Eurovision is over for another year... so what's the plan for 2023?

Let’s start with what went down on Saturday 14 May, 2022 in Turin, Italy…

Kalush Orchestra were triumphant with their song Stefania; an ode to a mother, which became the first Eurovision winning song to feature a rap.

When it came to the televote, Europe (and Australia) delivered a clear message: the general public got behind Ukraine in overwhelming numbers, bulldozing the scoreboard with a total of 439 points – an incredible achievement given the maximum haul possible is 468 (which would require ‘douze points’ from all of the other 39 participating countries).

After their victory, Kalush Orchestra shared a message of gratitude, thanking voters across Europe who had awarded their song the record-breaking tally of points, as well as the juries who had voted in their favour, too.

‘We want to thank everyone out there who voted for Ukraine. The victory is very important to Ukraine, especially this year. For us, this support is even more important for Ukraine in these times. And we really appreciate that you helped us with your votes.’

At the end of the winner’s press conference, as is now tradition, the broadcaster of the winning country is handed a ‘welcome pack’ with the basic components to begin their journey with the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), allowing them to immediately start to plan and successfully implement a fantastic Eurovision Song Contest.

As Kalush Orchestra won this year, discussions are now underway with the EBU’s Ukrainian Member UA:PBC, before opening up the conversation to the Eurovision Reference Group (who help to develop and steer future Contests) as we approach the Summer

The Contest is ever evolving and innovating, and with guidance from the EBU, the Host Broadcaster is encouraged to plan the Contest (and associated events), with the best team they can assemble; this presents lots of scope for cross-broadcaster skill development and learning opportunities for all the EBU’s members.

Traditionally, the winning country hosts the following Contest, but this isn’t always possible (as it was the case for the winning broadcasters in 1956, 1959, 1962, 1971, 1973 and 1979), and there are no hard and fast rules dictating who should host in these circumstances.

Sometimes there’s an obvious Host City from the get-go, and other times there’s competition between domestic regions such as Maastricht vs Rotterdam (2020) or Italy’s 17 different cities bidding (2022).

Last year, the EBU’s Host City criteria was based on providing a venue able to accommodate at least 10,000 spectators, as well as a press centre, that should be within easy reach of an international airport and with ample hotel accommodation.

Once a destination has been decided upon, it will be announced at a time agreed by the Host Broadcaster and the EBU, in conjunction with the Host City. Branding, slogans, show details and tickets then tend to follow over the course of the next 6 months – the exact timings of which differ annually, as every Contest is held in unique circumstances.

One date that, for the time being, is set in stone each year is September 1. Songs publicly released before this milestone are not eligible to enter the Eurovision Song Contest the following year. This is thought of as the start of the ‘Eurovision season’.

Between this point and the new year, we usually see the announcement of one or two artists or songs (for Turin 2022, Belgium announced Jérémie Makiese on September 15, 2021) and the occasional national final (Albania’s Festivali i Këngës took place in December 2021).

We also publish the official list of participating public broadcasters.

By the time January rolls around, artist selections are in full swing, and countries have 3 months to choose their participant either by way of a national final (such as Portugal’s Festival da Canção, Sweden’s Melodifestivalen, or Lithuania’s Pabandom Iš Naujo) or an internal process. The deadline for confirming a participant with the EBU is in March.

During April acts tend to hit the promo trail, taking part in Eurovision parties across the continent, and appearing on the international chat show circuit. More details about the shows are revealed around this time, and stage construction gets underway in the venue.

We’re then back at May, ready for the 67th Eurovision Song Contest.

Follow the official Eurovision Song Contest YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and Facebook channels – and subscribe to the Official Eurovision Song Contest Podcast – for the first information about the 2023 Contest.