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What are the rules for public voting in the Eurovision Song Contest 2025?
Executive Summary
The public voting rules for Eurovision Song Contest 2025 combine a national televote and professional jury system that together determine the winner, with the public vote contributing roughly half of the final result and the remainder coming from juries; viewers cannot vote for their own country and most countries allow up to 20 votes per phone number via app, telephone, or SMS [1] [2]. Voting windows open during the live shows and remain open for a set period after the last performance; the “Rest of the World” online vote is aggregated and counts as a participating country for point allocation, and full national jury and televote breakdowns are published after the Grand Final [3] [4] [5].
1. Why the system matters: the 50:50 architecture that shapes outcomes
Eurovision’s voting architecture gives equal official weight to public televoting and national juries, producing a combined ranking that determines points awarded to each song; recent coverage and the official rules describe this as a roughly even split, with some summaries citing a 50:50 split and others noting granular percentage expressions used in national aggregation [2] [5]. The jury component is composed of music professionals appointed by each participating broadcaster and evaluates performances based on criteria set by the European Broadcasting Union, with juries submitting independent rankings that are announced separately from the televote during the Grand Final. The separation of jury and public results aims to balance popular taste and professional assessment, and the contest’s presentation protocol—announcing jury points first and televote totals later—affects viewer perception and drama but does not change the combined mathematical outcome [6] [1].
2. Who can vote, how often, and the practical limits fans face
Viewers in participating countries may vote in the semi-finals (where applicable) and in the Grand Final, while the UK and other “Big Five” nations have automatic final places but their publics still vote; voters cannot vote for their own country’s entry, a universal constraint across sources. The maximum number of votes per phone number or account is typically 20 votes, and voting is available by the official Eurovision app, telephone (long or short codes), and SMS where offered; pricing specifics vary by provider and country, with some outlets noting a per-vote charge and that broadcasters like the BBC do not retain call revenue [7] [5]. The “Rest of the World” option allows non-participating viewers to cast votes online, which are then combined into a single aggregated score equivalent to one country’s televote, expanding fan participation beyond national boundaries [3] [4].
3. Timing, validity, and contingency rules that preserve integrity
Voting windows open during the first performance and close roughly 40 minutes after the last song, though exact opening and closing times are announced during broadcasts and vary by semi-final versus final; votes cast outside those windows are not counted. Rules require valid, verifiable submissions and include contingency measures: if a country cannot deliver an authenticated televote result, its jury vote can be used as a substitute, and in some failure scenarios substitute calculations are applied to preserve the expected weight of public voting. Tie-break procedures prioritize aggregate public ranking metrics and other pre-defined criteria to determine winners when necessary, and the EBU mandates publication of full jury and televote results after the event to ensure transparency [5] [6].
4. Areas of divergence in reporting and points of public confusion
Media accounts diverge on procedural details: some outlets emphasize telephone-only voting in certain semi-finals, while others list app and SMS as standard options across shows; reporting also varies on the precise proportion attributed to televote versus jury, with phrases like “50:50” and numeric splits (for example, a 50.7% versus 49.3% phrasing) appearing in different summaries, reflecting rounding or explanatory choices rather than procedural change. Coverage sometimes conflates access methods (app, phone, SMS) and regional exceptions (which semi-final a country’s viewers can vote in), creating confusion for fans trying to plan voting; the official rules and broadcaster bulletins remain the authoritative source for country-specific opening times, call numbers, and costs [7] [5].
5. Transparency, motivations, and what to watch next year
The EBU’s post-contest publication of full jury and televote breakdowns is intended to maintain transparency and counter accusations of politicization; broadcasters and independent outlets highlight this commitment, but debates persist about jury composition, vote integrity, and whether the current balance fairly represents public taste versus professional judgment. Stakeholders pushing for greater fan influence emphasize expanded app voting and Rest of the World inclusion, while those concerned about bloc voting or televote manipulation point to jury safeguards and contingency rules as essential. For definitive guidance, fans should consult their national broadcaster’s voter instructions during Eurovision week and the EBU’s official rules page for the most current technical and timing details [3] [4] [5].