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. Read more: 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.