View source for Rules of the Eurovision Song Contest

{{Short description|Rules and obligations used in the Eurovision Song Contest}}
A detailed set of rules and obligations, which all participating broadcasters and participants in the annual [[Eurovision Song Contest]] ({{Langx|fr|Concours Eurovision de la chanson}}) must uphold, is produced annually ahead of each edition of the international song contest. These rules are drafted by the contest organisers, the [[European Broadcasting Union]] (EBU), and approved by the contest's reference group. They typically outline which songs may be deemed eligible for entry, the format of the contest, the voting system employed to select a contest winner and how the results of this vote are presented to the televised audience, the overall values of the contest, and distribution and broadcasting rights through television, radio and streaming services.

Since the contest's inaugural edition in 1956, the rules upon which the event has been organised and contested have changed over time.

== General format ==
The Eurovision Song Contest is an international song competition held among broadcasting networks that are members of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU). Each participating broadcaster submits an original song representing their respective country which is performed on live television and radio and transmitted to all of them via the EBU's [[Eurovision (network)|Eurovision and Euroradio networks]], hosted by one of the participating broadcasters in an [[auditorium]] in a selected host city. Following all entries each participating country casts votes for their favourite performances from the other countries, and the song which has received the most points at the end of the programme is declared the winner.<ref name="How it works">{{cite web |title=How it works – Eurovision Song Contest |date=15 January 2017 |url=https://eurovision.tv/about/how-it-works |publisher=Eurovision Song Contest |access-date=27 February 2021}}</ref>

Since 2008, each contest consists of three live television shows held over one week in May. Two semi-finals are held on the Tuesday and Thursday of "Eurovision week", followed by a final on the Saturday.<ref>{{cite web |last1=LaFleur |first1=Louise |title=Rotterdam to host Eurovision 2020! |url=https://eurovision.tv/story/rotterdam-to-host-eurovision-2020 |publisher=Eurovision Song Contest |access-date=9 July 2020 |date=27 February 2020}}</ref> All competing broadcasters compete in one of the two semi-finals, with the exception of that year's host broadcaster (or the defending champion if another broadcaster hosts due to unforeseen circumstances) and the "Big Five" —the broadcasters from {{Esccnty|France}}, {{Esccnty|Germany}}, {{Esccnty|Italy}}, {{Esccnty|Spain}}, and the {{Esccnty|United Kingdom}}— who receive an automatic berth in the final as the contest's biggest financial contributors.<ref name="BBC lessons learned">{{cite web |title=Eurovision 2019: Five lessons learned |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-48325868 |work=[[BBC News]]|publisher=BBC  |access-date=27 February 2021 |date=19 May 2019}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last1=Waterson |first1=Jim |last2=Allegretti |first2=Aubrey |last3=editor |first3=Jim Waterson Media |date=2022-07-25 |title=UK to host Eurovision song contest in 2023 on behalf of Ukraine |url=https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2022/jul/25/uk-to-host-eurovision-song-contest-in-2023-on-behalf-of-ukraine |access-date=2024-05-27 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}</ref> All remaining competing broadcasters are split randomly across the two semi-finals, and the 10-highest scoring entries in each semi-final qualify for the final; 26 entries in total therefore compete in the final each year unless the host broadcaster is also part of the "Big Five", in which case 25 entries would compete in the final.<ref name="How it works" />

The votes each country provides to determine the overall winner consists of two parts: television viewers and radio listeners in each country can vote for their favourite song through [[Televoting|telephone and SMS voting]] or by voting through the official Eurovision [[Mobile app|app]], with all votes tallied to create a public "top 10" for that country; a selected jury of five music professionals is also appointed by each country's participating broadcaster, who rank all entries in the shows to determine their "top 10" songs.<ref name="Rules">{{cite web |date=12 January 2017 |title=Eurovision Song Contest: Rules |url=https://eurovision.tv/about/rules/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220826013327/https://eurovision.tv/about/rules |archive-date=26 August 2022 |access-date=27 February 2021 |website=ebu.ch |publisher=[[European Broadcasting Union]]}}</ref> Each country then provides two sets of points representing the views of the public and jury, with each set containing the points 1-8, 10, and 12, with the highest ranked song receiving 12 points.<ref name="How it works" /> The semi-final qualifiers are solely determined by the public vote.<ref name="2023 voting change2" />

The contest is a non-profit event, with financing for each year's event typically raised through a mandatory participation fee from each participating broadcaster, which varies for each country depending on its size and viewership, as well as contributions from the host broadcaster and the host city, and commercial revenues from any contest sponsorships, ticket sales for the live shows, televoting revenues and merchandise.<ref name="FAQ">{{cite web |title=FAQ – Eurovision Song Contest |date=12 January 2017 |url=https://eurovision.tv/about/faq/ |publisher=Eurovision Song Contest |access-date=27 February 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210222172139/https://eurovision.tv/about/faq |archive-date=22 February 2021 |url-status=live}}</ref>

Eligibility to participate in the contest is limited to active members of the EBU, which consist of member broadcasters from states which fall within the [[European Broadcasting Area]] or are [[member states of the Council of Europe]].<ref name="EBUmembership">{{cite web |title=EBU – Admission |url=https://www.ebu.ch/about/members/admission |website=ebu.ch |date=27 April 2018 |publisher=[[European Broadcasting Union]] |access-date=27 February 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210104044726/https://www.ebu.ch/about/members/admission |archive-date=4 January 2021 |url-status=live}}</ref> Associate member broadcasters may also be allowed to compete in the contest, should they receive approval from the contest's reference group.<ref name="Who can take part">{{cite web |title=Which countries can take part? |url=https://eurovision.tv/page/about/which-countries-can-take-part#Which%20countries? |publisher=Eurovision Song Contest |access-date=27 February 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170317083448/https://eurovision.tv/page/about/which-countries-can-take-part#Which%20countries? |archive-date=17 March 2017}}</ref>

== Organisation ==
Each edition of the contest is organised by the EBU together with a host broadcaster, and is overseen by the reference group on behalf of all participating broadcasters, who are each represented by a nominated head of delegation.<ref name="Organisers">{{cite web |title=Eurovision Song Contest: Organisers |date=12 January 2017 |url=https://eurovision.tv/about/organisers |publisher=Eurovision Song Contest |access-date=5 July 2020}}</ref> The head of delegation for each participating broadcaster is responsible for leading their country's delegation at the event, and is their contact person with the EBU. A delegation will typically include a head of press, the main performers, the songwriters and composers, the backing performers, and the artist's entourage, and can range from twenty to fifty people depending on the country.<ref name="HoDs">{{cite web |title=Eurovision Song Contest: Heads of Delegation |date=14 January 2017 |url=https://eurovision.tv/about/organisers/heads-of-delegation/ |publisher=Eurovision Song Contest |access-date=5 July 2020}}</ref> The heads of delegation will typically meet in March before the contest is held, to receive detailed information about the shows, the venue, stage design, lighting, and sound to best prepare their entry for the contest, as well as details on the event organisation, such as transportation and accommodation during the event.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Groot |first1=Evert |title=Lineup 2019 completed as Heads of Delegation gather in Tel Aviv |url=https://eurovision.tv/story/heads-of-delegation-meeting-2019-in-tel-aviv |publisher=Eurovision Song Contest |access-date=5 July 2020 |date=11 March 2019}}</ref>

=== Scrutineers and executive supervisors ===
[[File:Martin Österdahl söndag lunch i Storängen 2016.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Martin Österdahl]], the contest's executive supervisor from 2021 to 2025]]
The contest's voting procedure is presided over by a [[scrutineer]] nominated by the EBU, who is responsible for ensuring that all points are allocated correctly and in turn. This role has been a consistent feature of the contest since its first edition, and has evolved into the modern-day role of the executive supervisor, who is also responsible for overseeing the organisation of the contest on behalf of the EBU, enforcing the rules and monitoring the television production during the live shows.<ref name="Exec Supervisor">{{cite web|title=Eurovision Song Contest: Executive Supervisor|url=https://eurovision.tv/about/organisers/executive-supervisor|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200529213300/https://eurovision.tv/about/organisers/executive-supervisor/|archive-date=29 May 2020|access-date=19 February 2021|website=|publisher=Eurovision Song Contest}}</ref> Since 2011, the executive supervisor has been assisted by an event supervisor, who oversees and coordinates other matters related to the event on behalf of the EBU.<ref name="Exec Supervisor" /> Two new additions in 2025 include the ESC director and commercial director, respectively filled by Martin Green and Jurian van der Meer, with the ESC director overseeing the work of the executive supervisor and commercial director.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Adessi |first=Antonio |date=2024-07-20 |title=Eurovision 2025: l'EBU cerca un ESC Director. Martin Österdahl resta Show Supervisor |trans-title=Eurovision 2025: the EBU is looking for an ESC Director. Martin Österdahl remains Show Supervisor |url=https://www.eurofestivalnews.com/2024/07/20/eurovision-2025-esc-director/ |access-date=2024-07-21 |website=Eurofestival News |language=it-IT}}</ref><ref name="2025director">{{Cite web |date=2024-10-15 |url=https://www.ebu.ch/news/2024/10/martin-green-joins-eurovision-song-contest-in-new-director-role |title=Martin Green joins Eurovision Song Contest in new Director role |publisher=[[European Broadcasting Union]] (EBU) |access-date=2024-10-15}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-04-28 |title=Jurian Van Der Meer appointed as new Commercial Director for Eurovision Song Contest |url=https://www.ebu.ch/news/2025/04/jurian-van-der-meer-appointed-as-new-commercial-director-for-eurovision-song-contest |access-date=2025-04-28 |website=ebu.ch |publisher=EBU |language=en}}</ref>

The table below outlines the holders of the posts of executive supervisor and event supervisor in the contest's history:

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+ Executive supervisors
! class="unsortable" | Name
! class="unsortable" | Year(s)
! Contest(s)
|-
| [[Rolf Liebermann]]
| 1956–1957
| 2
|-
| {{N/A|Unknown}}
| 1958–1962
| 5
|-
| Miroslav Vilček
| 1963–1965
| 3
|-
| [[Clifford Brown (director)|Clifford Brown]]
| 1966–1977
| 12
|-
| {{Ill|Frank Naef|sv}}
| 1978–1992
| 15
|-
| Christian Clausen
| 1993–1995
| 3
|-
| Christine Marchal-Ortiz
| 1996; 1998–2002
| 6
|-
| Marie-Claire Vionnet
| 1997
| 1
|-
| Sarah Yuen
| 2003
| 1
|-
| [[Svante Stockselius]]
| 2004–2010
| 7
|-
| [[Jon Ola Sand]]
| 2011–2020
| 9 ''([[Eurovision Song Contest 2020|1]] cancelled)''
|-
| [[Martin Österdahl]]
| 2021–2025
| 5
|}

{| class="wikitable"
|-
|+ Event supervisors
|-
! Name
! Year(s)
|-
| Sietse Bakker
| 2011–2016
|-
| Nadja Burkhardt
| 2016–2022
|-
| Andreas Schmitz-Mensger
| 2023–present
|}

=== Reference group ===
The reference group is the contest's [[Committee#Executive committee|executive committee]] and works on behalf of all participating broadcasters in the contest. The group of broadcast executives and producers from various EBU member organisations meets four to five times a year, and its role is to approve the development and format of the contest, secure financing, control the contest's branding, raise public awareness, and to oversee the yearly preparations of the contest with the host broadcaster.<ref name="Reference Group">{{cite web |title=Eurovision Song Contest: Reference Group |date=14 January 2017 |url=https://eurovision.tv/about/organisers/reference-group/ |publisher=Eurovision Song Contest |access-date=5 July 2020}}</ref>

The composition of the group consists of a chairperson, three elected members from among the heads of delegations, the executive producer(s) of the upcoming contest as well as of the two previous contests, up to another two invited members with relevant competence and experience, and the contest's executive supervisor.<ref name=":0">{{cite web |date=8 October 2014 |title=Eurovision Song Contest Reference Group |url=https://www.ebu.ch/groups/eurovision-song-contest-reference |access-date=19 September 2024 |website=ebu.ch |publisher=[[European Broadcasting Union]]}}</ref><ref name="Reference Group" /> Previously, the chairperson typically comes from a EBU member broadcaster which does not participate in the contest, though this has been abolished; the chairperson is currently elected from among all member broadcasters' personnel, with the chosen candidate going on to serve a two-year term.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-06-17 |title=RTVE: Ana María Bordas asume la presidencia del Grupo de Referencia de la UER para Eurovisión |trans-title=RTVE: Ana María Bordas assumes the presidency of the EBU Reference Group for Eurovision |url=https://www.rtve.es/television/20250617/rtve-ana-maria-bordas-asume-presidencia-del-grupo-referencia-uer-para-eurovision/16628557.shtml |access-date=2025-06-17 |publisher=[[RTVE]] |language=es-ES}}</ref>

{{As of|2024|September|post=,}} the current membership of the reference group is as follows:<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite web |date=2019-03-27 |title=The Organisers behind the Eurovision Song Contest |url=https://eurovision.tv/about/organisers |access-date=2023-09-11 |website=Eurovision.tv |publisher=[[European Broadcasting Union]] |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last= |first= |date=2023-06-15 |title=SRG's Bakel Walden appointed Chair of Eurovision Song Contest Reference Group |url=https://www.ebu.ch/news/2023/06/srgs-bakel-walden-appointed-chair-of-eurovision-song-contest-reference-group |access-date=2023-06-15 |website=ebu.ch |publisher=European Broadcasting Union |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Granger |first=Anthony |date=2023-06-15 |title=Eurovision 2024: New Reference Group Head & Members Announced |url=https://eurovoix.com/2023/06/15/eurovision-2024-new-reference-group-head-members/ |access-date=2023-06-17 |website=Eurovoix |language=en-GB}}</ref>

* Bakel Walden (chairperson; [[Swiss Broadcasting Corporation|SRG SSR]])
* [[Martin Österdahl]] (EBU executive supervisor)
* Moritz Stadler (executive producer {{Escyr|2025}}; SRG SSR)
* Ebba Adielsson (executive producer {{Escyr|2024}}; [[Sveriges Television|SVT]])
* Rachel Ashdown (lead commissioner {{Escyr|2023}}; [[BBC]])
* Carla Bugalho (deputy executive producer {{Escyr|2018}}; [[Rádio e Televisão de Portugal|RTP]])
* {{ill|Felix Bergsson|is}} (elected member; [[RÚV]])
* Alexandra Wolfslast (elected member; [[Norddeutscher Rundfunk|NDR]])
* {{ill|Ana María Bordas|es}} (elected member; [[RTVE]])
* Tomislav Štengl (invited member; [[Croatian Radiotelevision|HRT]])
Following the 2025 contest, Bordas is set to succeed Walden as chairperson, Claudia van der Pas ([[AVROTROS]]) and Molly Plank ([[DR (broadcaster)|DR]]) are set to join as elected members from the heads of delegations,<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-03-20 |title=Eurovision Song Contest Reference Group: New Chair and Members elected |url=https://www.ebu.ch/news/2025/03/eurovision-song-contest-reference-group-new-chair-and-members-elected |access-date=2025-03-20 |website=ebu.ch |publisher=EBU |language=en}}</ref> and Österdahl is set to resign as executive supervisor.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-06-27 |title=Martin Österdahl to step down as Executive Supervisor of the Eurovision Song Contest this summer |url=https://www.ebu.ch/news/2025/06/martin-osterdahl-to-step-down-as-executive-supervisor-of-the-eurovision-song-contest-this-summer |access-date=2025-06-27 |website=ebu.ch |publisher=EBU |language=en}}</ref>

== Song and artist eligibility ==
The rules of the contest set out which songs may be eligible to compete. As the contest is for new compositions, and to prevent any one competing entry from having an advantage compared to the other entries, the contest organisers typically set a restriction on when a song may be released commercially for it to be considered eligible.<ref name="Rules" /> Rules in recent years have typically seen this date set as the first day of September of the year before the contest is to be held, however this date has varied, and in the contest's history this has been as late as a few weeks before the contest is held.<ref name="Rules" />{{sfn|Roxburgh|2012|pp=387–396}} Previously, songs were not allowed to be released commercially in any other country than that which it represented until after the final, however this criterion is no longer in place, and with the advancement in technology and the growth of Internet streaming, songs are regularly published online and released globally, and are now promoted via the Eurovision official website and social media platforms ahead of the contest.<ref name="99 Rules">{{cite web |title=Rules of the 44th Eurovision Song Contest, 1999 |url=http://www.eurosong.net/archive/esc1999.pdf |access-date=1 July 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190418112958/http://www.eurosong.net/archive/esc1999.pdf |archive-date=18 April 2019 |url-status=live}}</ref>

No restrictions regarding the song duration were originally enacted when the contest was first founded, however following heavy protests over the {{Esccnty|Italy|y=1957|t=1957 Italian entry}}, which lasted for {{duration||5|9}} minutes,<ref>{{cite web |title=Frankfurt 1957 - Eurovision Song Contest |url=https://eurovision.tv/event/frankfurt-1957 |publisher=Eurovision Song Contest |access-date=22 May 2021}}</ref> a new rule was implemented, requiring each competing song to have a maximum duration of three minutes; a rule that still applies.

No rule has ever been implemented to limit the nationality or country of birth of the competing artists; many competing countries with a small population, such as {{Esccnty|Luxembourg}} and {{Esccnty|Monaco}}, were regularly represented by artists and composers from other countries, and several winning artists in the contest's history have held a different nationality or were born in a different country to that which they represented in the contest.{{sfn|Roxburgh|2012|pp=387–396}}<ref name="Winners">{{cite web |title=Eurovision Song Contest: Winners |url=https://eurovision.tv/winners |publisher=Eurovision Song Contest |access-date=3 July 2020 |archive-date=12 May 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180512231240/https://eurovision.tv/winners |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Each competing performance may feature a maximum of six people on stage, and may not contain live animals.<ref name="Rules" /> Since {{Escyr|1990}}, all performers must be aged at least 16 on the day of the final;<ref name="Rules"/> this rule was introduced after two artists in the {{Escyr|1989||1989 contest}} were 11 and 12 years old on the day of the contest, which elicited complaints from some of the other participating broadcasters.{{sfn|O'Connor|2010|pp=120–123}}<ref name="Lausanne 89">{{cite web |title=Eurovision Song Contest: Lausanne 1989 |url=https://eurovision.tv/event/lausanne-1989 |work=Eurovision.tv |publisher=Eurovision Song Contest |access-date=4 July 2020}}</ref> This rule's introduction means that [[Sandra Kim]], who won the contest for {{Esccnty|Belgium|y=1986}} in {{Escyr|1986}} at the age of 13, would remain the contest's youngest winner until the rule is changed.<ref name="Bergen 86">{{cite web |title=Eurovision Song Contest: Bergen 1986 |url=https://eurovision.tv/event/bergen-1986 |publisher=Eurovision Song Contest |access-date=4 July 2020}}</ref>{{sfn|O'Connor|2010|pp=104–107}} No performer may compete for more than one country at the contest in a given year.<ref name="Rules" />

== Live music ==
Live music has been an integral part of the contest since its first edition. The main vocals of the competing songs must be sung live on stage, however other rules on pre-recorded musical accompaniment have changed over time.<ref name="Back for good">{{cite web |title=Changes announced to ensure Eurovision comes 'back for good' |url=https://eurovision.tv/story/changes-announced-to-ensure-eurovision-comes-back-for-good |publisher=Eurovision Song Contest |access-date=4 July 2020 |date=18 June 2020}}</ref>

The orchestra was a prominent feature of the contest from 1956 to 1998. Pre-recorded backing tracks were first allowed in the contest in 1973, but under this rule the only instruments which could be pre-recorded had to also be seen being "performed" on stage; in 1997, this rule was changed to allow all instrumental music to be pre-recorded, however the host broadcaster was still required to provide an orchestra.{{sfn|O'Connor|2010|pp=148–151}} In 1999, the rules were changed again, making the orchestra an optional requirement; the host broadcaster of the {{Escyr|1999||1999 contest}}, Israel's [[Israel Broadcasting Authority|IBA]], subsequently decided not to provide an orchestra as a cost saving measure, meaning that all entries would use a backing track for the first time in the contest's history.<ref name="99 Rules" /><ref name="Jerusalem 99">{{cite web |title=Eurovision Song Contest: Jerusalem 1999 |url=https://eurovision.tv/event/jerusalem-1999 |publisher=Eurovision Song Contest |access-date=1 July 2020}}</ref>{{sfn|O'Connor|2010|pp=156–159}} Since then all instrumental music for competing entries has been pre-recorded.<ref name="Rules" /><ref name="15 Rules">{{cite web |title=Public Rules of the 60th Eurovision Song Contest |url=http://www.eurovision.tv/upload/press-downloads/2015/2014-09-02_2015_ESC_rules_EN_PUBLIC_RULES.pdf |publisher=Eurovision Song Contest |access-date=4 July 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150430201605/http://www.eurovision.tv/upload/press-downloads/2015/2014-09-02_2015_ESC_rules_EN_PUBLIC_RULES.pdf |archive-date=30 April 2015}}</ref>

Before 2020, all vocals were required to be performed live, with no natural voices of any kind or vocal imitations allowed on backing tracks.<ref name="Rules" /> The {{Esccnty|Croatia|y=1999|t=Croatian entry}} at the 1999 contest was sanctioned after the contest for including synthesised male vocals in defiance of this rule, with Croatia subsequently penalised through the docking of their score at that year's contest by 33% for the purposes of calculating their five-year points average for use in determining which countries would be relegated in future contests.<ref name="99 Rules" /><ref name="Jerusalem 99" />{{sfn|O'Connor|2010|pp=156–159}} Ahead of the {{Escyr|2021||2021 contest}}, in an effort to make the contest more flexible to change following the cancellation of the 2020 edition and to facilitate modernisation, recorded backing vocals were permitted as an optional addition. An example of this is {{Esccnty|Iceland|y=2021|t=Iceland's 2021 entry}} "[[10 Years (song)|10 Years]]", which used a choir in the bridge of the song. Delegations are still free to provide live backing vocals if they prefer, and all lead vocals performing the melody of the song, including by the lead vocalist(s) and any supporting vocalists, must still be performed live.<ref name="Back for good" /><ref>{{Cite web |last=Katsoulakis |first=Manos |date=2022-08-25 |title=The rules of Eurovision 2023 are released: Pre-recorded backing vocals permitted again |url=https://eurovisionfun.com/en/2022/08/the-rules-of-eurovision-2023-are-released-pre-recorded-vocals-permitted-again/ |access-date=2022-08-26 |website=EurovisionFun |language=en-US}}</ref>

== Language ==
{{further|List of languages in the Eurovision Song Contest}}
As Eurovision is a ''song'' contest, all competing entries must include vocals and lyrics of some kind; purely instrumental pieces have never been allowed.<ref name="Rules" /> Presently competing entries may be performed in any language, be that [[Natural language|natural]] or [[Constructed language|constructed]], however the rules on the language(s) in which an entry may be performed have varied over the course of the contest's history.

From 1956 to 1965, there were no rules in place to dictate which language a country may perform in, however all entries up to 1964 were performed in one of their countries' national languages. In {{Escyr|1965}}, {{Esccnty|Sweden|y=1965|Swedish entry}} broke with this tradition by sending an entry in English;<ref name="Naples 65">{{cite web |title=Eurovision Song Contest: Naples 1965 |url=https://eurovision.tv/event/naples-1965 |publisher=Eurovision Song Contest |access-date=4 July 2020}}</ref> a new language rule was subsequently introduced in the {{Escyr|1966||1966 contest}} for all competing entries, preventing them from being performed in any language other than one of the relevant country's official national languages.{{sfn|Roxburgh|2012|pp=387–396}}{{sfn|O'Connor|2010|pp=28–29}}<ref name="Luxembourg 66">{{cite web |title=Eurovision Song Contest: Luxembourg 1966 |url=https://eurovision.tv/event/luxembourg-1966 |publisher=Eurovision Song Contest |access-date=4 July 2020}}</ref>

The language rule was first abolished in {{Escyr|1973}}, allowing all participating countries to sing in the language of their choice,{{sfn|O'Connor|2010|pp=52–55}}<ref name="Luxembourg 73">{{cite web |title=Eurovision Song Contest: Luxembourg 1973 |url=https://eurovision.tv/event/luxembourg-1973 |publisher=Eurovision Song Contest |access-date=4 July 2020}}</ref> but was reintroduced ahead of the {{Escyr|1977||1977 contest}}. However, as the process for choosing the entries for {{Esccnty|Belgium|y=1977}} and {{Esccnty|Germany|y=1977}} had already begun before the rule change was announced, they were permitted to perform in English for that year's edition.{{sfn|O'Connor|2010|pp=68–71}}<ref name="London 77">{{cite web |title=Eurovision Song Contest: London 1977 |url=https://eurovision.tv/event/london-1977 |publisher=Eurovision Song Contest |access-date=4 July 2020}}</ref> The language rule was abolished once again in 1999, resulting in 14 of that year's 23 competing entries featuring English lyrics.<ref name="Jerusalem 99" />{{sfn|O'Connor|2010|pp=156–159}} The large majority of entries at each year's contest are now performed in English, given [[English as a lingua franca|its status as a lingua franca]]; at the {{Escyr|2017||2017 contest}}, only four songs did not contain any English lyrics. Following [[Salvador Sobral]]'s victory in that year's contest with a song in [[Portuguese language|Portuguese]], the {{Escyr|2018||2018 contest}} saw an increased number of entries in another language than English, a trend which was repeated in {{Escyr|2019}}.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Oliveira e Silva |first1=Antonio |last2=Harris |first2=Chris |title=English song dominance on the decline at Eurovision 2018 |url=https://www.euronews.com/2018/05/09/english-song-dominance-on-the-decline-at-eurovision-2018 |website=euronews.com |publisher=[[Euronews]] |access-date=4 July 2020 |date=10 May 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Escudero |first1=Victor M. |title=Eurovision Class of 2019: This year's languages |url=https://eurovision.tv/story/eurovision-class-of-2019-languages |publisher=Eurovision Song Contest |access-date=4 July 2020 |date=5 April 2019}}</ref> In {{Escyr|2021}}, the first, second, and third places were all won by non-English songs for the first time since 1995.<ref>{{Cite web|date=27 May 2021|title=Vital Statistics 2: The Results|url=https://eurovision.tv/story/vital-statistics-2|access-date=1 July 2021|website=Eurovision.tv|language=en-gb}}</ref> 26 of the 37 entries in {{Escyr|2025}} wholly or partially contained lyrics in the participating countries' national languages.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Wyser |first=Daniel |date=2025-05-06 |title=Rekordmånga sjunger på annat än engelska i Eurovision 2025 |trans-title=Record number of people singing in languages other than English in Eurovision 2025 |url=https://www.svt.se/kultur/rekordmanga-sjunger-pa-annat-an-engelska-i-eurovision-2025 |access-date=2025-05-12 |website=SVT Nyheter |language=sv}}</ref>

The freedom of language has, however, provided opportunities for artists to perform songs which would not have been possible previously, with a number of competing entries in this millennium having been performed in an invented language, and artists have also used this linguistic freedom to perform in languages other than English which are also not official languages of their country.<ref>{{cite web |title=Ishtar for Belgium to Belgrade! |url=https://eurovision.tv/story/ishtar-for-belgium-to-belgrade |publisher=Eurovision Song Contest |access-date=4 July 2020 |date=10 March 2008}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Zoë – Austria – Stockholm 2016 |url=https://eurovision.tv/participant/zoe |publisher=Eurovision Song Contest |access-date=4 July 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Elina Nechayeva] – Estonia – Lisbon 2018 |url=https://eurovision.tv/participant/elina-nechayeva |publisher=Eurovision Song Contest |access-date=4 July 2020}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Zevenberg |first=Lara |date=2025-02-26 |title=Songfestival-liedje Claude uitgelekt: Frans-Engels C'est La Vie naar Bazel |trans-title=Claude's Eurovision song leaked: French-English C'est La Vie to Basel |url=https://www.nu.nl/songfestival/6347313/songfestival-liedje-claude-uitgelekt-frans-engels-cest-la-vie-naar-bazel.html |access-date=2025-02-26 |website=[[NU.nl]] |language=nl}}</ref>

As the contest is presented in both English and French, at least one of the contest's hosts must be able to speak French as well as English.<ref name="Rules" />

== Running order ==
The order in which the competing entries perform had historically been decided through a random draw, however, since {{Escyr|2013}}, the order has been determined by the contest's production team, and submitted to the EBU executive supervisor and reference group for approval before being publicly announced. This change was introduced to provide a better experience for television viewers, making the show more exciting and allowing all entries to stand out by avoiding cases where songs of similar style or tempo were performed in sequence.<ref>{{cite web |title=Running order Malmö 2013 to be determined by producers |url=https://eurovision.tv/story/running-order-malmoe-2013-to-be-determined-by-producers |publisher=Eurovision Song Contest |access-date=9 July 2020 |date=7 November 2012}}</ref> Under the current method, during the semi-final allocation draw, each country competing in a semi-final is drawn into either the first half or second half of that semi-final; once all songs have been selected the producers will then determine the running order for the semi-finals.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Zwart |first1=Josianne |last2=Jordan |first2=Paul |title=Which countries will perform in which Semi-Final at Eurovision 2018? |url=https://eurovision.tv/story/results-of-the-semi-final-allocation-draw-2018 |publisher=Eurovision Song Contest |access-date=9 July 2020 |date=29 January 2018}}</ref><ref name="2013 semi order">{{cite web |title=Eurovision 2013: Semi-Final running order revealed |url=https://eurovision.tv/story/eurovision-2013-semi-final-running-order-revealed |publisher=Eurovision Song Contest |access-date=9 July 2020 |date=28 March 2013}}</ref> Semi-final qualifiers make a draw at random during the qualifiers' press conference to determine whether they will perform during the first, second half, or a producer-determined position of the final; the automatic finalists will also randomly draw their competing half or producer-determined position in the run-up to the final, except for the host country, whose exact performance position is determined at random in a separate draw.<ref name="2013 semi order" /><ref>{{cite web |last1=Groot |first1=Evert |title=Portugal and 'Big Five' rehearse for the second time |url=https://eurovision.tv/story/portugal-france-spain-italy-united-kingdom-second-rehearsal-2018 |publisher=Eurovision Song Contest |access-date=9 July 2020 |date=6 May 2018}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-04-16 |title=Malmö 2024: Producers to get more "choice" in deciding Grand Final running order |url=https://eurovision.tv/story/malmo-2024-producers-choice-running-order |access-date=2024-04-16 |website=Eurovision.tv |publisher=EBU |language=en}}</ref> The running order for the final is then decided following the second semi-final by the producers. The running orders are decided with the competing songs' musical quality, stage performance, prop and lighting set-up, and other production considerations taken into account.<ref>{{cite web |title=How is the Running Order being decided? |url=https://eurovision.tv/story/exclusive-running-order-producers-decide-2017 |publisher=Eurovision Song Contest |access-date=9 July 2020 |date=12 May 2017}}</ref>

The process change in 2013 led to a mixed reaction from fans of the contest, with some expressing concern over potential corruption in allowing the producers to decide at which point each country would perform, while others were more optimistic about the change.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Repo |first1=Juha |title=Mixed feelings about Eurovision rule change |url=http://esctoday.com/?p=38497 |website=esctoday.com |access-date=9 July 2020 |date=8 November 2012}}</ref> The order in which competing entries perform is considered an important factor in the potential of winning the contest, and statistical analysis on this subject has been shown to corroborate that in a random draw songs which perform later in the contest have a better chance of being scored highly.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Antipov |first1=Evgeny A. |last2=Pokryshevskaya |first2=Elena B. |title=Order effects in the results of song contests: Evidence from the Eurovision and the New Wave |journal=Judgement and Decision Making |year=2017 |volume=12 |issue=4 |url=http://journal.sjdm.org/16/16121/jdm16121.html |access-date=9 July 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Kelly |first1=Emma |title=How do the Eurovision running order stats affect Michael Rice's chances of winning for the UK? |url=https://metro.co.uk/2019/05/17/eurovision-running-order-stats-affect-michael-rices-chances-winning-uk-9584421/ |publisher=[[Metro (British newspaper)|Metro]] |access-date=9 July 2020 |date=17 May 2019}}</ref> Performing second in the final is particularly considered detrimental to an entry's chances of winning the contest, and no song performing in this position has ever won the contest in its history. However, of the current appearing positions, numbers 16, 25 and 26 in the running order have never won either. Position 17 has won the most, with seven times.<ref>{{cite web |title=Things you might not know about the Eurovision Song Contest |url=https://eurovision.tv/story/things-you-might-not-know-about-eurovision |publisher=Eurovision Song Contest |access-date=9 July 2020 |date=28 April 2020}}</ref>

== Voting ==
{{further|Voting at the Eurovision Song Contest}}
Various voting systems have been used in the history of the contest to determine the placing of the competing songs. The current system has been in place since 2023, which works on the basis of [[positional voting]].<ref name="2023 voting change2">{{cite web |date=22 November 2022 |title=Voting changes announced for Eurovision Song Contest 2023 |url=https://eurovision.tv/story/voting-changes-announced-eurovision-song-contest-2023 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221122131325/https://eurovision.tv/story/voting-changes-announced-eurovision-song-contest-2023 |archive-date=22 November 2022 |access-date=22 November 2022 |publisher=Eurovision Song Contest}}</ref><ref name="jury semi scrapped">{{cite web |date=22 November 2022 |title=Eurovision scraps jury voting in semi-finals |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-63716398 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221122131409/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-63716398 |archive-date=22 November 2022 |publisher=[[BBC News]]}}</ref> Each country awards two sets of points: one set is based on the votes of each professional jury appointed by each participating broadcaster, consisting of five music professionals from that country; and a second set is based on the views of the general public in the competing countries conducted through [[televoting|telephone and SMS voting]] or via voting conducted through the official Eurovision [[Mobile app|app]]. Each set of points consists of 1–8, 10, and 12 points to the jury and public's 10 favourite songs, with the most preferred song receiving 12 points.<ref name="Voting">{{cite web |title=Eurovision Song Contest: Voting |date=3 May 2017 |url=https://eurovision.tv/about/voting |publisher=Eurovision Song Contest |access-date=5 July 2020}}</ref> In the semi-finals, each country awards one set of points based on the votes cast by that country's viewing public, while in the final, each country awards two sets of points, with one set awarded each by the viewers and the professional jury.<ref name="Voting" /><ref name="2023 voting change2" /> Since 2023, viewers in non-participating countries are also able to vote during the contest, with those viewers able to cast votes via an online platform, which are then aggregated and awarded as one set of points from an "extra country" for the overall public vote.<ref>{{cite web |date=22 November 2022 |title=Voting changes (2023) FAQ |url=https://eurovision.tv/voting-changes-2023-faq |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221122133421/https://eurovision.tv/voting-changes-2023-faq |archive-date=22 November 2022 |access-date=22 November 2022 |publisher=Eurovision Song Contest |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-05-25 |title=Eurovision 2023: Votes from 144 countries |url=https://eurovisionworld.com/esc/eurovision-2023-votes-from-144-countries |access-date=2023-05-30 |website=Eurovisionworld |language=en-gb}}</ref> National juries and the public in each country are not allowed to vote for their own country, a rule first introduced in 1957.<ref name="Voting" /><ref name="Frankfurt 57">{{cite web |title=Eurovision Song Contest: Frankfurt 1957 |url=https://eurovision.tv/event/frankfurt-1957 |publisher=Eurovision Song Contest |access-date=5 July 2020}}</ref>

Historically, each country's points were determined by a jury, which has at times consisted of members of the public, music professionals, or both in combination.{{sfn|Roxburgh|2012|pp=387–396}}<ref name="Luxembourg 66" /> With advances in telecommunication technology, and in response to criticism regarding some jury picks for the contest winner, televoting was first introduced to the contest in 1997 on a trial basis.{{sfn|O'Connor|2010|pp=148–151}} At {{Escyr|1997||that year's contest}}, broadcasters in Austria, Germany, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom allowed their viewing public to determine their votes for the first time, and from {{Escyr|1998}} televoting was extended to almost all competing countries.<ref name="Dublin 97">{{cite web |title=Eurovision Song Contest: Dublin 1997 |url=https://eurovision.tv/event/dublin-1997 |publisher=Eurovision Song Contest |access-date=1 July 2020}}</ref> The {{Escyr|2004||2004 contest}} was the first to make televoting mandatory for all competing countries, however each country was obligated to provide a "backup jury", which would be used in case of voting failure, or if the number of votes registered did not pass a set threshold to be considered valid.<ref name="04 voting fault">{{cite web |title=Voting fault hits Eurovision heat |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/music/3712029.stm |work=[[BBC News]]|publisher=BBC  |access-date=5 July 2020 |date=13 May 2014}}</ref><ref name="Decade Kyiv 05">{{cite web |title=The end of a decade: Kyiv 2005 |url=https://eurovision.tv/story/the-end-of-a-decade-kyiv-2005 |publisher=Eurovision Song Contest |access-date=29 June 2020 |date=27 December 2009}}</ref> A jury was reintroduced for the final of the {{Escyr|2009||2009 contest}}, with each country's points comprising both the votes of the jury and public in an equal split.<ref name="Jury 09 final">{{cite web |date=14 September 2008 |title=Televoting/jury mix in 2009 Final voting |url=https://eurovision.tv/story/televoting-jury-mix-in-2009-final-voting |access-date=5 July 2020 |publisher=Eurovision Song Contest}}</ref><ref name="2010 jury semis">{{cite web |date=11 October 2009 |title=Juries also get 50% stake in Semi-Final result |url=https://eurovision.tv/story/juries-also-get-50-stake-in-semi-final-result |access-date=2 July 2020 |publisher=Eurovision Song Contest}}</ref> This mix of jury and public voting was expanded into the semi-finals from 2010, and was used until 2023, when full public voting was reintroduced to determine the results of the semi-finals. The mix of jury and public voting continues to be used in the final.<ref name="2023 voting change2" />

The current voting system is a modification of that used in the contest since 1975, when the "1–8, 10, 12 points" system was first introduced. Until 2016, each country provided one set of points, representing the votes of either the country's jury, public or, since the 2009 final, the votes of both combined.<ref name="Change to voting">{{cite web |last1=Jordan |first1=Paul |date=18 February 2016 |title=Biggest change to Eurovision Song Contest voting since 1975 |url=https://eurovision.tv/story/biggest-change-to-eurovision-song-contest-voting-since-1975 |access-date=5 July 2020 |publisher=Eurovision Song Contest}}</ref><ref name="2010 jury semis" />

=== Presentation of the votes ===
[[File:Eurovision Song Contest 1958 - Scoreboard.png|thumb|right|alt=Black and white photograph of the scoreboard in 1958; the running order numbers and song titles of the competing entries are printed on the left-hand side of the scoreboard, and rotating numbers on the right-hand side show the allocation of points to each song as each country's jury is called, and a total of all points received; song titles are sorted by order of appearance, with the first song to be performed appearing at the top of the scoreboard.|The scoreboard at the {{Escyr|1958||1958 contest}}]]
Since 1957, each country's votes have been announced during a special voting segment as part of the contest's broadcast. After each country's votes have been calculated and verified, and following performances during the interval, the presenter(s) of the contest will call upon a spokesperson in each country in turn to invite them to announce the results of their country's vote in English or French.<ref name="Voting" /> This spokesperson is typically a musician, broadcaster or journalist who is well known in their country, and previous spokespersons have included former Eurovision artists and presenters.<ref name="2016 spokespersons">{{cite web |last1=Roxburgh |first1=Gordon |title=The 42 spokespersons for the 2016 Grand Final |url=https://eurovision.tv/story/the-42-spokespersons-for-the-2016-grand-final |publisher=Eurovision Song Contest |access-date=5 July 2020 |date=14 May 2016}}</ref> Prior to 1994 the announcements were made through [[telephone line]]s from the countries of origin, with the audio piped through into the auditorium for the audience to hear and over the television transmission; the {{Escyr|1994||1994 contest}} saw the introduction of [[Communications satellite|satellite]] links for the voting, which has allowed the spokespersons to be seen visually by the audience and television spectators.<ref name="Dublin 94">{{cite web |title=Eurovision Song Contest: Dublin 1994 |url=https://eurovision.tv/event/dublin-1994 |publisher=Eurovision Song Contest |access-date=1 July 2020}}</ref>

The votes from each country are tallied via a [[scoreboard]], which typically shows the total number of points each country has so far received, as well as the points being given out by the country currently being called upon by the presenter(s). The scoreboard was first introduced in 1957; voting at the first contest was held behind closed doors, but taking inspiration from the UK's ''[[UK national selection for the Eurovision Song Contest|Festival of British Popular Songs]]'' which featured voting by regional juries, the EBU decided to incorporate this idea into its own contest.{{sfn|Roxburgh|2012|p=152}} This scoreboard was historically situated physically to the side of the stage and was updated manually as each country gave their votes; a [[Computer graphics|graphical representation]] of this scoreboard was first introduced at the {{Escyr|1988||1988 contest}}, which in recent contests is able to sort itself to place the country with the most votes at the top.<ref name="Dublin 88">{{cite web |title=Eurovision Song Contest: Dublin 1988 |url=https://eurovision.tv/event/dublin-1988 |publisher=Eurovision Song Contest |access-date=5 July 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Milestone Moments: 1988 – When Celine was crowned Queen |url=https://eurovision.tv/story/milestone-moments-1988-when-celine-was-crowned-queen |publisher=Eurovision Song Contest |access-date=5 July 2020 |date=12 September 2016}}</ref>

Historically, each country's spokesperson would announce sequentially the number of points being given to a specific country, which would then be repeated by the contest's presenter(s) in both English and French. With the increase in the number of competing countries, and therefore the number of countries voting in the final, the voting sequence soon became a lengthy process. From 2006, to save time, only each country's 8, 10 and 12 points were announced by their spokesperson, with points 1–7 displayed on-screen and then automatically added to the scoreboard.<ref name="Countdown Athens 06">{{cite web |title=Countdown to Baku – Athens 2006 |url=https://eurovision.tv/story/countdown-to-baku-athens-2006 |publisher=Eurovision Song Contest |access-date=30 June 2020 |date=27 December 2011}}</ref><ref name="Athens 06">{{cite web |title=Eurovision Song Contest: Athens 2016 |url=https://eurovision.tv/event/athens-2006 |publisher=Eurovision Song Contest |access-date=5 July 2020}}</ref> Since the introduction of the new voting system in 2016, the spokespersons now announce only their country's 12 points, with their 8 and 10 points now also being shown and added automatically.<ref name="2016 spokespersons" />

From 1957 to 1962, the order in which the participating countries announced their votes was in reverse order of the presentation of their songs; from 1963 to 2003, countries were called upon in the same order in which they presented their songs, with the exception of the 1974 contest, where a drawing of lots was used to decide the order in which countries were called upon.<ref name="Brighton 74">{{cite web |title=Eurovision Song Contest: 1974 |url=https://eurovision.tv/event/brighton-1974 |publisher=Eurovision Song Contest |access-date=3 July 2020}}</ref>{{sfn|Roxburgh|2012|pp=318–333}} With the introduction of semi-finals in 2004, a new system to determine the order of voting was required to account for the countries which failed to qualify for the final: in 2004, the countries were called upon in alphabetical order according to their [[ISO 3166-1 alpha-2|two-letter ISO country codes]];<ref>{{cite web |title=Eurovision 2004: Voting Briefing |url=http://www.eurovision.tv/archive_2004/english/1098.htm |publisher=Eurovision Song Contest |access-date=5 July 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050507155415/http://www.eurovision.tv/archive_2004/english/1098.htm |archive-date=7 May 2005 |date=12 May 2004}}</ref> and in 2005, the votes of the non-qualifying semi-finalists were announced first, in the order in which they performed in the semi-final, followed by the finalist countries in the order in which they performed in the final.{{sfn|O'Connor|2010|pp=180–183}} From 2006 to 2010, similar to 1974, a separate draw was held to determine the voting order;<ref>{{cite web |title=Eurovision 2006: Results from the draw |url=http://www.eurovision.tv/english/2038.htm |publisher=Eurovision Song Contest |access-date=5 July 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060527003915/http://www.eurovision.tv/english/2038.htm |archive-date=27 May 2006 |date=21 March 2006}}</ref> this draw was scrapped in 2011, and a new logarithmic system was implemented which used the jury votes submitted following the "jury final" dress rehearsal in an attempt to ensure the winner did not become apparent early on in the voting sequence, and subsequently to create a more suspenseful and exciting experience for the viewers.<ref>{{cite web |title=The 2011 Eurovision Song Contest Grand Final! |url=https://eurovision.tv/story/the-2011-eurovision-song-contest-grand-final |publisher=Eurovision Song Contest |access-date=5 July 2020 |date=14 May 2011}}</ref>

Since 2016, the voting presentation begins with each country's spokespersons being called upon in turn to announce the points of their country's professional jury. Once the jury points from all countries have been announced, the contest's presenter(s) will then announce the total public points received for each finalist, with the votes for each country being consolidated and announced as a single value.<ref name="Change to voting" /> From 2016 to 2018, the public points were announced in order from last to first, with the country with the lowest total score announced first; since 2019, these points have been announced in order according to their placing by the juries, with the country that received the fewest points from the juries receiving their public points first.<ref name="Voting" /> The full televoting results, and the votes of each country's jury and individual jury members, are published on the official Eurovision website after the show; each country's individual televoting points are also typically displayed on-screen towards the end of the show by that country's broadcaster.<ref name="Change to voting" />

=== Ties for first place ===
Since 1970, the rules of the contest have outlined how to determine the winning act in cases where two or more countries have the same number of points at the end of the voting. The method of breaking a tie has changed over time, and the current tie-break rule has been in place since 2016. In this event, a combined national televoting and jury result is calculated for each country, and the winner is the song which has obtained points from the highest number of countries.<ref name="Voting" />

The first tie-break rule was introduced following the {{Escyr|1969||1969 contest}}, when four of the sixteen countries taking part—France, Spain, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom—all finished the voting with an equal number of votes.<ref>{{cite web |title=Milestone Moments: 1969 – The Four-Way Tie |url=https://eurovision.tv/story/milestone-moments-1969-the-four-way-tie |publisher=Eurovision Song Contest |access-date=5 July 2020 |date=1 September 2016}}</ref> As there was no rule in place to break the tie, all four were declared joint winners.<ref name="Facts & Figures">{{cite web |title=Eurovision Song Contest: Facts & Figures |date=12 January 2017 |url=https://eurovision.tv/about/facts-and-figures |publisher=Eurovision Song Contest |access-date=27 June 2020}}</ref> This result led to complaints from a number of other competing broadcasters, and several refused to take part in {{Escyr|1970}} in protest.<ref name="Amsterdam 70">{{cite web |title=Eurovision Song Contest: Amsterdam 1970 |url=https://eurovision.tv/event/amsterdam-1970 |publisher=Eurovision Song Contest |access-date=3 July 2020}}</ref>{{sfn|O'Connor|2010|pp=40–43}}<ref name="Madrid 69">{{cite web |title=Eurovision Song Contest: Madrid 1969 |url=https://eurovision.tv/event/madrid-1969 |publisher=Eurovision Song Contest |access-date=30 June 2020}}</ref>

To date, on only one occasion since 1969 has there been a tie for first place: in {{Escyr|1991}}, the entries from {{Esccnty|Sweden|y=1991}} and {{Esccnty|France|y=1991}} had received 146 points each at the end of the voting. The tie-breaking rule in place at the time specified that the country which had received the most sets of 12 points would be declared the winner; if there was still a tie, then the 10 points received, followed by 8 points, etc. would be used to break the tie. Both France and Sweden had received four sets of 12 points, however as Sweden had received more individual 10 points than France, Sweden's [[Carola Häggkvist|Carola]] was declared the winner.{{sfn|O'Connor|2010|pp=124–127}}<ref name="Rome 91">{{cite web |title=Eurovision Song Contest: Rome 1991 |url=https://eurovision.tv/event/rome-1991 |publisher=Eurovision Song Contest |access-date=5 July 2020}}</ref>
{|class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:left;"
|-
|+ Overview of tie-breaking rules
! scope="col" |Year
! scope="col" |Use
! scope="col" |Description
|-
| class="nowrap" | {{Escyr|1956}}–{{Escyr|1969}}
| {{N/A}}
| No tie-breaking rules were in place.
|-
| class="nowrap" | {{Escyr|1970}}–{{Escyr|1988}}
| rowspan="2" | Only to determine the winner.
| The jury decided the winner through a simple vote for their favourite.
|-
| class="nowrap" | {{Escyr|1989}}–{{Escyr|2000}}
| The winner of a tie is the country that received more 12 points, then 10 points. If the tie cannot be broken in this way, all tied countries are winners.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.myledbury.co.uk/eurovision/pdf/esc2000.pdf|title=Rules of the Eurovision Song Contest 2000|website=Myledbury.co.uk|access-date=26 November 2022}}</ref>
|-
| class="nowrap" | {{Escyr|2001}}–{{Escyr|2002}}
| To determine the winner<br>To determine the qualifiers for the following year.
| The winner of a tie is the country that received more 12 points, then 10 points, all the way down to 1.<br>If the tie cannot be broken in this way, all tied countries are winners.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.myledbury.co.uk/eurovision/pdf/esc2002.pdf|title=Rules of the Eurovision Song Contest 2002|website=Myledbury.co.uk|access-date=26 November 2022}}</ref>
|-
| class="nowrap" | {{Escyr|2003}}
| Only to determine the winner.
| rowspan="2" | The winner of a tie is the country that received points from more countries, then the country that received more 12 points, then 10 points, all the way down to 1.<br>If the tie cannot be broken in this way, all tied countries are winners.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.myledbury.co.uk/eurovision/pdf/esc2003.pdf|title=Rules of the Eurovision Song Contest 2003|website=Myledbury.co.uk|access-date=26 November 2022}}</ref>
|-
| class="nowrap" | {{Escyr|2004}}–{{Escyr|2006}}
| rowspan="2" | To determine the winner<br>To determine the 10th qualifier from the semi-final.
|-
| class="nowrap" | {{Escyr|2007}}
| rowspan="2" | The winner of a tie is the country that received points from more countries, then the country that received more 12 points, then 10 points, all the way down to 1.<br>If the tie cannot be broken in this way, the country that performed earlier wins the tie.<ref name="Helsinki 072">{{cite web |title=Main rules of Eurovision Song Contest (as of 2007 edition) |url=https://esckaz.com/2007/rules.htm |access-date=12 November 2021 |publisher=esckaz}}</ref><ref name="Belgrade 082">{{cite web |title=Main rules of Eurovision Song Contest (as of 2008 edition) |url=https://esckaz.com/2008/rules.htm |access-date=12 November 2021 |publisher=esckaz}}</ref>
|-
| class="nowrap" | {{Escyr|2008}}–{{Escyr|2015}}
| rowspan="2" | Used for all ties.
|-
| class="nowrap" | {{Escyr|2016}}–present
| The winner of a tie is the country that received more points from the televoting, then the country that received points from more countries in the televoting,<br>then the country that received more 12 points in the televoting, then 10 points, all the way down to 1.<br>If the tie cannot be broken in this way, the country that performed earlier wins the tie.
|}

=== Validation and observation ===
A number of steps have been established to ensure that a valid voting result is obtained and that transparency in the vote and results is observed.<ref name="Fairness">{{cite web |title=Eurovision Song Contest: Fairness |date=12 January 2017 |url=https://eurovision.tv/about/in-depth/fairness/ |publisher=Eurovision Song Contest |access-date=5 July 2020}}</ref>

Each country's professional jury, as well as individual jury members, must meet a set criteria to be eligible, regarding professional background, and diversity in gender and age. A set criteria against which the competing entries should be evaluated is published by the EBU, and all jury members pledge in writing that they will use these criteria when ranking the entries, as well as stating that they are not connected to any of the contestants in any way that could influence their decision. Additionally, jury members may only sit on a jury once every three years. Each jury member votes independently of the other members of the jury, and no discussion or deliberation about the vote between members is permitted.<ref name="Fairness" /><ref name="19 juries">{{cite web |last1=Groot |first1=Evert |title=Exclusive: These are the judges who will vote in Eurovision 2019! |url=https://eurovision.tv/story/exclusive-eurovision-2019-juries |publisher=Eurovision Song Contest |access-date=5 July 2020 |date=30 April 2019}}</ref>

Since 2004, the televoting in each country has been overseen by the contest's official voting partner, the Germany-based Once (formerly Digame).<ref>{{Cite web |title=Our work - Eurovision |url=https://once.net/our-work/eurovision |access-date=2024-10-08 |website=Once.net}}</ref> This company gathers all televotes and, since 2009, jury votes in all countries, which are then processed by the company's pan-European response platform, based out of its voting control centre in [[Cologne]]. This system ensures that all votes are counted in accordance with the rules, and that any attempts to unfairly influence the vote are detected and mitigated.<ref name="Fairness" /> The entire voting process is overseen by independent observers from an external auditing company, with [[professional services]] firm [[Ernst & Young]] assuming this role since 2019.<ref name="Voting" /><ref name="19 juries" /><ref>{{Cite web|date=20 May 2021|title=EY contributes to a safe Eurovision Song Contest|url=https://news.sap.com/netherlands/2021/05/ey-contributes-to-a-safe-eurovision-song-contest/|access-date=17 July 2021|website=SAP Nederland Nieuws|language=nl-NL}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Niemeier |first=Timo |date=2023-05-13 |title=Wie ein deutsches Unternehmen den ESC entscheidend prägt |trans-title=How a German company is having a decisive influence on the ESC |url=https://www.dwdl.de/magazin/92802/wie_ein_deutsches_unternehmen_den_esc_entscheidend_praegt/ |access-date=2024-10-08 |website=DWDL.de |language=de}}</ref>

== Broadcasting ==
Participating broadcasters are required to air live in their countries the semi-final in which they compete, or in the case of the automatic finalists the semi-final in which they are required to vote, and the final, in its entirety, including all competing songs, the voting [[Abstract (summary)|recap]] which contains short clips of the performances, the voting procedure or semi-final qualification reveal, and in the final the [[reprise]] of the winning song.<ref name="Rules" /><ref name="15 Rules" /> Since 1999, broadcasters who wished to do so were given the opportunity to provide [[Television advertisement|advertising]] during short, non-essential hiatuses in the show's schedule.<ref name="99 Rules" />

On a number of occasions, participating broadcasters have been forced to delay or postpone broadcast of one or more live shows due to mitigating circumstances: in 2000, the broadcast of the contest was interrupted in the {{Esccnty|Netherlands}} to provide emergency news coverage of the [[Enschede fireworks disaster]], which meant a televote could not be held and the country's backup jury was used to provide the country's points;<ref name="Stockholm 2000">{{cite web |title=Eurovision Song Contest: Stockholm 2000 |url=https://eurovision.tv/event/stockholm-2000 |publisher=Eurovision Song Contest |access-date=5 July 2020}}</ref><ref name="Decade Stockholm 2000">{{cite web |title=The end of a decade: Stockholm 2000 |url=https://eurovision.tv/story/the-end-of-a-decade-stockholm-2000 |publisher=Eurovision Song Contest |access-date=5 July 2020 |date=21 December 2009}}</ref> and in 2012, [[RTSH]] broadcast the first semi-final in Albania, in which it was competing, deferred to provide coverage of the [[Qafa e Vishës bus accident]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Albania to broadcast tonight's Semi-Final deferred |url=https://eurovision.tv/story/albania-to-broadcast-tonight-s-semi-final-deferred |publisher=Eurovision Song Contest |access-date=5 July 2020 |date=22 May 2012}}</ref> In both of these cases no sanctions were levied against the broadcasters due to the emergency nature of the incidents, however in 2009, when [[RTVE]] deferred broadcast of the second semi-final in Spain to provide continuing coverage of the [[2009 Mutua Madrileña Masters Madrid|Madrid Open]] tennis tournament, the EBU announced that sanctions would be levied against the broadcaster.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Royston |first1=Benny |title=Spain to face sanctions over late broadcast |url=http://esctoday.com/14060/spain_to_face_sanctions_over_late_broadcast/ |website=esctoday.com |access-date=5 July 2020 |date=15 May 2009}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Escartín |first1=Javier |title=Los problemas de Soraya en Eurovisión |url=https://www.abc.es/play/abci-problemas-soraya-eurovision-200905150300-92916354130_noticia.html |work=[[ABC (newspaper)|ABC]] |access-date=5 July 2020 |language=es |trans-title=Soraya's problems at Eurovision |date=15 May 2009}}</ref>

The contest was first produced in [[Color television|colour]] in 1968, and has been broadcast in [[16:9 aspect ratio|widescreen]] since 2005, and in [[High-definition television|high-definition]] since 2007.<ref name="London 68">{{cite web |title=Eurovision Song Contest: London 1968 |url=https://eurovision.tv/event/london-1968 |publisher=Eurovision Song Contest |access-date=5 July 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Polishchuk |first1=Tetiana |title=Eurovision to Be Broadcast in Widescreen, With New Hosts |url=https://day.kyiv.ua/en/article/culture/eurovision-be-broadcast-widescreen-new-hosts |website=day.kyiv.ua |publisher=[[The Day (Kyiv)|The Day]] |access-date=23 February 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201122170009/https://day.kyiv.ua/en/article/culture/eurovision-be-broadcast-widescreen-new-hosts |archive-date=22 November 2020 |date=17 May 2005 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Helsinki 07">{{cite web |title=Main rules of Eurovision Song Contest (as of 2007 edition) |url=https://esckaz.com/2007/rules.htm |access-date=12 November 2021 |publisher=esckaz}}</ref> [[Ultra-high-definition television|Ultra-high-definition]] broadcasts were tested for the first time in 2022.<ref name=":9">{{Cite web |last=Cafarelli |first=Donato |date=2022-04-23 |title=Eurovision Song Contest 2022: la Rai trasmetterà l'evento per la prima volta in 4K |trans-title=Eurovision Song Contest 2022: Rai will broadcast the event for the first time in 4K |url=https://www.eurofestivalnews.com/2022/04/23/eurovision-song-contest-2022-rai-4k/ |access-date=2022-04-23 |website=Eurofestival News |language=it-IT}}</ref>

=== Archive status ===
An archiving project was initiated by the EBU in 2011, aiming to collate footage from all editions of the contest and related materials from its history ahead of the contest's 60th edition in 2015.<ref>{{cite web |title=EBU starts Eurovision archive project |url=https://eurovision.tv/story/ebu-starts-eurovision-archive-project |publisher=Eurovision Song Contest |access-date=5 July 2020 |date=8 October 2011}}</ref> In collaborating with member broadcasters, the EBU now holds all editions of the contest except for the 1956 and 1964 editions, of which only the winner's reprise exist on video.<ref name="Eurovision Again BtS">{{cite web |title=How Eurovision Again came to your screens |url=https://eurovision.tv/story/how-eurovisionagain-was-brought-to-your-screens |publisher=Eurovision Song Contest |access-date=3 July 2020 |date=27 June 2020}}</ref>

The video footage which may have been recorded of the first contest in 1956 has since been lost over time, however audio of the contest has been preserved and a short [[newsreel]] of the winning reprise has survived.{{sfn|O'Connor|2010|pp=8–9}}<ref name="Lugano 56">{{cite web |title=Eurovision Song Contest: Lugano 1956 |url=https://eurovision.tv/event/lugano-1956 |publisher=Eurovision Song Contest |access-date=5 July 2020}}</ref> Conflicting reports of the fate of any video footage of the {{Escyr|1964||1964 contest}} in Copenhagen have been recanted over the years: one claim is that footage of the contest was destroyed in a fire at the studios of Danish broadcaster DR in the 1970s, with no footage from other broadcasters known to exist;{{sfn|Roxburgh|2012|pp=348–358}}<ref name="Copenhagen 64">{{cite web |title=Eurovision Song Contest: Copenhagen 1964 |url=https://eurovision.tv/event/copenhagen-1964 |publisher=Eurovision Song Contest |access-date=5 July 2020}}</ref> other claims include that footage of the contest was lost when the tape was [[Data erasure|wiped]] by DR management for use in recording new programming, or that DR did not record the show at all due to a lack of available [[video tape recorder]]s.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Grønbech |first1=Jens |title=BT afslører: Her er DRs største grandprix-brøler |url=https://www.bt.dk/melodi-grand-prix/bt-afsloerer-her-er-drs-stoerste-grandprix-broeler |website=bt.dk |publisher=[[B.T. (tabloid)|B.T.]] |access-date=6 July 2020 |language=da |trans-title=BT reveals: DR's biggest Eurovision groan |date=2 May 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Dohrman |first1=Jan |title=Billeder: I denne uge er det 55 år siden, Danmark holdt sit første Eurovision i Tivoli |url=https://www.dr.dk/om-dr/nyheder/billeder-i-denne-uge-er-det-55-aar-siden-danmark-holdt-sit-foerste-eurovision-i-tivoli |website=dr.dk |publisher=[[DR (broadcaster)|DR]] |access-date=6 July 2020 |language=da |trans-title=Pictures: This week marks 55 years since Denmark held its first Eurovision at Tivoli |date=20 March 2019}}</ref> As with the 1956 contest, audio recordings of the 1964 contest, and some footage of the opening sequence and winning reprise have survived.{{sfn|O'Connor|2010|pp=24–25}}<ref name="Copenhagen 64" />

The copyright of each individual contest from 1956 to 2003 is held by the respective organising host broadcaster for that year's contest; copyright for contests held from 2004 onwards is held centrally by the EBU.<ref name="Broadcasting Rights">{{cite web |title=Eurovision Song Contest: Broadcasting Rights |date=12 January 2017 |url=https://eurovision.tv/about/broadcasting-rights |publisher=Eurovision Song Contest |access-date=5 July 2020}}</ref>

== Rule changes by year ==
*'''{{Escyr|1956}}''' First contest – each of the seven participating broadcasters were recommended to hold a national selection to choose their entries.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |title=Règlement du Grand Prix Eurovision 1956 de la Chanson Européenne (version définitive) |trans-title=Rules of the Grand Prix of the Eurovision Song Competition 1956 (final version) |url=http://www.eurovision.tv/upload/history/1956/56_rules.pdf |access-date=2024-01-04 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160620231134/http://www.eurovision.tv/upload/history/1956/56_rules.pdf |archive-date=2016-06-20 |language=fr}}</ref> They could send a maximum of two songs each.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=1956contest/> Participating songs should not exceed 3 to 3.5 minutes.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=1956duration>{{cite web|url=https://eurovision.tv/event/lugano-1956|publisher=EBU|title=Lugano 1956 |quote=The songs of the contest were not to exceed three and a half minutes |access-date=1 December 2021}}</ref> Two jurors from each of the participating countries is to watch the transmission on a television screen, and rate each song from 1 to 10, with higher scores being more appreciated. The 14 scores are added and the winner(s) are the songs with the highest total score.<ref name=":1" />
*'''{{Escyr|1957}}''' Each country would only send one song from this year on. The voting was made public for the first time. Each of the ten jurors awards a single point to their favourite song – so in theory a country could be awarded all 10 points, although the highest tally allocated under this system was 9 by the {{Esccnty|Denmark|y=1958|t=Danish jury}} for {{Esccnty|France|y=1958|t=France in 1958}} and the {{Esccnty|Belgium|y=1970|t=Belgian jury}} for {{Esccnty|Ireland|y=1970|t=Ireland in 1970}}. Juries are no longer allowed to vote for their own country, after being allowed to in 1956.<ref name=1956contest>{{cite web|url=https://eurovision.tv/event/lugano-1956|publisher=EBU|title=Lugano 1956 |access-date=1 December 2021}}</ref>
*'''{{Escyr|1958}}''' After Italy's song in 1957 lasted 5 minutes and 9 seconds, the maximum song length was limited to 3 minutes – which still applies.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.eurovision.am/eng/?sub=history |title=Eurovision Song Contest - Armenia |access-date=30 May 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090620124912/http://www.eurovision.am/eng/?sub=history |archive-date=20 June 2009 }}</ref> The convention of the winning broadcaster being invited to host the following year's contest is introduced. However, several of them declined the opportunity in subsequent years.
*'''{{Escyr|1959}}''' Professional publishers or composers were no longer allowed in the national juries.
*'''{{Escyr|1962}}''' The voting system changes. Each country had 10 jury members who awarded their three favourite songs 3, 2, and 1 points in order. Previously each of the ten jury members awarded 1 point to their favourite song.
*'''{{Escyr|1963}}''' The jury size is doubled to 20 and the points awarded were 5, 4, 3, 2 and 1.
*'''{{Escyr|1964}}''' The jury size reverts to 10, and points are now 5, 3 and 1. It becomes possible for a unanimous jury to award all 9 points to one song – but this never occurred. It was also possible to give 6 and 3 points to two songs; this happened only in 1965, when the {{Esccnty|Belgium|y=1965|t=Belgian jury}} gave 6 points to the {{Esccnty|United Kingdom|y=1965}} and 3 points to {{Esccnty|Italy|y=1965}}.
*'''{{Escyr|1966}}''' Songs must now be sung in one of the national languages of the country they represent after Sweden's entry was sung in English.<ref name=1965contest>{{cite web|url=https://eurovision.tv/event/naples-1965|publisher=EBU|title=Naples 1965|quote=Swedish participant Ingvar Wixell performed his song -originally called Annorstädes Vals -  in English instead of Swedish while all the other participants sang in their native languages. This incident led to a rule change meaning that all participants would have to perform their songs in their respective national languages. |access-date=1 December 2021}}</ref>
*'''{{Escyr|1967}}''' The scoring system reverts to the one used between 1957 and 1961.
*'''{{Escyr|1970}}''' Following a four-way tie in the 1969 contest, a tie-break rule was introduced with provision for a sing-off and a show of hands from the juries to elect a winner.
*'''{{Escyr|1971}}''' Another voting system change is introduced. Each country had two jury members, one under 25 and one over 25, with at least ten years' difference between their ages. They each awarded 1 to 5 points for each song. This created an issue where some juries gave fewer points out than others. The rule permitting groups of up to six performers on stage was introduced. Previously, entrants could only perform solo or as a duet.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://eurovision.tv/event/dublin-1971|title=Dublin 1971|work=Eurovision.tv|publisher=European Broadcasting Union|access-date=2022-02-21|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220208114920/https://eurovision.tv/event/dublin-1971|archive-date=2022-02-08|url-status=live}}</ref>
*'''{{Escyr|1973}}''' The rule forcing countries to sing in one of their national languages is relaxed – however this is only in place for four years. For the first time, music played on backing tracks was allowed, although any instrument heard on one had to be seen on stage as well. 
*'''{{Escyr|1974}}''' The scoring system used between 1957 and 1961 and between 1967 and 1970 is restored for a third time.
*'''{{Escyr|1975}}''' A scoring system reminiscent of the current system is introduced. Each jury would now give 12 points to the best song, 10 to the second best, then 8 to the third, 7 to the fourth, 6 to the fifth and so forth until the tenth best song received a single point. Unlike today, the points were not announced in order (from 1 up to 12), but in the order the songs were performed.
*'''{{Escyr|1976}}''' As the cost of staging the contest increases, a new rule was introduced that, in future, each participating broadcaster would have to pay a fee to finance the cost of staging the contest.
*'''{{Escyr|1977}}''' Countries must again revert to singing in their own national languages. Belgium and Germany had already chosen English-language songs before the announcement of this rule change, so were granted permission to keep their songs in English.
*'''{{Escyr|1980}}''' The jury spokesperson now reads the points out in numerical order (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10, and 12) rather than in song order.
*'''{{Escyr|1987}}''' As the number of countries reached a record of 22, the EBU imposed a limit on the number of countries competing. Although set at 22, this limit has varied slightly over the years.<ref name="22participants">{{cite book|last=Kennedy O'Connor|first=John|title=The Eurovision Song Contest: The Official History|publisher=Carlton Books|location=UK|year=2007|pages=108–111|isbn=978-1-84442-994-3}}</ref>
*'''{{Escyr|1989}}''' Following the closeness of the result at the {{Escyr|1988||1988 contest}}, the tie break rule was amended. If a tie was to occur the winner would be declared by whichever received the most 12 points; if that still failed to separate them, the one with the most 10 points would be declared the winner. If there is still a tie, the same process is used with the 8 points, and so on until there is no longer a tie.
*'''{{Escyr|1990}}''' Following [[Sandra Kim]]'s win for {{Esccnty|Belgium|y=1986|t=Belgium in 1986}} at the age of just 13 and controversy over two performers in 1989 being just 11 and 12 years old, a restriction on the competitors' ages was introduced. The minimum age is now 16 at the time of the event.
*'''{{Escyr|1993}}''' With the admission into the EBU of the broadcasters of the countries that emerged from the [[breakup of Yugoslavia]], and the merger of the EBU with its Eastern European counterpart, the [[International Radio and Television Organisation]] (OIRT), a [[Kvalifikacija za Millstreet|pre-qualifying round]] was introduced.
*'''{{Escyr|1994}}''' Relegation had to be introduced to accommodate the ever-increasing number of broadcasters wishing to compete. Initially the bottom seven countries from 1993 would be relegated from 1994 contest. The relegation rules would change slightly over subsequent years.
*'''{{Escyr|1996}}''' The number of countries that can compete is increased to 23.<ref name="23participants">{{cite web|title=Historical Milestones|date=5 June 2004|url=http://www.eurovision.tv/english/611.htm|publisher=|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040605150137/http://www.eurovision.tv/english/611.htm|access-date=11 December 2021|archive-date=2004-06-05}}</ref>
*'''{{Escyr|1997}}''' After controversy over a {{Escyr|1996}} pre-selection procedure (similar to 1993) which resulted in {{Esccnty|Germany|y=1996}} being omitted from the contest, the selection procedure changed to allow only the countries with the best average scores over the previous four years.
*'''{{Escyr|1997}}''' Following the appearance of a [[Macintosh computer]] on stage during the {{esccnty|United Kingdom|y=1996}}'s previous year performance, the rule on backing tracks was relaxed, so that countries were free to use any combination of live and recorded music of their choice without the requirement for any instruments to be seen on stage. 
*'''{{Escyr|1997}}''' Televoting was trialled in five countries and would become the preferred method of voting from {{Escyr|1998}}.
*'''{{Escyr|1999}}''' Restrictions are lifted again allowing countries to sing in any language. 
*'''{{Escyr|1999}}''' The use of a live orchestra was dropped as a way to conserve money for the show; since then, all songs have used pre-recorded backing tracks.
*'''{{Escyr|2000}}''' The "[[Big Four (Eurovision)|Big Four]]" rule is introduced giving France, Germany, Spain, and the United Kingdom automatic entry in the contest regardless of previous performance. In {{Escyr|2011}}, Italy returned to the competition, becoming a "[[Big Five (Eurovision)|Big Five]]" member.
*'''{{Escyr|2002}}''' The number of countries that can compete is increased to 24.<ref name="24participants">{{cite web|title=Eurovision Song Contest 2003|date=2 August 2002|url=http://www.eurovision.tv/|publisher=|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20020802010048/http://www.eurovision.tv/|access-date=11 December 2021|archive-date=2002-08-02}}</ref>
*'''{{Escyr|2003}}''' The number of countries that can compete is increased to 26.
*'''{{Escyr|2004}}''' Relegation rules, which had varied slightly since 1994, were dropped and a semi-final was introduced. 24 countries compete in the final. Countries eliminated in the semi-final were still allowed to vote on the final, so the convention of reading the scores in both French and English was dropped. The spokesperson would now read the score in one language with presenters repeating in the other language.
*'''{{Escyr|2006}}''' Spokespersons no longer read out all the points from 1 up to 12. Instead the scores up to 7 points are displayed briefly before the spokesperson reads out their 8, 10, and 12 point allocations.
*'''{{Escyr|2008}}''' With a record entry of 43, a second semi-final was introduced. Juries were used to allocate a wild-card place in the final from each of the semi-finals. 25 countries now compete in the final.
*'''{{Escyr|2009}}''' After criticism of the voting system after the {{Escyr|2007||2007 contest}}, changes in the voting procedure were made with the re-introduction of a national jury alongside televoting (split 50/50). This format would be extended to the semi-finals in 2010.
*'''{{Escyr|2010}}''' Televoting is open from the first song until the end of the voting.
*'''{{Escyr|2012}}''' The 15-minute televoting window is restored due to criticism of the voting method after the 2011 contest. 26 countries now compete in the final, due to Italy's return in 2011. A new upper limit of only 20 votes per phone number is imposed.
*'''{{Escyr|2013}}''' The format of the jury/televoting result is changed slightly in that all songs are now ranked instead of being given a score in each method. This is then merged and the ten highest ranked songs receive points in the usual manner. Also, for the first time, the running order in all three shows is determined by producers of the show instead of a random draw, which is supposed to give each song competing a fair chance of success.
* '''{{Escyr|2015}}''' The EBU considers the possibility of inviting associate members from countries outside of the [[European Broadcasting Area]] or the [[Council of Europe]] to participate in future editions of the contest. The first of such "guest nations" was {{esccnty|Australia|y=2015|t=Australia in 2015}}. This also increases the number of countries competing in the final to 27.<ref name=guardian-aus15>{{cite news|title=Eurovision Song Contest invites Australia to join 'world's biggest party'|url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/2015/feb/10/eurovision-song-contest-invites-australia-to-join-worlds-biggest-party|access-date=10 February 2015|work=The Guardian|date=11 February 2015}}</ref><ref name="Australia participate">{{cite web|title=Australia participate in the 60th Eurovision|url=http://www.eurovision.tv/page/news?id=australia_to_participate_in_the_2015_eurovision_song_contest|publisher=EBU|website=Eurovision.tv|access-date=10 February 2015|date=11 February 2015}}</ref>
* '''{{Escyr|2016}}''' A new voting system is introduced. Entries now receive one set of points from the jury and one set of points from televoting. First, the jury votes are announced in the usual way, giving 1 up to 12 points but with only the 12 points being read by the spokesperson. Then, the televotes are read by the presenters, starting with the country receiving the fewest televote points and ending with the country that received the most televote points, so the winner is not known until the end of the show.<ref>[http://www.svt.se/melodifestivalen/svt-bakom-historisk-forandring-infor-eurovision-song-contest-i-stockholm-2016 SVT Article, 20 Feb 2016 (Swedish)]</ref> In addition, the number of countries competing in the final is reduced back to 26 as Australia now competes in the semi-final.<ref>{{cite web|title=Australia To Return To The Eurovision Song Contest|url=http://www.eurovision.tv/page/news?id=australia_to_return_to_the_eurovision_song_contest|publisher=EBU|access-date=17 November 2015}}</ref>
* '''{{Escyr|2018}}''' The rankings of individual jurors in each country are combined using an exponentially weighted formula.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://eurovision.tv/story/subtle-significant-ebu-changes-weight-individual-jury-rankings#:~:text=This%20is%20also%20called%20the%20'exponential%20weight%20model'.,8%20points%20and%20so%20on.|title=Subtle but significant: EBU changes weight of individual jury rankings|date=27 April 2018}}</ref>
* '''{{Escyr|2019}}''' The order of the televoting presentation is changed. Instead of presenting the televoting results in the order of fewest to most points, the points are given in the order of the final jury voting ranking, meaning the country with the fewest jury points receives its televote points first, and the winner of the jury votes hears its final score last.
*'''{{Escyr|2021}}''' Pre-recorded backing vocals are permitted in an effort to introduce flexibility following the cancellation of the 2020 edition and to facilitate modernisation.<ref name="Back for good" />
*'''{{Escyr|2023}}''' Re-introduction of full televoting for the semi-finals. Online voting is introduced for viewers in non-participating countries for all shows, with their votes aggregated and awarded as one set of televoting points.<ref name="2023 voting change2" />
*'''{{Escyr|2024}}''' Televoting in the final is open from the first song until the end of the voting. Two online voting windows are open for viewers in non-participating countries for all shows, with one lasting 24 hours before the shows, and one occurring during the shows.<ref name="AQinSF">{{Cite web |title=Major changes for Malmö: Big Five & Sweden perform LIVE in Semi-Finals and you can vote for longer |url=https://eurovision.tv/story/big-five-sweden-perform-semi-finals |access-date=2024-03-11 |work=Eurovision.tv |date=11 March 2024 |publisher=EBU}}</ref>

=== Chronology ===
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center; font-size:80%;"
|-
|+ Rules overview
|-
! scope="col" | Rule
! scope="col" {{vert header|nb=1|1956}}
! scope="col" {{vert header|nb=1|1957}}
! scope="col" {{vert header|nb=1|1958}}
! scope="col" {{vert header|nb=1|1959}}
! scope="col" {{vert header|nb=1|1960}}
! scope="col" {{vert header|nb=1|1961}}
! scope="col" {{vert header|nb=1|1962}}
! scope="col" {{vert header|nb=1|1963}}
! scope="col" {{vert header|nb=1|1964}}
! scope="col" {{vert header|nb=1|1965}}
! scope="col" {{vert header|nb=1|1966}}
! scope="col" {{vert header|nb=1|1967}}
! scope="col" {{vert header|nb=1|1968}}
! scope="col" {{vert header|nb=1|1969}}
! scope="col" {{vert header|nb=1|1970}}
! scope="col" {{vert header|nb=1|1971}}
! scope="col" {{vert header|nb=1|1972}}
! scope="col" {{vert header|nb=1|1973}}
! scope="col" {{vert header|nb=1|1974}}
! scope="col" {{vert header|nb=1|1975}}
! scope="col" {{vert header|nb=1|1976}}
! scope="col" {{vert header|nb=1|1977}}
! scope="col" {{vert header|nb=1|1978}}
! scope="col" {{vert header|nb=1|1979}}
! scope="col" {{vert header|nb=1|1980}}
! scope="col" {{vert header|nb=1|1981}}
! scope="col" {{vert header|nb=1|1982}}
! scope="col" {{vert header|nb=1|1983}}
! scope="col" {{vert header|nb=1|1984}}
! scope="col" {{vert header|nb=1|1985}}
! scope="col" {{vert header|nb=1|1986}}
! scope="col" {{vert header|nb=1|1987}}
! scope="col" {{vert header|nb=1|1988}}
! scope="col" {{vert header|nb=1|1989}}
! scope="col" {{vert header|nb=1|1990}}
! scope="col" {{vert header|nb=1|1991}}
! scope="col" {{vert header|nb=1|1992}}
! scope="col" {{vert header|nb=1|1993}}
! scope="col" {{vert header|nb=1|1994}}
! scope="col" {{vert header|nb=1|1995}}
! scope="col" {{vert header|nb=1|1996}}
! scope="col" {{vert header|nb=1|1997}}
! scope="col" {{vert header|nb=1|1998}}
! scope="col" {{vert header|nb=1|1999}}
! scope="col" {{vert header|nb=1|2000}}
! scope="col" {{vert header|nb=1|2001}}
! scope="col" {{vert header|nb=1|2002}}
! scope="col" {{vert header|nb=1|2003}}
! scope="col" {{vert header|nb=1|2004}}
! scope="col" {{vert header|nb=1|2005}}
! scope="col" {{vert header|nb=1|2006}}
! scope="col" {{vert header|nb=1|2007}}
! scope="col" {{vert header|nb=1|2008}}
! scope="col" {{vert header|nb=1|2009}}
! scope="col" {{vert header|nb=1|2010}}
! scope="col" {{vert header|nb=1|2011}}
! scope="col" {{vert header|nb=1|2012}}
! scope="col" {{vert header|nb=1|2013}}
! scope="col" {{vert header|nb=1|2014}}
! scope="col" {{vert header|nb=1|2015}}
! scope="col" {{vert header|nb=1|2016}}
! scope="col" {{vert header|nb=1|2017}}
! scope="col" {{vert header|nb=1|2018}}
! scope="col" {{vert header|nb=1|2019}}
! scope="col" {{vert header|nb=1|2020}}
! scope="col" {{vert header|nb=1|2021}}
! scope="col" {{vert header|nb=1|2022}}
! scope="col" {{vert header|nb=1|2023}}
! scope="col" {{vert header|nb=1|2024}}
! scope="col" {{vert header|nb=1|2025}}
|- 
! scope="row" | Songs per country
| colspan="1" | 2 || colspan="69" | 1
|-  
! scope="row" | Max. # of lead vocalists
| colspan="1" | 1{{efn|Up to 5 backing vocalists allowed.}} || colspan="14" | 2{{efn|Up to 5 backing vocalists allowed for soloists, up to 4 backing vocalists allowed for duets.}} || colspan="55" | 6{{efn|Up to 6 performers allowed on stage in total.}}
|- 
! scope="row" | Song length
| colspan="2" {{n/a|None{{efn|{{duration|m=3|s=30}} is the recommended max length of a song.<ref name=1956duration/>}}}} || colspan="68" | {{duration|m=3}} or less
|- 
! scope="row" | Language
| colspan="10" {{n/a|None{{efn|Up until 1964, every country sang in its native language, and an unofficial rule was that every country would do that. In 1965, Sweden sent a song in English, so the rule was formally introduced.<ref name=1965contest/>}}}} || colspan="7" | Native || colspan="4" | Any{{efn|No rules restricting language usage.|name=lang}} || colspan="22" | Native || colspan="27" | Any{{efn|name=lang}}
|- 
! scope="row" | Tiebreakers
| colspan="14" {{n/a|None}} || colspan="34" | Winner tiebreak{{efn|A tie is still possible.}} || colspan="4" | 1st & 10th in SF || colspan="18" | Full tiebreaker
|- 
! scope="row" | Age limit
| colspan="34" {{n/a|Any}} || colspan="36" | Min. 16 years old
|-
! scope="row" | Orchestra
| colspan="17" | Orchestra only || colspan="24" | Orchestra only, backing track allowed, but instruments on it had to be seen on stage || colspan="2" | Free{{efn|Each country would decide if they wanted to use the orchestra or the backing track.}} || colspan="27" | Backing track only (no orchestra)
|- 
! scope="row" | Jury or televoting
| colspan="41" | Jury  || colspan="1" | Tele<br />test{{efn|5 countries tested televoting, while the other 20 used juries.}} || colspan="3" | Tele || colspan="2" | Tele/<wbr /> 50/50  || colspan="6" | Tele 
| colspan="7" | 50/50  || colspan="7" | Jury and tele || colspan="3" |Televote in {{abbr|SFs|semi-finals}}, both in final
|- 
! scope="row" | Qualifications
| colspan="37" {{n/a|A single final}}  || colspan="1" | [[Kvalifikacija za Millstreet|{{abbr|KzM|Kvalifikacija za Millstreet}}]] || colspan="2" | Relegation{{efn|Worst-scoring countries in the previous contest would have to skip the next contest.|name=relegation-prev}} || colspan="1" | [[Eurovision Song Contest 1996#Qualifying round|{{abbr|PQR|Qualifying round}}]] || colspan="5" | Relegation{{efn|Worst-scoring countries over a period of 5 years would have to skip a contest.}} || colspan="2" | Relegation{{efn|name=relegation-prev}} || colspan="4" | {{abbr|SF|Semi-final}}{{efn|A single semi-final is held where 10 countries qualify. 24 countries compete in the final.}}|| colspan="18" | 2 {{abbr|SFs|semi-finals}}{{efn|2 semi-finals are held, with 10 countries qualifying from each.}}
|-
! scope="row" | Participants limit
| colspan="31" {{n/a|None}} || colspan="9" | 22<ref name="22participants"/> || colspan="6" | 23<ref name="23participants"/> || colspan="1" | 24<ref name="24participants"/> || colspan="1" | 26 || colspan="3" | 40 || 45 || colspan="11" | 46 || colspan="7" | 44
|- 
! scope="row" | Live vocals
| colspan="65" | All vocals must be live || colspan="5" | Lead{{efn|Only lead vocals have to be live. Backing vocals can be live or pre-recorded.<ref name=vocals>{{cite web|title=Changes announced to ensure eurovision comes "back for good"|date=18 June 2020|url=https://eurovision.tv/story/changes-announced-to-ensure-eurovision-comes-back-for-good|publisher=EBU|access-date=18 June 2020}}</ref>}}
|}

==See also==
*[[Voting at the Eurovision Song Contest]]

== Notes ==
{{Noteslist}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Sources ==
{{refbegin}}
* {{cite book |last=O'Connor |first=John Kennedy |author-link=John Kennedy O'Connor |title=The Eurovision Song Contest: The Official History |date=2010 |publisher=[[Welbeck Publishing Group|Carlton Books]] |location=London |isbn=978-1-84732-521-1 |edition=2nd}}
* {{cite book |last=Roxburgh |first=Gordon |title=Songs for Europe: The United Kingdom at the Eurovision Song Contest |date=2012 |publisher=Telos Publishing |location=Prestatyn |isbn=978-1-84583-065-6 |volume=One: The 1950s and 1960s }}
{{refend}}

{{Eurovision Song Contest}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rules Of The Eurovision Song Contest}}
[[Category:Eurovision Song Contest]]