Format. Original songs representing participating countries are performed in a live television programme broadcast via the Eurovision and Euroradio networks simultaneously to all countries. A “country” as a participant is represented by one television broadcaster from that country, a member of the European Broadcasting Union, and is typically that country’s national public broadcasting organisation. The programme is staged by one of the participant countries and is broadcast from an auditorium in the selected host city. Since 2008, each contest is typically formed of three live television shows held over one week: two semi-finals are held on the Tuesday and Thursday, followed by a final on the Saturday. All participating countries compete in one of the two semi-finals, except for the host country of that year’s contest and the contest’s biggest financial contributors known as the “Big Five”—France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom. The remaining countries are split between the two semi-finals, and the 10 highest-scoring entries in each qualify to produce 26 countries competing in the final.

Each show typically begins with an opening act consisting of music and/or dance performances by invited artists, which contributes to a unique theme and identity created for that year’s event; since 2013, the opening of the contest’s final has included a “Flag Parade”, with competing artists entering the stage behind their country’s flag in a similar manner to the procession of competing athletes at the Olympic Games opening ceremony. Viewers are welcomed by one or more presenters who provide key updates during the show, conduct interviews with competing acts from the green room, and guide the voting procedure in English and French. Competing acts perform sequentially, and after all songs have been performed, viewers are invited to vote for their favourite performances—except for the performance of their own country—via telephone, SMS and the official Eurovision app. The public vote comprises 50% of the final result alongside the views of a jury of music industry professionals from each country. An interval act is invariably featured during this voting period, which on several occasions has included a well-known personality from the host country or an internationally recognised figure. The results of the voting are subsequently announced; in the semi-finals, the 10 highest-ranked countries are announced in a random order, with the full results undisclosed until after the final. In the final, the presenters call upon a representative spokesperson for each country in turn who announces their jury’s points, while the results of the public vote are subsequently announced by the presenters. In recent years, it has been tradition that the first country to announce its jury points is the previous host, whereas the last country is the current host (with the exception of 2023, when the United Kingdom hosted the contest on behalf of Ukraine, who went first). The winning delegation is invited back on stage, where a trophy is awarded to the winning performers and songwriters by the previous year’s winner, followed by a reprise of the winning song. The full results of the competition, including detailed results of the jury and public vote, are released online shortly after the final, and the participating broadcaster of the winning entry is traditionally given the honour of organising the following year’s event.

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 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 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 can vote.

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

Trophy. Since 2008, the winner of the Eurovision Song Contest takes home the iconic glass microphone. This trophy is a custom design, especially created for Eurovision.

The unique hand-made piece of art in the shape of a classic microphone is made of solid transparent glass with sand-blasted and painted detailing.

About the designer. Designer Kjell Engman (1946) of Kosta Boda has worked as a glass artist for thirty years. Recently, he has focused on art glass and his creations can be found in exhibitions around the world.

Did you know…

• The song writers and composers of the winning entry receive smaller versions of the trophy;
• There is one ‘mother trophy‘ with a generic Eurovision Song Contest logo. Most of the time, it is displayed in the reception area at the European Broadcasting Union’s headquarters;
• In 2009, Alexander Rybak arrived at his Winner’s Press Conference with a broken trophy. Ever since, the trophy has two metal rings connecting the top and bottom parts;

In-depth: Everything you always wanted to know about the inner workings of the Eurovision Song Contest.

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.

How do the national selections for the Eurovision Song Contest work? Each country is de facto represented by its respective public broadcaster. It is at each 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:

Through a televised national selection: Through one or more television shows, the public can take part in the selection of the country’s representative. The most successfull televised national selection format is Melodifestivalen in Sweden, which features four live shows in different cities across the country, a second-chance show and a spectacular final; Through a full internal selection: Artist and song are being selected internally by a committee appointed by the broadcaster; Through a mixed format: Often, an artist is appointed by the broadcaster, while the public can help choose their song during a live television show;

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

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 ‘Red 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 Digame 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 Digame.

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.

Host City Insignia Exchange. During the Host City Insignia Exchange, which traditionally takes place in January, the mayor of the previous Host City hands over the Eurovision Song Contest insignia to the mayor of the upcoming Host City. 

Every year in May, one city finds itself in the global spotlight for several weeks; the Host City of the Eurovision Song Contest. To celebrate the contest coming to town, every year starts with the Host City Insignia Exchange around the end of January.

The Host City Insignia Exchange usually takes place in conjunction with the Semi-Final Allocation Draw, which determines which country takes part in which of the two Semi-Finals.

Each Host City adds an iconic insignia to the key chain, before handing over the entire collection of insignia to the next Host City.

After the hand-over, the insignia are traditionally being put on display in a public place, such as the City Hall or another venue of local significance, until they embarque on their next journey.

Semi-Final Allocation Draw. During the Semi-Final Allocation Draw it is determined which country participates in which Semi-Final, and whether they take part in its first or second half. 

The Semi-Final Allocation Draw, which takes place every year in late January, determines which country takes part in which of the two Semi-Finals of the Eurovision Song Contest.

The participating countries, except for the Host Country and the so-called ‘Big 5’ countries (France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom) that automatically qualify for the Grand Final, will be divided across the 2 Semi-Finals. From each Semi-Final, only 10 countries will qualify for the Grand Final, bringing the total number of Grand Final participants to 26.

During the Semi-Final Allocation Draw, the countries that will take part in the Semi-Finals are divided into pots, based on historic voting patterns. In this way, countries that traditionally award each other points are less likely to end up in the same Semi-Final, adding excitement to the shows. The pots are approved by the contest’s Executive Supervisor on behalf of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and the Chairman of the Reference Group, the contest’s governing body on behalf of all Participating Broadcasters.

The Semi-Final Allocation Draw is being broadcast live via Eurovision.tv.

The event weeks. Some two weeks before the Grand Final, the first delegations, journalists and fans travel to the Host City, to attend rehearsals, press conferences and parties in the Host City.

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. What happens during the so-called event weeks of the Eurovision Song Contest?

The event weeks in the Host City usually last about 15 days. A lot happens during the event weeks:

• All participants rehearse individually on stage twice. After each individual rehearsal, the participants meet with press and fans at the Press Centre;
• For most of the event weeks, all accredited delegates, press and fans can come together at the so-called EuroClub, the Eurovision Song Contest’s official party venue. Often, participants also throw their own parties, sometimes at the EuroClub, sometimes at other venues. Often, embassies give official receptions to welcome their representative in town;
• At the Eurovision Village, participants perform during the weeks on an outdoor stage. The Eurovision Village hosts sponsor activities, as well as public viewings during the live shows;
• Each show is preceded by three so-called Dress Rehearsals. The first Dress Rehearsal is open to the press, while tickets are being sold for the second and third one. The second Dress Rehearsal also features as recorded back-up, and is the show based on which the juries make up their mind;
• Traditionally, a Welcome Reception and Red Carpet Ceremony are being held on the Sunday preceding the live shows;
• On Tuesday, the first Semi-Final takes place, followed by a press conference featuring the ten qualifiers;
• On Thursday, the second Semi-Final takes place, followed by a press conference featuring the ten qualifiers;
• On Saturday, the Grand Final takes place, followed by a press conference featuring the winner and a grand after-party.

Usually, thousands or even tens of thousands of people travel to the Host City to celebrate the event weeks.

EuroClub: The EuroClub is the official party venue for accredited Eurovision Song Contest delegates, press and fans. It is the place to be to have fun and unwind after a long working day.

Note that EuroClub access is restricted to accreditated individuals only, in the categories D, P and F and is not open to the public. It is obligatory to carry your accreditation badge when visiting the EuroClub.

Eurovision Village: The Eurovision Village is the central Eurovision Song Contest hub in the contest’s Host City, open to the public.

The Eurovision Village is the official fan zone of the Eurovision Song Contest, access is free of charge and offers fans the opportunity to see their favourite acts perform live ahead of the Eurovision Song Contest.

During the live shows, fans are invited to watch the shows on big screens at the Eurovision Village.

Marcel Bezençon Awards (Best competing songs in the Eurovision Song Contest). The Marcel Bezençon Awards were first handed out during the Eurovision Song Contest 2002 in Tallinn, Estonia honouring the best competing songs in the final. Founded by Christer Björkman (Sweden’s representative in the Eurovision Song Contest 1992 and Head of Delegation for Sweden until 2021) and Richard Herrey (member of Herreys, winner of the Eurovision Song Contest 1984 for Sweden), the awards are named after the creator of the annual competition, Marcel Bezençon.

Although sanctioned by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), the awards are not presented during the Eurovision final, but rather are handed out during the official afterparty. Beginning with the 2009 contest, the trophies are handed out prior to the final.

Sweden’s Melodifestivalen and Hungary’s A Dal also present the awards during their own competition proper.

Categories. The awards are divided into 3 categories:

• Press Award – Given to the best entry as voted on by the accredited media and press during the event.
• Artistic Award – Presented to the best artist as voted on by the commentators since 2010. Until 2009, the category was voted on by previous winners of the contest.
• Composer Award – A jury consisting of the participating composers vote for the best and most original composition.

In 2008, a special one-off award was presented, the Poplight Fan Award, as voted by fans on the Swedish website Poplight.se and presented to their favourite debuting artist under the age of 25.

Former winners:

Press Award.

Year	Country	Song	Performer	Final	Points	Host city	.
2002	France	“Il faut du temps“	Sandrine François	5	104	Tallinn
2003	Turkey	“Everyway That I Can”	Sertab Erener	1	167	Riga
2004	Serbia and Montenegro	“Lane moje” (Лане моје)	Željko Joksimović	2	263	Istanbul
2005	Malta	“Angel”	Chiara	2	192	Kyiv
2006	Finland	“Hard Rock Hallelujah”	Lordi	1	292	Athens
2007	Ukraine	“Dancing Lasha Tumbai”	Verka Serduchka	2	235	Helsinki
2008	Portugal	“Senhora do mar (Negras águas)”	Vânia Fernandes	13	69	Belgrade
2009	Norway	“Fairytale”	Alexander Rybak	1	387	Moscow
2010	Israel	“Milim” (מילים)	Harel Skaat	14	71	Oslo
2011	Finland	“Da Da Dam”	Paradise Oskar	21	57	Düsseldorf
2012	Azerbaijan	“When the Music Dies”	Sabina Babayeva	4	150	Baku
2013	Georgia	“Waterfall”	Nodiko Tatishvili and Sophie Gelovani	15	50	Malmö
2014	Austria	“Rise Like a Phoenix”	Conchita Wurst	1	290	Copenhagen
2015	Italy	“Grande amore“	Il Volo	3	292	Vienna
2016	Russia	“You Are the Only One”	Sergey Lazarev	3	491	Stockholm
2017	Italy	“Occidentali’s Karma“	Francesco Gabbani	6	334	Kyiv
2018	France	“Mercy”	Madame Monsieur	13	173	Lisbon
2019	Netherlands	“Arcade”	Duncan Laurence	1	498	Tel Aviv
2021	France	“Voilà“	Barbara Pravi	2	499	Rotterdam
2022	United Kingdom	“Space Man”	Sam Ryder	2	466	Turin
2023	Sweden	“Tattoo”	Loreen	1	583	Liverpool

Artistic Award.

Voted by previous winners.

Year	Country	Performer	Song	Stage director(s)	Final	Points	Host city
2002	Sweden	Afro-dite	“Never Let It Go”		8	72	Tallinn
2003	Netherlands	Esther Hart	“One More Night”		13	45	Riga
2004	Ukraine	Ruslana	“Wild Dances”		1	280	Istanbul
2005	Greece	Helena Paparizou	“My Number One”	Fokas Evangelinos	1	230	Kyiv
2006	Sweden	Carola	“Invincible”		5	170	Athens
2007	Serbia	Marija Šerifović	“Molitva” (Молитва)	Gorčin Stojanović	1	268	Helsinki
2008	Ukraine	Ani Lorak	“Shady Lady”	Fokas Evangelinos	2	230	Belgrade
2009	France	Patricia Kaas	“Et s’il fallait le faire“		8	107	Moscow

Voted by commentators. Since 2010, the show commentators have replaced the previous winners as the selection jury for the winners.

Year	Country	Performer	Song	Stage director(s)	Final	Points	Host city
2010	Israel	Harel Skaat	“Milim” (מילים)	Doron Medalie	14	71	Oslo
2011	Ireland	Jedward	“Lipstick”	Brian Friedman	8	119	Düsseldorf
2012	Sweden	Loreen	“Euphoria”	Ambra Succi	1	372	Baku
2013	Azerbaijan	Farid Mammadov	“Hold Me”	Fokas Evangelinos	2	234	Malmö
2014	Netherlands	The Common Linnets	“Calm After the Storm”	Hans Pannecoucke	2	238	Copenhagen
2015	Sweden	Måns Zelmerlöw	“Heroes”	Fredrik Rydman	1	365	Vienna
2016	Ukraine	Jamala	“1944”	Kostiantyn Tomilchenko and Oleksandr Bratkovskyi	1	534	Stockholm
2017	Portugal	Salvador Sobral	“Amar pelos dois“	Luísa Sobral	1	758	Kyiv
2018	Cyprus	Eleni Foureira	“Fuego“	Sacha Jean-Baptiste	2	436	Lisbon
2019	Australia	Kate Miller-Heidke	“Zero Gravity”	Philip Gleeson	9	285	Tel Aviv
2021	France	Barbara Pravi	“Voilà“	Marika Prochet	2	499	Rotterdam
2022	Serbia	Konstrakta	“In corpore sano“	Jasmin Cvišić and Miodrag Kolarić	5	312	Turin
2023	Sweden	Loreen	“Tattoo”	Anders Wistbacka	1	583	Liverpool

Composer Award winners. This award was first presented in 2004, replacing the Fan Award.

Year	Country	Song	Composer(s) Lyrics (l) / Music (m)	Performer	Final	Points	Host city
2004	Cyprus	“Stronger Every Minute”	Mike Konnaris (m & l)	Lisa Andreas	5	170	Istanbul
2005	Serbia and Montenegro	“Zauvijek moja“	Slaven Knezović (m) and Milan Perić (l)	No Name	7	137	Kyiv
2006	Bosnia and Herzegovina	“Lejla“	Željko Joksimović (m), Fahrudin Pecikoza (l) and Dejan Ivanović (l)	Hari Mata Hari	3	229	Athens
2007	Hungary	“Unsubstantial Blues”	Magdi Rúzsa (m) and Imre Mózsik (l)	Magdi Rúzsa	9	128	Helsinki
2008	Romania	“Pe-o margine de lume“	Andrei Tudor (m), Andreea Andrei (l) and Adina Șuteu (l)	Nico & Vlad	20	45	Belgrade
2009	Bosnia and Herzegovina	“Bistra voda“	Aleksandar Čović (m & l)	Regina	9	106	Moscow
2010	Israel	“Milim” (מילים)	Tomer Hadadi (m) and Noam Horev (l)	Harel Skaat	14	71	Oslo
2011	France	“Sognu”	Daniel Moyne (m), Quentin Bachelet (m) and Jean-Pierre Marcellesi (l), Julie Miller (l)	Amaury Vassili	15	82	Düsseldorf
2012	Sweden	“Euphoria”	Thomas G:son (m & l) and Peter Boström (m & l)	Loreen	1	372	Baku
2013	Sweden	“You”	Robin Stjernberg (m & l), Linnea Deb (m & l), Joy Deb (m & l) and Joakim Harestad Haukaas (m & l)	Robin Stjernberg	14	62	Malmö
2014	Netherlands	“Calm After the Storm”	Ilse DeLange (m & l), JB Meijers (m & l), Rob Crosby (m & l), Matthew Crosby (m & l) and Jake Etheridge (m & l)	The Common Linnets	2	238	Copenhagen
2015	Norway	“A Monster Like Me”	Kjetil Mørland (m & l)	Mørland & Debrah Scarlett	8	102	Vienna
2016	Australia	“Sound of Silence”	Anthony Egizii (m & l) and David Musumeci (m & l)	Dami Im	2	511	Stockholm
2017	Portugal	“Amar pelos dois“	Luísa Sobral (m & l)	Salvador Sobral	1	758	Kyiv
2018	Bulgaria	“Bones”	Borislav Milanov (m & l), Trey Campbell (m & l), Joacim Persson (m & l), and Dag Lundberg (m & l)	Equinox	14	166	Lisbon
2019	Italy	“Soldi“	Charlie Charles (m & l), Dario “Dardust” Faini (m & l), and Alessandro Mahmoud (m & l)	Mahmood	2	472	Tel Aviv
2021	Switzerland	“Tout l’univers”	Gjon Muharremaj (m & l), Xavier Michel (m & l), Wouter Hardy (m & l), and Nina Sampermans (m & l)	Gjon’s Tears	3	432	Rotterdam
2022	Sweden	“Hold Me Closer”	Cornelia Jakobsdotter (m & l), David Zandén (m & l), and Isa Molin (m & l)	Cornelia Jakobs	4	438	Turin
2023	Italy	“Due vite”	Davide Simonetta (m & l), Marco Mengoni (l) and Davide Petrella (l)	Marco Mengoni	4	350	Liverpool

Winners by country. 

Country	Total	Press Award	Artistic Award	Composer Award	Fan Award
Sweden	9	1	5	3
France	6	3	2	1
Netherlands	4	1	2	1
Ukraine	4	1	3
Italy	4	2		2
Portugal	3	1	1	1
Finland	3	2			1
Israel	3	1	1	1
Australia	2		1	1
Cyprus	2		1	1
Norway	2	1		1
Azerbaijan	2	1	1
Bosnia and Herzegovina	2			2
Serbia and Montenegro	2	1		1
Serbia	2		2
Switzerland	1			1
Bulgaria	1			1
Russia	1	1
Austria	1	1
Georgia	1	1
Ireland	1		1
Romania	1			1
Armenia	1				1
Hungary	1			1
Malta	1	1
Turkey	1	1
Greece	1		1
Spain	1				1
United Kingdom	1	1

Keeping the contest fair. Every year, the organisers take extensive measures to keep the Eurovision Song Contest fair. How do make sure we present a valid result at the end of the Grand Final?

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 Digame 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, PwC and Digame.

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