The Eurovision Song Contest is an annual live television song competition organised under the auspices of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU). Each participating broadcaster submits one original song, performed live on stage.
The most recent edition took place in Vienna in 2026, when Bulgaria’s Dara won with “Bangaranga”. The next contest is scheduled for Burgas, Bulgaria, in May 2027.
The sections below cover how the contest works, how voting is organised, how it began, and where the available information is incomplete.
What is the Eurovision Song Contest?
Organiser: The EBU, which describes itself as the largest union of public service media in the world.
Entry format: One original song per broadcaster, up to three minutes long, performed live by no more than six artists.
Character: The EBU describes the contest as non-political and entertainment-focused.
Reputation: Several sources describe it as the world’s longest-running music competition on television, although no formal ranking is established.
Key insights
- Participation is limited to EBU Members or specially invited Associates.
- Songs may be sung in any language.
- Countries may not vote for their own song.
- The contest has typically used two semi-finals and a Grand Final since 2008.
- Televoting was tested in five countries in 1997 and encouraged from 1998 onwards.
- Votes from non-participating countries are combined into one “Rest of the World” set of points.
- The 2020 contest was not held because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Key facts at a glance
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| First contest | , Lugano, Switzerland |
| Broadcasters at the first contest | Seven |
| Inaugural winner | Lys Assia (Switzerland) with “Refrain” |
| Maximum song length | Three minutes |
| Maximum performers per entry | Six |
| Qualifiers from each semi-final | Ten songs |
| Points awarded per set | 12, 10, then 8 to 1 |
| Host of the 70th contest | ORF, Wiener Stadthalle, Vienna |
| 2026 winner | Dara (Bulgaria) with “Bangaranga” |
| Host of the 71st contest | BNT, Arena Burgas, Bulgaria |
| Minimum artist age from 2027 | 18 on the day of the first rehearsal |
How do the semi-finals, final and voting work?
Since 2008, each contest has typically included two semi-finals, held on a Tuesday and a Thursday, and a Grand Final on a Saturday.
Which countries go straight to the Grand Final?
France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom, known as the “Big Five”, qualify automatically. The host broadcaster also qualifies without a semi-final.
Ten songs qualify from each semi-final.
What rules apply to songs and performers?
- Songs must be original.
- Songs must not have been publicly released before 1 September of the preceding year.
- Songs must be performed as submitted.
- From the 2027 contest onwards, artists must be at least 18 years old on the day of their first rehearsal.
- Earlier rules set the minimum age at 16.
The full rules are published on the Eurovision Song Contest official site.
How is the points system organised?
Each country awards two sets of points to its top ten songs: one from a jury and one from the public. The points used are 12, 10, and then 8 to 1.
The public vote in each participating country is collected by telephone, SMS and online voting.
Votes from non-participating countries are combined into a single “Rest of the World” set of points, and no country may vote for its own song.
One account says the jury decides 50 per cent of the result, while others describe a weighting determined by the EBU. The exact split remains unresolved.
How did the contest begin?
The contest grew out of broader broadcasting cooperation. The EBU established the Eurovision Network in 1954, and the song contest emerged from that wider network.
Where and when was the first contest held?
The first contest took place on in Lugano, Switzerland. Seven broadcasters took part: the Netherlands, Switzerland, Belgium, West Germany, France, Luxembourg and Italy.
Switzerland’s Lys Assia won the inaugural contest with “Refrain”.
Which notable winners stand out across the contest’s history?
Several winners are widely recognised across the contest’s history:
- ABBA (1974)
- Céline Dion (1988, for Switzerland)
- Lordi (2006)
- Loreen (2012 and 2023)
- Måns Zelmerlöw (2015)
What happened at the 70th contest in Vienna in 2026?
ORF hosted the 70th contest at the Wiener Stadthalle in Vienna. The semi-finals took place on and , and the final on .
Victoria Swarovski and Michael Ostrowski presented the contest.
Who won and who placed second?
Bulgaria’s Dara won with “Bangaranga”, the first Bulgarian victory in the contest. Israel’s Noam Bettan placed second with “Michelle”.
How large was the audience?
The EBU reported a reach of 131 million people across 35 television markets, with votes from 148 countries and territories.
The Grand Final achieved an average viewing share of 42.62 per cent, rising to 54.8 per cent among viewers aged 15 to 24. The YouTube live stream recorded 5.43 million unique viewers in its first 48 hours.
Other accounts cite around 163 million viewers for 2024, approximately 166 million for 2025, around 200 million, and around 600 million. These figures reflect different measurement methods and dates.
Which countries did not take part?
Thirty-five participating countries took part in 2026, two fewer than in 2025 and the smallest number since 2003.
Iceland, Ireland, the Netherlands, Slovenia and Spain did not take part, in protest at Israel’s inclusion in the context of the Gaza war. This matched the record for the largest number of boycotting countries, set in 1970.
Where and when will the 71st contest take place?
BNT hosts the 71st contest at Arena Burgas in Bulgaria, from to . The semi-finals are scheduled for 11 and 13 May, and the Grand Final for 15 May.
The contest will include 36 participating broadcasters, among them SBS from Australia and CBC/Radio-Canada, which makes its first appearance after becoming a full EBU Member in July 2026. North Macedonia’s MRT returns after a four-year absence.
Pre-qualified Grand Final entrants are BNT, FT, ARD/SWR, Rai and the BBC. Ticket details are yet to be released, and BNT News says sign-up to Eurofan is required for Burgas tickets.
What are the key dates in the contest’s history?
- : The EBU establishes the Eurovision Network, from which the contest emerges.
- : The first contest is held in Lugano, and Lys Assia wins with “Refrain” (eurovision.com; Britannica).
- : The points system of 12, 10 and 8 to 1 is in place (eurovision.com; EBSCO).
- : Televoting is trialled in five countries (eurovision.com).
- : Televoting is encouraged from this year onwards (eurovision.com).
- : The two-semi-final format becomes typical (Wikipedia).
- : No contest is held because of the COVID-19 pandemic (Wikipedia; Britannica).
- : Dara wins the 70th contest in Vienna with “Bangaranga” (BNT News; Wikipedia).
- : CBC/Radio-Canada becomes a full EBU Member (BNT News).
What is confirmed and what remains unclear?
| Established information | Information that remains unclear |
|---|---|
| The first contest was held on 24 May 1956 in Lugano. | The original name: one account says it was first called the Eurovision Grand Prix, while others use a French-language name without establishing when it changed. |
| Lys Assia won the inaugural contest with “Refrain”. | The origin of the “Eurovision” name is not confirmed. |
| Each entry is one original song of up to three minutes. | The jury and public weighting is described differently across accounts. |
| The 2020 contest was not held because of COVID-19. | Audience totals differ widely between sources and measurement periods. |
| Dara won the 2026 contest with “Bangaranga”. | The jury and televote breakdown of the 2026 result rests on a single source. |
| The 2027 contest will be held at Arena Burgas. | Burgas ticket details have yet to be released. |
Why does the contest matter beyond the music?
The EBU describes the contest as non-political and entertainment-focused. Its reputation rests on its long run on television, with several sources calling it the world’s longest-running music competition on television.
The 70th anniversary was marked by the restoration of footage of Lys Assia’s 1956 performance, produced in collaboration with RSI. The EBU also launched Eurofan Voice, which it describes as its largest-ever fan feedback initiative.
Which sources support these figures and how reliable are they?
Most figures in this article come from the EBU, the contest’s official website and reference works. Some of these are secondary or older, and they do not always agree on dates or measurement methods.
One account of the 2026 result states that Bulgaria’s entry was:
“the first entry to win both the jury vote and televote since Portugal in 2017”
Wikipedia, 2026 contest entry
What should readers take away from the contest?
The Eurovision Song Contest is an annual live competition built around original songs, a two-stage format and a points system that combines jury and public votes. Its history runs from the first contest in Lugano in 1956 to the 2026 edition in Vienna and the 2027 contest in Burgas. Several details, including audience figures and the jury weighting, remain uncertain and should be read with the differences between accounts in mind.
What else do readers want to know?
Can songs be sung in any language?
Yes. Songs may be sung in any language, according to the contest’s rules and the EBU’s own descriptions of the event.
Can a country vote for its own song?
No. Countries may not vote for their own song, according to the contest’s rules.
Is televoting part of the result?
Yes. Each participating country’s public vote is collected by telephone, SMS and online voting, and it is combined with the jury’s points to form the country’s two sets of points.
Why was there no contest in 2020?
The 2020 contest was not held because of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to Wikipedia and Britannica.
Who presented the 2026 contest?
Victoria Swarovski and Michael Ostrowski presented the 70th contest in Vienna, which ORF hosted at the Wiener Stadthalle.
Are tickets for Burgas available yet?
Ticket details are yet to be released. BNT News says sign-up to Eurofan is required for Burgas tickets.
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Toby Marsh is Senior Reporter at Castradar.uk, covering film and TV stories across the UK.