Major changes to the Eurovision voting system
No juries in the Semi-finals. Viewers in some of the non-participating countries will now be able to vote online
It’s not April 1st, and it's not a prank: major changes for the Eurovision Song Contest 2023 voting system have been revealed by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU).
The changes have been made in order to keep the event "relevant and exciting," says the EBU. The "unprecedented nature of the voting irregularities" seen at Eurovision 2022, where six juries cheated and voted for each other, were also an argument for the changes.
"Rest of the world" can vote online
Viewers in some of the non-participating countries will now be able to vote online. These online votes will have the same weight as one participating country in both of the Semi-Finals, as well as the Grand Final.
The online voting will only be able to be done via a secure online platform, using a credit card from the voter's country (non-participating countries only).
The full list of eligible countries will be revealed near the time of Eurovision 2023.
Semi-finals: Only public voting
In the two Semi-finals of Eurovision 2023, there will be no juries deciding the results. It'll only be public voting (tele/app/sms/online) that decides who qualifies for the Grand Final.
Juries in each country taking part in the respective Semi-Final will still cast their votes. But, those votes will only be used should a valid televote not be recorded or possible in an individual country.
However, the Jury votes from each participating country will be counted, as before, in the Grand Final. They'll be combined with the result of the public vote to make up the total overall score.
Grand Final: (almost) no changes
The voting system in the Grand Final will not be significantly affected by the new rules. The only change is that the "rest of the world" will be combined with the televotes from the participating countries. Each participating country will still have a jury voting in the Grand Final.
Voting at Eurovision 2023
SEMI-FINAL 1
9 May 2023
Each of the countries participating in semi-final 1 along with three of the six prequalified countries can vote in semi-final 1 (phone/SMS/app). Each country gives 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10 and 12 points.
"Rest of the world" viewers can vote in semi-final 1 (online) and give 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10 and 12 points.
The 10 countries from semi-final 1 with most points will qualify for the final. The points will not be revealed until after the final.
SEMI-FINAL 2
11 May 2023
Each of the countries participating in semi-final 2 along with three of the six prequalified countries can vote in semi-final 2 (phone/SMS/app). Each country gives 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10 and 12 points.
"Rest of the world" viewers can vote in semi-final 2 (online) and give 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10 and 12 points.
The 10 countries from semi-final 2 with most points will qualify for the final. The points will not be revealed until after the final.
FINAL
13 May 2023
Each of the countries participating in Eurovision 2023 can vote in the final (phone/SMS/app). Each country gives 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10 and 12 points.
"Rest of the world" viewers can vote in the final (online) and give 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10 and 12 points.
Each of the countries participating in Eurovision 2023 will have a five-member jury that will rank the songs and give 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10 and 12 points.
