Eurovision: All you need to know

Eurovision 2023 gets underway on May 9th and has already got our hearts pumping as we prepare for Europe’s favourite music spectacle once again.

As the days until the European Song Contest slowly drift by, we’ve put together an all you need to know guide to get you in the mood for the biggest music party on television!

What is Eurovision?

The Eurovision Song Contest or more commonly named ‘Eurovision’ is an international song competition hosted every year with primarily European countries taking part in a bid to win the Eurovision Crystal Trophy.

Each of the participating countries internally chose an artist and original song to represent them at the competition, with the song performed live and on the radio. The winner of the competition is then determined by votes from the other competing nations.

It is one of the world’s longest running television programmes and is the oldest annual international televised music competition in the world, making it a prestigious award that countries pride themselves in competing and succeeding in.

Featuring guest performances from highly acclaimed artists during the opening ceremony and interval, Eurovision is both a celebration of music and a celebratory representation of the bond between the European nations.

How does Eurovision work?

Each competing nation awards their favourite ten entries two sets of points: either 1-8, 10 or 12 points, based on the views of their designated jury of five music professionals and their country’s viewing public via SMS or the official app, with one set of points given by each party.

There will be two semi-final rounds, with all of the competing nations except the big five; Spain, Germany, France, Italy and United Kingdom (the biggest contributors to the European Broadcasting Union), who receive a bye, competing for a place in the Grand Final.

Ten successful acts from each semi-final round progress to the Grand Final which will take place on Saturday 13th May.

When and where is Eurovision held?

The event is traditionally held in the previous victor’s country and acts as a way to promote the nation as a tourist destination and to showcase the best the country has to offer, all while putting on a tremendous show to remember.

Last year the competition was held in Turin in Italy with Ukraine coming out on top and winning the trophy with the Kalush Orchestra’s ‘Stefania’, capturing the world’s attention during a time of turmoil in both Ukraine and Europe.

Due to ongoing difficulties in putting on the high-profile event in Ukraine this year, the runner’s up, the United Kingdom, will host this year’s competition with Liverpool confirmed as the host city.

The versatile 11,000 capacity Liverpool Arena, on the banks of the river Mersey, is the chosen venue for Eurovision 2023 with ‘United By Music’ the official slogan of the event.

Eurovision 2023 will start on May 9th with the first semi-final. The second semi-final will take place two days later on May 11th, with the all-important victor of Eurovision 2023 crowned at the final on May 13th.

Eurovision previous winners

There are two rounds of voting in the Eurovision Song Contest, with contestants knocked out after the semi-finals before the Grand Final on Saturday night.

The winner of the Grand Final is pushed into the limelight in the international music scene, and they have often utilised the platform to promote and launch very successful music careers with a number of the world’s bestselling singles receiving their first international performance live on the show.

Some Eurovision winners that have gone on to great things are ABBA, Celine Dion, and Cliff Richard.

Here is a table of all previous winners:

What are the Eurovision 2023 Odds?

The preliminary favourites for Eurovision 2023 are Sweden and Finland who come in at 5/6 and 4/1 respectively.

Next in line are last year’s winners Ukraine at 5/1, followed by Spain at 12/1 alongside Norway at the same odds, with Israel rounding the initial top five at 20/1.

For the host nation, the United Kingdom, who finished in second place last year, the odds don’t look promising at 25/1 but the BBC chosen Mae Muller appears to be well up for the challenge and her entry ‘I wrote a song’ has been well received both in Britain and with fans of other European nations.

2021 winners Italy look to have suffered a fall from grace and are 40/1 longshots with 2019 winners Netherlands also way back in the betting at 66/1.

Check out all the latest Eurovision 2023 betting odds at William Hill