Eurovision Voting: A Deep Dive

The Eurovision Song Contest is renowned for its elaborate performances and catchy tunes, but equally intriguing is its complex voting system. Over the years, the system has evolved to strike a balance between jury input and public opinion, aiming to crown the most popular and critically acclaimed song.

The core of the voting process revolves around two main components: the national juries and the public televote. Each country participating in the Grand Final has both a professional jury and a public vote. These two entities each award a separate set of points.

National Juries: Each national jury consists of five music industry professionals. These individuals, ranging from singers and songwriters to producers and broadcasters, independently rank all the competing songs (excluding their own country’s entry). They judge based on criteria such as vocal capacity, the composition and originality of the song, the staging and overall impression of the performance.

Televoting: The public in each participating country can vote for their favorite songs via telephone, SMS, or the official Eurovision app. Similar to the juries, voters are not permitted to vote for their own country’s entry. The votes are tallied, and the songs are ranked based on the number of votes received.

Point Allocation: After both the juries and the televoting results are compiled, each country awards points using the “1-12” system. The jury in each country awards points of 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10, and 12 to their top ten favorite songs. The televoting in each country does the same, awarding the same points to the songs that receive the most votes from the public.

Combining the Results: Once the jury and televoting results from all participating countries are in, they are combined. This means that for each country, the jury points are added to the televoting points to determine the overall score for each song. The song with the highest overall score wins the Eurovision Song Contest.

The Reveal: The announcement of the votes is a highly anticipated part of the show. Traditionally, the jury votes are announced first, with each country’s spokesperson revealing the points awarded by their national jury. Then, the televoting results from all countries are combined and revealed by the hosts in a dramatic fashion, often starting with the countries that received the fewest points from the public and building towards the countries that received the most.

Potential for Controversy: While the dual voting system aims for fairness, it’s not without its critics. “Block voting,” where neighboring countries or countries with close cultural ties consistently vote for each other, has been a recurring concern. Furthermore, the influence of jury votes versus public votes is frequently debated, especially when there’s a significant disparity between the two. These factors can lead to surprising results and heated discussions among fans.

Despite these controversies, the Eurovision voting system remains a crucial part of the contest’s enduring appeal. It allows for a blend of professional assessment and popular support, adding to the excitement and unpredictability that makes Eurovision a truly unique and globally beloved event.

1000×1039 eurovision voting system from www.lyricstranslations.com