the language in which songs could be performed; lyrics henceforth had to be written in participants’ national languages. 

Songwriters across Europe soon started wondering if success might only come if the judges could engage easily with the lyrics in another language.

This thinking is considered to have resulted in songs with simpler lyrics that were easy-to-sing-along to being submitted to the Contest such as winners La, La, La and Boom Bang-A-Bang in 1968 and 1969.

In 1973, the rules on use of language were loosened and the following year ABBA won the Contest with Waterloo, which was performed in English.

In 1977, the rule that nations must sing in a national language was reintroduced until it was abolished for good in 1999. All entries though, regardless of which language they are performed in, must be no longer than three minutes in length.

There have never been any rules on the nationality of the artists or songwriters competing for each country, resulting in Greece’s Nana Mouskouri singing for Luxembourg in 1963 and Canadian Celine Dion triumphing for Switzerland in 1988.

Voting systems, too, have changed throughout the years. The current system has been in place since 1975. Voters can give points ranging from 1 to 8, then 10, with the favourite then being given the infamous ‘douze’ (12) points.

In the past, a jury selected by the participating broadcaster from each country always decided that nation’s set of votes. However, in 1997, five countries (Austria, Germany, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom) were tasked with sampling the televoting method, thus giving the audience in those countries the opportunity to vote for their favourite songs for the very first time.

The experiment proved to be successful and, starting from 1998, all countries were encouraged to use televoting wherever possible. Nowadays, viewers are also allowed to vote by SMS and by downloading the official app.

National juries, who had decided the winners until 1997, were reintroduced in 2009 alongside the public vote. Regardless of the voting method used, however, countries cannot vote for their own song.

In the early ’90s, there was a large increase in the number of participants, with many broadcasters from former Eastern Bloc countries joining the EBU and now eligible to compete at the Contest for the first time. This continued throughout the ’90s and ’00s, with more countries joining in on the fun throughout that period.

To handle the higher number of countries wanting to take part, in 2004, the EBU introduced a Semi-Final for the very first time, with countries competing to qualify to the Grand Final each year.

As interest in the competition grew, in 2008, two Semi-Finals were introduced, and they remain to this day.

Now, all countries except for the ‘Big Five’ (France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom), and the winner of the previous year’s Contest, must compete and finish in the Top 10 of a Semi-Final in order to qualify for the Grand Final.

Throughout the years, a total of 52 countries have participated at least once. A record number of 43 countries competed in a single Contest in 2008, the first year that two Semi-Finals were introduced. This record was matched in 2011, and again in 2018.

In 2015, the Contest celebrated its 60th anniversary. The BBC hosted a celebratory show in London, Eurovision’s Greatest Hits, featuring over a dozen former participants.

The EBU marked the anniversary in Vienna the same year by inviting Australia to take part for the first time, following the Australian broadcaster SBS’ commitment to broadcasting the event down under since the early ’80s. The country has continued to take part ever since.

In 2023, Liverpool hosts the 67th Eurovision Song Contest on behalf of Ukraine, 2022’s winner. It will be the ninth time the BBC has hosted the Contest and the fourth time it’s hosted on behalf of another broadcaster.

It’s also the first time since 1980 that the previous year’s winner has not hosted the following year’s show.

History is always being made at the Eurovision Song Contest and, with the rest of the world also being invited to vote for the very first time, this year’s event promises to be one of the most memorable yet.

(it) L’Eurovision Song Contest è il più grande concorso musicale del mondo! Tutto cominciò così… Negli anni ’50, in un Europa che stava cercando di rinascere dopo le devastazioni della guerra, l’European Broadcasting Union (Unione Europea di Radiodiffusione) con sede in Svizzera, istituì un comitato ad hoc che studiasse un modo per riunire i paesi membri attorno ad uno show di intrattenimento leggero. Nel 1955, tale comitato decise di organizzare un concorso canoro internazionale in cui i paesi, rappresentati dalle loro rispettive emittenti televisive pubbliche, avrebbero potuto partecipare ad uno show televisivo, da trasmettere simultaneamente in tutte le nazioni partecipanti. Questo progetto fu concepito durante un incontro a Monaco nel 1955 da Marcel Bezençon, il Direttore dell’EBU-UER. Il concorso, che prendeva spunto dal Festival di Sanremo nato nel 1951,  fu anche visto come un esperimento tecnologico in diretta televisiva. A quei tempi, quello di mettere insieme molti paesi in un’ampia area di network internazionali, fu considerato un progetto molto ambizioso. In quel tempo la rete Eurovisione era costituita da una rete terrestre a microonde.

(it) L’Eurovision Song Contest (in francese Concours Eurovision de la chanson), talvolta noto in italiano come Concorso Eurovisione della Canzone, in precedenza come Gran Premio Eurovisione della Canzone e informalmente come Eurofestival, è un festival musicale internazionale nato nel 1956 a Lugano e organizzato annualmente dai membri dell’Unione europea di radiodiffusione. Dalla prima edizione nel 1956, il concorso è stato trasmesso ogni anno senza interruzioni in tutto il mondo, fatta eccezione per il 2020, rendendolo uno dei programmi televisivi musicali di livello internazionale più longevi di sempre. È anche l’evento non sportivo più seguito al mondo: i dati d’ascolto degli ultimi anni a livello internazionale sono stati stimati tra 100 e 600 milioni.

Il concorso è trasmesso in diretta radiofonica e televisiva sui canali principali e secondari dei membri dell’EBU-UER, nonché in Eurovisione; viene trasmesso anche in altri paesi al di fuori della zona europea di radiodiffusione tra cui Australia, Canada, Cina e Stati Uniti d’America. Con l’avvento del terzo millennio è stata inoltre introdotta la trasmissione dell’evento in diretta attraverso le piattaforme Internet eurovision.tv e poi, dal 2016, su YouTube attraverso il canale ufficiale dell’evento.

Dall’ESC sono derivati numerosi spin-off tra cui la versione dedicata ai giovanissimi, denominata Junior Eurovision Song Contest, una versione canadese, una statunitense denominata American Song Contest e una sudamericana.

What is the Eurovision Song Contest? The Eurovision Song Contest is the world’s largest live music event. It is organized annually by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), the world’s foremost alliance of public service media (PSM).

The competition, in which participating Member broadcasters of the EBU send a new song to represent their nation, takes place annually in the country that won the previous year’s edition.

The event is produced by the EBU together with the broadcaster which sent the winning song.

41 broadcasters took part in the 2019 Eurovision Song Contest which was won by the Netherlands with the song “Arcade” by Duncan Laurence.

The Eurovision Song Contest has taken place every year since 1956. 27 countries have won the competition at least once.

The 2019 competition reached over 180 million TV viewers in over 40 markets and millions more online.

How is the Eurovision Song Contest governed? The Eurovision Song Contest Reference Group is the governing board for all EBU Members, its purpose being to guide the Eurovision Song Contest. Further details concerning the organization of the Eurovision Song Contest can be found here https://eurovision.tv/about/organisers

What are the rules of the Eurovision Song Contest? As with every major international event, the Eurovision Song Contest also has rules. The rules for each contest are usually published in the autumn the year before the contest. The public rules for the 2021 Eurovision Song Contest can be found at https://eurovision.tv/about/rules

Who can participate in the Eurovision Song Contest? Participation in the Eurovision Song Contest is limited to Members of the EBU or specially invited Associates. More details on membership criteria can be found here https://www.ebu.ch/about/members

(Associates of the EBU may be eligible to enter the Eurovision Song Contest, this is decided by the Reference Group, the governing body of the Eurovision Song Contest, on a case by case basis.)

How is the Eurovision Song Contest financed?

The Eurovision Song Contest is a non-profit event, mostly financed by:

• contributions from the Participating Broadcasters (the so-called participation fee), adding up to 6.2 million euros combined. This fee is different for each country based on the solidarity principle that the strongest shoulders carry the most weight. It is at the sole discretion of each Participating Broadcaster to decide if they wish to make public the financial details of their participation;
• a contribution from the Host Broadcaster is generally between 10-20 million euros, depending on local circumstances and available resources;
• a contribution from the Host City, either financially or ‘in kind’ (e.g. covering expenses of city branding, side events, security, etc.);
• commercial revenue from sponsorship agreements, ticket sales, televoting and merchandise, which varies from year to year.

On average, over 90% of all available funds are earmarked for the TV production and event organisation. Approximately 5% of available funds represent the budget for the EBU’s Eurovision Song Contest team and its partners. Any remaining funds are reimbursed to the Participating Broadcasters, for as long as local legislation allows such a reimbursement. The budget is overlooked and approved by the Reference Group, on behalf of all Participating

What is the mission of the Contest? The Eurovision Song Contest is a long running non-political, entertainment event which is designed to bring audiences and countries together. 

The original idea in 1956 was to offer all Members of the EBU, the world’s leading alliance of public service media, an exciting yearly entertainment television show to take part in and to test the limits of live television broadcast technology.

Over the past 65 years the event has grown from 7 participating broadcasters to over 40 with semi-finals taking place since 2004.

Given the scale of the show and the hours of content available, the Eurovision Song Contest offers excellent value for money for EBU Members and huge excitement and enjoyment for millions of fans worldwide.

On what values is the Contest based? The Eurovision Song Contest’s values are of universality and inclusivity and our proud tradition of celebrating diversity through music which is reflected in our global audiences of over 180 million. 

How to Watch.

Where can I watch the Eurovision Song Contest? You can watch the Semi-Finals and Grand Final of the Eurovision Song Contest live on the channels of every participating country’s public broadcaster. 

You can also watch the contest live, and later on demand, via the official YouTube channel, without commentary.

Please note that there are some areas that are geo-blocked and therefore YouTube streaming is not available in some territories including the United States where the 2019 competition is viewable on Netflix.

How many people watch the Eurovision Song Contest? The Eurovision Song Contest, the world’s biggest live music event, was seen by over 180 million viewers in 2019. The 3 live shows from Tel Aviv reached around 182 million people across 40 markets.

FAQ: General Information.

Here are the most evergreen Frequently Asked Questions regarding the Eurovision Song Contest.

Why is Australia in the Eurovision Song Contest? The Eurovision Song Contest has been broadcast in Australia for more than 30 years. The Australian broadcaster SBS is an Associate Member of the EBU and in 2015, to mark the 60th Eurovision Song Contest, was invited to submit an entry. In 2016 the broadcaster requested to take part in the Eurovision Song Contest again. The Reference Group, the governing body of the Eurovision Song Contest, voted unanimously in favour of Australia’s participation in 2016, 2017 and 2018 respectively. In February 2019, it was announced that Australia has secured participation as a competitor at the Eurovision Song Contest until 2023. It is yet to be decided whether Australia will become a permanent participant in the contest.

How can I participate as an artist in the Eurovision Song Contest? All entries to the Eurovision Song Contest are selected by the Participating Broadcasters. These are the Member Broadcasters of the EBU that take part in the Eurovision Song Contest. Some select their respective entry internally, while others organise public national selections. For more information about how to represent your country, we recommend you contact your national public broadcaster.

How to take part in the Eurovision Song Contest? In the lead up to the Eurovision Song Contest, national selections take place in the represented countries. These national selections are being organized by the respective national public broadcasters who are Active Members of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU). In the United Kingdom, the BBC is taking care of the national selection, in Sweden it’s SVT, in Germany it’s NDR, etc.

Good to know

• First of all, it is important to know that the EBU is not involved in the national selections. It is entirely up to the participating broadcasters to decide how they pick their entry. However, the EBU does demand full transparency on the chosen procedure
• In most countries, televised national selections take place, and usually anyone can send in songs. A selection committee then picks the songs that will take part in the national selection, and a jury or viewers (or a mix of both) decide upon the winner
• Some broadcasters pick their entry for the Eurovision Song Contest internally. A selection committee then picks the representing artists, and sometimes also the song to be performed

Sending in your song To take part in the Eurovision Song Contest, you need to win a national selection or be selected by one of the participating broadcasters. Everything starts with sending in your song!

• To find out how to represent your own country in the Eurovision Song Contest, keep an eye on announcements made by your national public broadcaster. Usually, these announcements are made available through their website, and include details on how to send in your song
• To find out how to represent another country in the Eurovision Song Contest, keep an eye on announcements made by other national public broadcasters. Usually, these announcements are made available through their websites, and include details on how to send in your song. Note that not all broadcasters accept songs from foreign artists, songwriters and composers
• If there is no public broadcaster in your country taking part in the Eurovision Song Contest, it is not possible to represent your country. To take part in the Eurovision Song Contest, you would have to enter your song for nomination in another country. Should you be selected to take part in the Eurovision Song Contest, you will then of course represent the respective country

Note that most broadcasters set their deadlines to submit songs somewhere between September and December.

If you sent in your song, the respective public broadcaster will inform you whether you have been selected for the national final, or not. From there, everything speaks for itself; you will have to win the national selection to represent the respective country at the Eurovision Song Contest.

Can you help? No, we cannot help you. The EBU does not keep a record of submission deadlines and national selection rules of the respective participating countries. For questions about national selections, please contact the respective public broadcaster.

To Europe’s greatest artists, upcoming stars and hidden talents; good luck! We are looking forward to see the best of you at the Eurovision Song Contest.

Who pays for the Eurovision Song Contest? The Eurovision Song Contest is a non-profit event, mostly financed by:

• Contributions from the Participating Broadcasters (the so-called participation fee). This fee is different for each country based on the solidarity principle that the strongest shoulders carry the most weight. It is at the sole discretion of each Participating Broadcaster to decide if they wish to make public the financial details of their participation
• A contribution from the Host Broadcaster, which is generally between €10 and €20 million, depending on local circumstances and available resources
• A contribution from the Host City, either financially or ‘in kind’ (e.g. covering expenses of city branding, side events, security, etc.)
• Commercial revenue from sponsorship agreements, ticket sales, televoting and merchandise, which varies from year to year

On average, over 90% of all available funds are being earmarked for the TV production and event organisation. Approximately 5% of available funds represent the budget for the EBU’s Eurovision Song Contest team and its partners. Any remaining funds are being reimbursed to the Participating Broadcasters, for as long local legislation allows such reimbursement. The budget is overlooked and approved by the Reference Group, on behalf of all Participating Broadcasters, on an annual basis.

Who organises the Eurovision Song Contest? The Eurovision Song Contest is an annual event organised under the auspices of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), the largest union of public service media in the world. The EBU co-produces the Eurovision Song Contest together with its Member Broadcasters, most notably the public broadcaster of the preceding winning country, the Host Broadcaster.

Did the voting change for the Eurovision Song Contest 2019? No, the actual voting did not change. However, there was a change in the presentation of the votes. The order in which the televoting results were revealed were determined by the ranking of the jury result. The announcement of the televoting results now starts with the country receiving the fewest points from the juries and ends with the country that received the highest points from the juries. The presenters then announce the total number of televotes received for each song across all participating countries. Read more about voting.

Why is Kosovo not participating in the Eurovision Song Contest? Kosovo cannot take part in the Eurovision Song Contest because their public broadcaster is not a Member of the EBU. The statutes of the EBU say that a Member must come from a country that is a Member of the International Telecommunications Union or is a Member of the Council of Europe. Kosovo is in neither. The EBU helped set up Kosovo’s public service broadcaster RTK in 1999 and it continues to work closely with RTK to protect public service media in Kosovo.

Can I get access to the Eurovision Song Contest physical archive for the purpose of a thesis?

The Eurovision Song Contest physical archive is safely stored at the EBU’s headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland. In principle, the archive is not open to the public. Exceptions may be made on a case-by-case basis and are at the EBU’s sole discretion.

Organisers – The Organisers behind the Eurovision Song Contest The Eurovision Song Contest is coordinated annually by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), together with a Host Broadcaster and around 40 Participating Broadcasters.

The Contest is overseen by the Reference Group on behalf of the Participating Broadcasters, and each Participating Broadcaster is represented by a Head of Delegation.

European Broadcasting Union (EBU). Established in 1950 and also known in French as Union Européenne de Radio-télévision (UER), the EBU is the world’s leading alliance of public service media.

The European Broadcasting Union has 112 member organisations in 56 countries and an additional 31 Associates in Asia, Africa, Australasia and the Americas. Members operate nearly 2,000 television, radio and online channels and services, and offer a wealth of content across other platforms.

For the Eurovision Song Contest, the EBU supports and supervises the work of the Host Broadcaster and is the central point of contact of all Participating Broadcasters. Together with its Partners, the EBU is centrally dealing with all matters related to the brand, international marketing activities, rights management, voting, communications and online activities.

You can find out more about the EBU on their website.

Executive Supervisor. The Executive Supervisor oversees the preparation and organisation of the Eurovision Song Contest on behalf of the EBU. Together with their team, they provide the main point of contact for over 40 participating EBU Members and are in charge of the operation on their behalf, ensuring the Contest is delivered annually by the Host Broadcaster in accordance with the Contest rules.

The current Executive Supervisor is Martin Österdahl, a senior television executive with over 20 years of experience.

Martin was the Executive Producer for the Eurovision Song Contest in 2013 and 2016 when the Contest was hosted by Swedish EBU Member SVT in Malmö and Stockholm respectively.

Reference Group. The Reference Group was established in 1998 and is the executive committee tasked with overseeing the organisation of the Eurovision Song Contest on behalf of Participating Broadcasters.

As of September 2023, the Reference Group includes:

Chairperson: Bakel Walden (SSR SRG)

Members: Ebba Adielsson (SVT), Rachel Ashdown (BBC), Felix Bergsson (RÚV), Ana María Bordas (RTVE), Carla Bugalho (RTP), Claudio Fasulo (RAI), Simona Martorelli (RAI), Tomislav Štengl (HRT), Alexandra Wolfslast (NDR), Martin Österdahl (EBU)

The Reference Group is established by the EBU Television Committee and its tasks are:

• Approving the development and future format of the Eurovision Song Contest
• Securing the financing of the Eurovision Song Contest
• Modernising the brand and raising awareness of the Eurovision Song Contest
• Overseeing the yearly preparation by the Host Broadcaster

The Reference Group meets four to five times each year on behalf of all Participating Broadcasters, and is required to take decisions in the general interest of the Contest.

The Reference Group is composed of the following members:

• The Chairperson
• Three elected members from among the Heads of Delegations
• Two Executive Producers from previous host countries, as well as the Executive Producer of the current Host Broadcaster
• Up to two invited members based on competence and experience
• The EBU Eurovision Song Contest Executive Supervisor

You can read more about the Reference Group on the EBU website.

Host Broadcaster. The Eurovision Song Contest is usually organised by the national public broadcaster of the country that won the year before (with some notable exceptions). In 2022 the Host Broadcaster was Rai from Italy.

For the Host Broadcaster, organising the Contest is an unprecedented but exciting challenge which includes working closely with the Host City and appointing a domestic Executive Producer who can oversee and manage operations.

Participating Broadcasters. The Participating Broadcasters are…. the broadcasters participating in the Eurovision Song Contest of any given year!

The list changes from year to year as broadcasters debut, leave and rejoin the Contest, but it usually comprises around 40 competing delegations.

Participating Broadcasters work hard to prepare acts that will qualify from the show’s Semi-Finals, hoping for a ticket to the Saturday night Grand Final where they will join the so-called ‘Big Five’ broadcasters.

The Big Five are the Participating Broadcasters from France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom – the group of countries who via their broadcasters make the biggest financial contribution towards the organisation of the Contest.

Head of Delegation (HoD). Each Participating Broadcaster taking part in the Eurovision Song Contest must appoint a Head of Delegation (HoD). This person is the European Broadcasting Union’s contact point and leader of their country’s delegation at the Contest.

A delegation, managed by the Head of Delegation, also includes a Head of Press (HoP), the artists, songwriters, composers, backing vocalists and, of course, the artist’s entourage. The size of a delegation can vary greatly.

Traditionally, the HoDs meet in March before the Contest to discuss and learn about the upcoming event.

How It Works – How the Eurovision Song Contest works.

An Overview. The Eurovision Song Contest is an internationally televised songwriting competition, organised by the European Broadcasting Union and featuring participants chosen by EBU member broadcasters representing their countries from across Europe and beyond.

Each Participating Broadcaster has until mid-March to choose a song and an artist to perform it. The song and artist can be selected through a televised national selection show (or shows), an internal process, or via any other means they decide.

Participants then compete at the Eurovision Song Contest, traditionally held in May.

The Contest format comprises three live shows: the First Semi-Final (Tuesday evening), the Second Semi-Final (Thursday evening), and the Grand Final (a Saturday night spectacular).

Participating Broadcasters work hard to prepare acts that will qualify from the show’s Semi-Finals, hoping for a ticket to the Saturday night Grand Final where they will join the so-called ‘Big Five’ broadcasters and Host Broadcaster (usually the broadcaster of the nation than won the previous year).

The ‘Big Five’ are the Participating Broadcasters from France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom – the group of countries who via their broadcasters make the biggest financial contribution towards the organisation of the Contest.

There is a comprehensive set of rules concerning participation that has evolved over the decades, but the main ones relating to competing songs and artists are:

• Songs must be original and no more than 3 minutes in length
• Lead vocals must be performed live
• No more than 6 performers can take to the stage during any one performance

In each show, after all songs have been performed, each country will give two sets of points (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10 and 12) to their favourite songs; one set is given by a jury of five music industry professionals from that country, and one set given by viewers watching the show in that country. Viewers can vote by telephone, SMS and through the official app.

Out of fairness, you cannot vote for your own country.

In the Semi-Finals, only those countries who took part in that specific show, and those in non-participating countries –  the “Rest of the World” – can vote (along with 2 or 3 of the ‘Big Five’ who are already in the Grand Final), whereas in the Grand Final, all competing countries and the “Rest of the World” can vote. Also, in the Semi-Finals only the audience televote points are awarded and count towards qualification – the jury scores are retained for back-up purposes.

At the end of the Grand Final, the song that has received the most points wins the iconic trophy, and is performed once more.

National Selections. Each country is de facto represented by its respective public broadcaster, and it’s at the broadcaster’s sole discretion to determine who will represent their country at the Eurovision Song Contest.

There are three common ways to select a participant for the Eurovision Song Contest:

Televised National Selection. The broadcaster can select their entry by organising their own ‘mini Eurovision’ earlier in the year. For example, Albania uses their well established Festivali i Këngës to pick a participant, Sweden runs its annual Melodifestivalen, and Portugal utilises Festival da Canção.

Internal Selection. The broadcaster can invite submissions or approach record labels and individuals, and run the process without public involvement. This method has worked well in recent years for the United Kingdom (Sam Ryder finishing 2nd in 2022), the Netherlands (Duncan Laurence champion in 2019) and Israel (Netta was victor in 2018).

Mixed Format. The best of both worlds, where, for example, an artist is chosen by the broadcaster, leaving the song choice down to a public vote.

The EBU strongly encourages participating broadcasters to engage the public with the selection of a participant for the Eurovision Song Contest.

Semi-Final Allocation Draw. As the Contest moves around the globe, so do the Hosting responsibilities, and in January, the Host Broadcaster meets with their predecessor to symbolically mark the passing of the Contest from one Host City to the next.

It’s at this event that the Semi-Final Allocation Draw takes place, which determines which country takes part in which of the two Semi-Finals.

Event Weeks. While most TV viewers are focused on the three live shows, the broadcasts are in fact the climax of two exciting weeks in the Host City.

• All participants rehearse individually on stage twice for each show. Rehearsals begin up to two weeks before the Saturday night Grand Final.
• The Host City normally organises a Eurovision Village to entertain locals and visitors, and to give an extra platform for participants to perform, as well as screening the live shows.
• Each of the three live shows is preceded by Dress Rehearsals. Tickets are sold to the second and third
• Dress Rehearsals.Traditionally, a Welcome Reception and ‘Turquoise Carpet’ Ceremony are held on the Sunday preceding the live shows, for delegations and selected invitees.

On top of official events and engagements, the Host City welcomes tens of thousands of visitors, with City-organised and fan-run events.

Fairness. The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) is strongly committed to secure the fairness of the Eurovision Song Contest. In order to assure Participating Broadcasters, contestants and the public a fair and valid result the EBU implemented a wide range of measures.

Governance. Participation in the contest is governed by the Eurovision Song Contest Rules. These Rules are established and enforced by the contest’s governing body, the Reference Group, on behalf of all Participating Broadcasters. Embedded within the Rules is a wealth of legacy, some of which dating back several decades. The EBU and the Reference Group are committed to continuously improving the Rules.

Significant changes that touch upon the basics of the contest will have to be approved by the EBU’s Television Committee, a higher governing body on behalf of the EBU’s Member Broadcasters.

The Executive Supervisor on behalf of the EBU, who is a permanent member of the Reference Group, ensures that the Rules are being followed on a day-to-day basis and reports any breach of the Rules to the Reference Group.

In particular, the Executive Supervisor oversees the voting procedure that determines the outcome of the Eurovision Song Contest.

A breach of the Rules may result in a formal warning, a financial penalty or a sanction. The highest possible sanction is an exclusion from participation in the contest for a maximum of three consecutive years.

Voting validation and observation. The outcome of the Eurovision Song Contest is determined by a jury of music industry professionals and viewers, each making a 50 percent contribution to the result.

Each jury, as well as each individual jury member, must meet a strict set of criteria regarding professional background, as well as diversity in gender and age. Additionally, judges pledge in writing they will evaluate the entries based on a set of criteria and state that they are not connected to any of the contestants in any way that could affect their ability to vote independently. Judges can only take seat in the jury once every three years.

The juries vote on the basis of the second Dress Rehearsal of each show, which takes place the night before each live show. Each judge should vote independently and no discussion about their vote is permitted. An independent notary oversees the jury gathering, to assure all regulatory procedures are being followed.

Each jury submits their result to the EBU and its official voting partner Digame via a highly secured system, as well as by fax.

Viewers can submit their vote by phone call, SMS or via the official app. They can vote up to 20 times. Voting tariffs are set by each Participating Broadcaster and will be presented on screen during the shows. Exceptions may apply due to differences in national legislation.

All televotes are being processed by the Pan-European Response Platform (PERP), which was developed by the EBU’s official voting partner Once to assure all votes are counted in accordance with the Rules. The entire televoting process is monitored live by some 70 trained professionals from the Voting Control Centre in Cologne, Germany. The setup assures that any attempts to unfairly influence the voting, e.g. via bulk voting are detected and mitigated. The exact methods to prevent and/or detect malicious voting is classified and only known to the EBU Executive Supervisor, the Chairman of the Reference Group, E&Y and Once.

The entire procedure – both jury voting as well as televoting – is overlooked by independent observers of E&Y and by the EBU’s Executive Supervisor, to assure that all results are being interpreted in accordance with the Rules.

Rules – The Rules of the Contest 2025. The Eurovision Song Contest has a detailed set of Rules, which have been established by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and are approved by the contest’s governing body, the Reference Group. On this page you can find the public summary of the Rules of the Eurovision Song Contest 2025.

This version of the Rules is provided for public information purposes only.

EBU CO-PRODUCTION. 

INTERNATIONAL COPRODUCTION. The Eurovision Song Contest (the “ESC”) is an international coproduction by broadcasting organisations having the status of Members of the EBU, as defined under the EBU Statutes (the “Members”) which is carried out under the auspices of the European Broadcasting Union (the “EBU”) as part of the television programme exchange known as Eurovision for the benefit of the Participating Broadcasters and of the Host Broadcaster.

The EBU appoints an Executive Supervisor (hereafter the “ESC Executive Supervisor”) to supervise the organization of the ESC and the production of the Shows as well as to oversee the preparation of the ESC operations throughout the year as further detailed under these Rules.

NUMBER OF PARTICIPATING BROADCASTERS. A maximum of 44 Members shall be allowed to participate (the “Participating Broadcasters”).

Members from a maximum total of 26 countries shall compete in the Final.

There shall be six guaranteed places therein, i.e. one for the producing organization, i.e. the Member which has won the preceding edition (the “Host Broadcaster”), and the five Members from France, Germany, Spain, Italy and the United Kingdom (the “Big 5”). Subject to a decision by the EBU in consultation with the Reference Group, the number of guaranteed places in the Final may be modified depending on circumstances.

Apart from the six broadcasters with guaranteed places, all Participating Broadcasters from a maximum of 38 countries shall compete in one of the Semi-Finals for the remaining places in the Final.

FORMAT.

UNIVERSAL LIVE PRIME TIME ENTERTAINMENT SHOWS. The ESC is traditionally composed of three live Shows, two Semi-Finals, on Tuesdays and on Thursdays and one Final taking place on Saturdays taking place annually in May, in the country of the Host Broadcaster. The Acts are performed during the Shows in front of a live audience and the Shows are presented on stage, in both English and French, by the international presenters.

The Shows are produced and transmitted live by the Host Broadcaster and are made available over the Eurovision network for live broadcast by the Participating Broadcasters.

The Shows are universal entertainment television programmes aimed at all audiences and all ages (including families) with a broad international appeal; it is a state-of-the-art, prime-time entertainment programme, world-class live television production. It consists of a musical competition in which artists entered by the Participating Broadcasters (the “Contestants“) will compete at the ESC by performing on stage live on television, songs (the “Acts“) to represent their respective countries. The Acts are performed one after the other with short sequences (the “Postcards“) in between.

The allocation of the countries to the two Semi-Finals and the position of appearance of the Host Broadcaster in the Final shall be decided by means of draws.

The outcome of the ESC is decided by the votes casted by the National Audiences and by National Juries appointed in the countries of the Participating Broadcasters.

During the Audience Voting window and the time necessary to calculate the results, there shall be so-called “interval acts” produced by the Host Broadcaster (the “Interval A

cts”).The announcement of the results is generally followed from a so-called “Green Room” by the Contestants having entered the ESC.

National commentary by commentators appointed by each of the Participating Broadcasters is added to the international version of the Shows for broadcast in their respective countries.

ENTRIES REQUIREMENTS.

SELECTION OF THE SONGS. Each song which competes in the ESC shall be selected through a national selection to be organized by each Participating Broadcaster. The national selection is organized under the sole responsibility of the Participating Broadcaster in question.

SONGS REQUIREMENTS.

(i) RELEASE DATE. The songs (lyrics and music compositions) submitted to represent the country of each Participating Broadcaster’s country in the ESC must be original and must not have been released and/or publicly performed in part or in full before 1 September 2024 (the “Release Date”).

In case the song submitted has been made available to the public, for example, but not limited to, on online video platforms, social networks or (semi-) publicly accessible databanks and/or performed publicly, for example but not limited to during concerts, prior to the Release Date the Participating Broadcaster must inform the ESC Executive Supervisor, who shall have authority to evaluate whether the song remains eligible for participation in the Contest. 

In particular, the ESC Executive Supervisor shall assess whether such disclosure prior to the Release Date is likely to give to the song an advantage in the Contest vis-à-vis the other participating songs. 

The ESC Executive Supervisor shall have authority to authorise or deny participation of a song which may have been available to the public as described above. The ESC Executive Supervisor shall consult the Reference Group in case of doubt.

(ii) DURATION. The maximum duration of each song to be performed as part of the Act is three minutes. Any song/performance which is longer shall not be eligible to participate and each Participating Broadcaster shall ensure that the song complies with this duration.

Any submission of a Backing Track which is longer than three minutes will be rejected by the EBU and the Participating Broadcaster will be requested to re-submit a Backing Track which complies with the required duration.

(iii) LANGUAGE. Each Participating Broadcaster is free to decide the language in which its Contestant(s) will sing.

PERFORMANCES AT THE ESC.

(i) PERFORMANCES IN THE SHOWS. The stage performance shall be identical in all second (Jury) Dress Rehearsals and during the Live Shows.

(ii) LIVE PERFORMANCES ON STAGE (AND BACKING TRACKS). All songs shall be performed live on the stage in the Host City at the selected Venue with recorded Backing Tracks.

No on-stage Contestant (whether Lead Singer(s), or dancers) shall be allowed to lip-sync in such a way as to give the impression that they are singing when they actually are not.

No pitch-correction (e.g. Auto-tuning) for live vocals shall be allowed in any case for the live Act performances on stage.

Plugging instruments to play live on stage shall not be allowed. The Host Broadcaster and the ESC Executive Supervisor shall verify respect for this rule.

CONTESTANTS (ELIGIBILTY CRITERIA).

(i) MAXIMUM NUMBER OF CONTESTANTS. Each performance may consist of a maximum of six artists on stage. No live animals shall be allowed on stage.

(ii) AGE OF CONTESTANTS. All Contestants and artists competing in a Semi-Final must be aged at least 16 on the day of the Final. All Contestants and artists competing only in the Final must be aged at least 16 on the day of the Final.

(iii) COUNTRY REPRESENTATION. No Contestant and/or artist may compete for more than one country in the ESC in a given year.

VOTING.

OUTCOME OF THE ESC. The outcome of the ESC is determined by votes which are cast by

I) IN THE COUNTRIES OF THE PARTICIPATING BROADCASTERS

• the national audiences of the Participating Broadcasters (the “National Audience”) in both Semi-Finals and the Grand-Final through centralised televoting (the “Televoting”) and where feasible or mandatory, through paid online voting (the “paid online voting)” – When referred collectively hereafter, the televoting and the paid online voting shall be referred to as the “National Audience Voting”
• the Jurors of the National Juries appointed by each Participating Broadcaster in each participating country (Grand-Final only), and

II) OUTSIDE THE COUNTRIES OF THE PARTICIPATING BROADCASTERS (THE “REST OF THE WORLD” OR “ROW“).

• the international audience outside of the countries of the Participating Broadcasters (the “RoW Audience“), in both Semi-Finals and the Grand-Final through centralised paid online voting (the “RoW Voting”).

When referred collectively hereafter, the National Audience Voting and the RoW Voting shall be referred to as the “Audience Voting”.

The National Audience Voting is compulsory in all the countries of the Participating Broadcasters. Each Participating Broadcaster shall cooperate with the Voting Partner appointed by the EBU for the National Audience Voting and the national jury voting so as to ensure a central control and verification of the results.

All Participating Broadcasters are obliged to follow the agreed rules in relation to the voting which shall be laid down in the Official Voting Instructions which shall be an integral part of these Rules (to be distributed separately).

AUDIENCE VOTING– VOTES OF NATIONAL AUDIENCES AND RoW AUDIENCE.

(i) IMPLEMENTATION.

NATIONAL AUDIENCE VOTING. In the Semi-Final: All Participating Broadcasters presenting a song in a Semi-Final are obliged to implement the National Audience Voting system for that Semi-Final. The six Participating Broadcasters with guaranteed places in the Final shall also implement the National Audience Voting system for the Semi-Final which they are required to broadcast.

In the Final: All Participating Broadcasters are obliged to implement the National Audience Voting system for the Final in their respective countries.

REST OF THE WORLD AUDIENCE VOTING. The principle of the RoW voting is to collect all votes cast in the countries outside the countries of the Participating Broadcasters and to combine the votes of the RoW Audience as one additional country.

(ii) MODALITIES.

IN THE COUNTRIES OF THE PARTICIPATING BROADCASTERS: NATIONAL AUDIENCE VOTING.

MEANS OF NATIONAL AUDIENCE VOTING: Viewers in the countries of the Participating Broadcasters are invited to vote for their favourite songs by means of televoting (votes of the National Audiences by telephone and SMS, including the ESC App) and in certain countries, where such method is agreed upon between the Voting Partner and the Participating Broadcaster concerned, via paid online voting.

NO VOTING FOR ITS OWN COUNTRY: Voters must be excluded from voting for the song of their own country of residence, and this must be made known to them.

IN THE REST OF THE WORLD: ROW VOTING.

MEANS OF RoW VOTING: In the Rest of the World, the audience in the RoW is invited to vote through a dedicated website operated by the Voting Partner under the supervision of the EBU. The RoW Audience is eligible to vote for all songs in each Show.

VOTING RESTRICTIONS: Audiences from Participating Broadcasters shall not be eligible to vote in the RoW voting.

The countries in which the RoW voting shall be implemented and performed shall be decided by the EBU and subject to applicable restrictions that may exist in some countries.

(iii) AWARD OF THE POINTS.

WITH RESPECT TO NATIONAL AUDIENCE VOTING, IN EACH COUNTRY, the song which has received the highest number of votes shall be ranked first, the song which has received the second highest number of votes shall be ranked second, and so on until the last song.

In both Semi-Finals and in the Grand-Final, only the ten best ranked songs in the Audience will be considered and the results of the National Audiences in each country shall be determined as follows:

• 12 points shall be allocated to the song having obtained the best rank from the National Audiences;
• 10 points to the song having obtained the second-best rank from the National Audiences,
• 8 points to the song having obtained the third-best rank from the National Audiences,
• 7 points to the next,
• and so on, down to 1 point for the song having obtained the tenth-best rank from the National Audiences.

WITH RESPECT TO THE ROW VOTING, all the votes cast by the RoW Audience from the non-participating countries will be counted together and shall award a total of 58 points, (i.e it will count as one single participating country). The points will be attributed using the same manner as the one used for the National Audience Voting, (i.e. from 1 to 8, 10, and 12 points),

VOTES OF NATIONAL JURIES.

(i) IMPLEMENTATION. In addition to the National Audience Voting, in each participating country, there shall be a National Jury to be appointed by that country’s Participating Broadcaster, unless decided otherwise by the Reference Group, to vote in the Semi-Finals and in the Final. The Reference Group may decide to change the jury voting set-up.

National Juries shall vote in all the countries of the Participating Broadcasters and in all cases.

In the Semi-Final: All Participating Broadcasters having a Contestant in a Semi-Final shall ensure that a National Jury votes in that Semi-Final. The six Participating Broadcasters with guaranteed places in the Final shall also appoint a National Jury to vote in the Semi-Final which they are required to broadcast.

In the Final: All Participating Broadcasters shall appoint a National Jury to vote in the Final (even if their song is not selected for the Final).

Implementation of the compulsory National Audience Voting shall not exempt any Participating Broadcaster from appointing a National Jury.

(ii) MODALITIES. The National Juries shall not be allowed to vote for the song of their own country.

When voting, Jury Members shall use all their professional skill and experience without favoring any Contestant on the account of their nationality, gender or likeliness and shall be free from bias, external influence foreign perspectives or pressure (including but not limited to betting odds or public opinions). The sole reference for their judgment must be the performance of the Acts during the second (Jury) Dress Rehearsals of the respective Shows.

(iii) AWARDING OF THE POINTS. With respect to the National Jury, the National Jurors shall rank first their favourite song, second, their second favourite song, third, their third favourite song, and so on until their least favourite song which shall be ranked last.

Abstentions are not allowed, except that the song representing the country of the Participating Broadcaster which has appointed the National Jury shall be excluded from the vote.

It is not allowed to award the same rank to two different songs.

In both Semi-Finals and in the Grand-Final, only the ten best initial ranked songs by the National Jury will be considered; the results of the National Jury in each country shall be determined as follows:

• 12 points shall be allocated to the song having obtained the best rank from the National Jury;
• 10 points to the song having obtained the second-best rank from the National Jury,
• 8 points to the song having obtained the third-best rank from the National Jury,
• 7 points to the next,
• and so on, down to 1 point for the song having obtained the tenth-best rank from the National Jury.

RESULTS. In the Semi Finals, subject to the Reference Group approval, only the points of Audiences which have voted in the respective Semi-Finals shall be used to calculate the official result of each Semi-Final.

In the Final; the points of the National Audiences and of the National Juries shall be combined according to a ratio which is determined by the EBU, subject to the Reference Group approval, to calculate the official result of the Final.

For example, if the ratio is 50-50, the points of the National Jury carry the same weight as the points of the National Audiences.

PRESENTATION AND ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE RESULTS. The results shall be announced once all songs have been performed, after the Audience Voting window is closed and the results have been calculated.

IN THE SEMI FINALS. In the Semi-Finals, the international presenters shall announce the names of the countries which have qualified from the Semi-Finals for the Final.

IN THE FINAL. The results of the National Juries in each country are announced in turn by the spokesperson of each Participating Broadcaster, clearly and distinctly in English or in French, stating the name of the country concerned and the points allocated by its National Jury.

The Audience Voting results are announced by the International Presenters.

The Audience Voting points from all participating countries are combined with the points of the National Juries, providing one combined score for each song.

At the end of the process, the International Presenters shall announce the winner(s).

The Contestants, song writer(s) and Participating Broadcaster of the winning song(s) in the Final shall receive the ESC Trophy, and the transmission of the Final shall end with a further performance of the winning song(s).

QUALIFIERS AND WINNERS. From each of the Semi-Finals, 10 Contestants will qualify for the Final, which according to all information made available to the EBU by the Voting Partner, have obtained the highest number of points from the Audience Voting at the time of announcement of the results.

The winner(s) of the Final shall be the song(s) which, according to all information made available to the EBU by the Voting Partner, has/have obtained the highest combined number of points once the results of the National Audiences and of the National Juries have been added at the time of announcement of the results.

ESC TITLE AND VALUES.

ESC TITLE. The main title of the Shows is the “Eurovision Song Contest”, followed by the year during which it takes place.

It shall be used by all broadcasters, although they may instead use a translation into their national language, subject to the approval of the EBU. If the translation is approved, the main title need not be used. Broadcasters are also permitted to include a minor title under the main title, using the name by which the ESC has been known in recent years in their respective countries.

NON-POLITICAL EVENT. The ESC is a non-political event. All Participating Broadcasters, including the Host Broadcaster, shall be responsible to ensure that all necessary measures are undertaken within in their respective Delegations and teams to safeguard the interests and the integrity of the ESC and to make sure that the ESC shall in no case be politicized and/or instrumentalized and/or otherwise brought into disrepute in any way.

VALUES AND INTEGRITY.