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Voting changes announced for Eurovision Song Contest 2023

22 November 2022 at 11:59 CET
Turin 2022
Major changes to the Eurovision Song Contest 2023 voting system have been announced by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU).
Info graphic displaying information that is written in full in the article below

Details were shared in a press release after the new format was approved by the Contest's Reference Group earlier today.

  • Viewer votes will decide countries qualifying from Semi-Finals 
  • Viewers in non-participating countries will be able to vote online
  • Jury votes will be combined with votes from the global audience to decide final result

Next year, the countries that qualify from the Semi-Finals will be decided solely based on the votes cast by YOU the viewers, rather than a combination of a jury and public vote as has been the case since 2009.

The professional music industry juries will remain for the Grand Final, but complete control of who gets there from the Semi-Finals has been handed over to the viewing public.

And, for the first time ever, viewers from non-participating countries will be able to vote for their favourite songs too!

Martin Österdahl, the Eurovision Song Contest’s Executive Supervisor, said of the changes: 

'Throughout its 67-year history the Eurovision Song Contest has constantly evolved to remain relevant and exciting. These changes acknowledge the immense popularity of the show by giving more power to the audience of the world’s largest live music event.

In 2023 only Eurovision Song Contest viewers will decide which countries make it to the Grand Final and, reflecting the global impact of the event, everyone watching the show, wherever they live in the world, can cast their votes for their favourite songs.

By also involving juries of music professionals in deciding the final result, all the songs in the Grand Final can be assessed on the broadest possible criteria. We can also maintain the tradition of travelling around Europe and Australia to collect points and ensure a thrilling voting sequence with the winner only revealed at the very end of the show.'

Those watching in the rest of the world will be able to vote via a secure online platform using a credit card from their country, and their votes, once added together, will be converted into points that will have the same weight as one participating country in both of the Semi-Finals and the Grand Final.

Audiences in all participating countries will still be able to vote by SMS, phone or via the Eurovision Song Contest app.

Make sure you sign up to the official Eurovision Song Contest newsletter, subscribe to the official podcast, and follow us across our social media channels - YouTubeInstagramTikTokTwitter and Facebook - to be the first to find out how to secure tickets for the Eurovision Song Contest in 2023.