
How has Russia’s invasion of Ukraine affected the competition? This part of the show can be tense and even uncomfortable to watch, with cameras last year showing entrants from Britain, Germany, the Netherlands and Spain each receiving the dreaded “zero points” from the public. The scores from the national juries are tallied first, then the fan votes are announced, act by act, starting with the countries that received the lowest jury points. The winner of Eurovision is chosen by a combination of votes by viewers at home and by national juries in each country.

Last year, San Marino’s entry, performed by the singer Senhit, featured an appearance by the American rapper Flo Rida.

Smaller nations are also represented, such as San Marino, a landlocked enclave in Italy with a population of just over 30,000. This year, Armenia and Montenegro are returning to the contest after not competing in 2021. Israel debuted in 1973, for example, and Australia has been taking part since 2015. (For example, Sweden has the “Melodifestivalen” to choose its entry.) There are a number of rules that entrants must follow, including a limit of three minutes on song length and a ban on lyrics or gestures deemed by the organizers to be political.ĭespite the name, countries beyond Europe’s traditional geographical borders also compete in Eurovision.

The song is picked either by the national broadcaster or through some kind of contest. How does the Eurovision Song Contest work?Įach country selects an act with an original song that must be performed live onstage.
