The Eurovision Song Contest has been a staple in European music and culture since its inception back in 1956.
Every year artists selected by the broadcasters come together for a celebration of the continent's varying languages, cultures and ways of living.
As with events of Eurovision's scale, there are often questions and queries that are commonly asked regarding the organisation, participation and so on.
Find answers to some of the most frequently asked questions about the contest below:
Eurovision FAQs
Who organises Eurovision?
The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) oversees the organisation of the Eurovision Song Contest.
It is responsible for producing the event alongside its member broadcasters, which include the public broadcaster of the host broadcaster and the primary broadcasters of every nation involved.
How is the host country decided?
The host country is always the nation that wins the previous year's Eurovision.
There have been instances where that isn't possible due to external factors, and in that case the nation that were victorious the year prior will elect a country to host instead, for example Ukraine choosing the United Kingdom to host in 2023 having won the year before.
What is the usual run time for Eurovision?
The Eurovision Grand Final usually runs for approximately four hours, with songs limited to a maximum of three minutes.
Semi-finals are slightly shorter affairs, lasting between two and two and a half hours.
Who can participate?
Any broadcasting organisation that is a member or associate member of the European Broadcasting Union can submit an act on behalf of their nation.
A maximum of 44 members may enter an artist and song to represent them.
38 of these members compete across the two semi-finals, with ten acts from each event progressing to the Grand Final.
26 countries contest the Grand Final, comprised of the 20 nations qualifying from the semi-finals, the "Big Five" (France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom) and the host nation.
Why is Australia part of Eurovision?
The Australian broadcaster SBS has been broadcasting Eurovision for over 30 years, and is an associate member of the EBU.
In 2015, they were invited to submit an act to celebrate the 60th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest.
Following this, the broadcaster requested to participate in 2016, and was unanimously voted as a participating member for that year, 2017 and 2018. They have never looked back and continue to take part in the present day.
What is the purpose of Eurovision?
Eurovision was created to bring together audiences and nations across the continent through non-political entertainment.
Originally, when there were just seven members of the EBU back in 1956, the idea was to create an exciting yearly television event to push the boundaries of live TV entertainment all over Europe.
The song contest holds strong core values of celebrating universality, inclusivity and diversity through music and entertainment.
Can you bet on Eurovision?
Yes, it is possible to bet on Eurovision.
bet365 offer up-to-date odds across the entire week, from the semi-finals to the Grand Final.
You can find the following markets on the bet365 website:
- To win outright
- To win first semi-final
- To win second semi-final
- To qualify
- Top five finish
- Top ten finish
- Match-ups (nation one v nation two)
- Jury vote winner
- Origin of winner
