The winner of the 2016 Eurovision Song Contest
Thomas Hanses (EBU)
The selection of the city and arena to host the 2017 Eurovision Song Contest in Ukraine has officially begun. The host broadcaster NTU has published the bidding process and selection criteria today. The preliminary dates for the Grand Final and the two Semi-Finals have also been adapted but may still change.
Selection duration and stages
The selection process will last from 24 June through 1 August and consist of four stages. Candidate cities will have until 8 July to prepare their bids.
Then, until 15 July, a dedicated working group will analyse and review the bids. Preference will be given to the candidate cities whose bids have the best specifications for the arena, official hotels for accommodation, transport connection within the city and with international destinations.
From 18 to 22 July, the candidate cities will present their bids to the Local Organisation Committee. At the end of this meeting, two candidate cities will be chosen and their bids handed over to the European Broadcasting Union.
The final stage of the selection will last from 22 July to 1 August and include an inspection of the finalist cities featuring representatives of the European Broadcasting Union and members of the Local Organisation Committee to explore the infrastructure of the cities and their bids in terms of implementation.
As soon as the Host City is decided upon, a press conference will be held to announce the selection results and name the Host City of the 2017 Eurovision Song Contest.
Preliminary dates changed, Grand Final on 13 May
The preliminary dates of next year's Eurovision Song Contest have changed to 9 May (First Semi-Final), 11 May (Second Semi-Final), and 13 May (Grand Final) 2017. The definitive dates will be announced as soon as the Host City is known.
