Everything you need to know about the 2023 Eurovision Song Contest

Jacob Sarkisian
·3 min read
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The 2023 Eurovision Song Contest is right around the corner — May 9-13 to be exact. With that in mind, here’s everything you need to know about the world’s biggest, best, and brightest music competition.

When is the Eurovision Song Contest?
First up, the semi-finals will take place on May 9 and May 11, respectively. Then, after everyone has qualified, the grand final will take place on May 13 at 20:00 BST.

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Where is the Eurovision Song Contest?
Usually, the contest is held in the country that won the previous year’s competition. However, Ukraine won last year and they are unable to host this year’s edition due to the ongoing Russo-Ukrainian war.

Instead, this year’s competition will be held in the UK, who finished second last year. Specifically, the contest will take place in Liverpool at the Liverpool Arena.

Who is in the Eurovision Song Contest?
Ukraine qualify for the finals automatically as they won last year, while the competition’s Big Five also qualify automatically. The Big Five is made up of Germany, France, Italy, Spain, and the UK — they get such privilege as they contribute the most money to the organizers of the song contest — the European Broadcasting Union (EBU).

The rest of the 37 countries (including Australia, who joined in 2015 to commemorate the 60th song contest) have to compete in one of two aforementioned semi-finals. The top 10 countries from each semi-final then go on to compete in the final.

Who is hosting the Eurovision Song Contest?
British singer Alesha Dixon and Ukrainian singer Julia Sanina will host both semi-finals and the final of this year’s Eurovision Song Contest alongside actress Hannah Waddingham, who is best known for her roles in “Game of Thrones” and “Ted Lasso.”

Graham Norton will join the trio as a host for the final. He usually does the narration for the UK in other years.

How do you win the Eurovision Song Contest?
Each of the 37 countries (regardless of whether they make it to the final or not) dish out 1-8, 10, and 12 points to their favorite countries’ songs with 12 points going to their most favorite song. The points are decided via a combination of public votes and a jury decision.

The points are then handed out and tallied up, being sorted into a league table. The table is updated constantly as each country reveals who they’ve given their points to, leading to some pretty tense viewing. In the event of a tie, the country with the most public votes wins.

Last year, Ukraine won with 631 points, the UK finished second with 466 points, and Spain finished third with 459 points. Germany finished last with 6 points.

Who will win the Eurovision Song Contest?
It’s hard to tell until we’ve seen the full line-up after both semi-finals have taken place but the odds are currently in favor of Sweden, who reportedly have a 40% chance of winning with their song “Tattoo” by Loreen. Second favorites are Finland while Ukraine are third favorites.

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