Changes to Eurovision 2026 voting you need to know

We take you through how the Eurovision voting system works and update you on some changes intended to maintain the theatrics, but calm the drama. Eurovision's nail-biting and wildly complicated voting structure is back again... but with a few tweaks for 2026. So here's our guide to the system that makes all of us yell at a scoreboard like it owes us money!

If it's your first time or you've only ever dipped your toe in the Eurovision pool, you may wonder, “wait, why are they screaming ‘DOUZE POINTS!’ every five minutes, and who’s actually winning?” 

The big thing to know is this: Eurovision is decided by two groups of voter: (1) professional juries; and (2) the public.

Artists compete across two semi-finals (because there's a small army of them) to qualify for the Grand Final.

In both the semi-finals and the Grand Final, each country gives out two sets of points: one from its jury and one from its viewers.

Each set follows the classic Eurovision scale: 12 (douze in French) points to the favourite, 10 points to second place, then 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2 and 1.

You cannot vote for your own country (sorry Delta, you would have ALL my points otherwise).

The Rest of the World vote also returns, allowing viewers outside participating countries to vote online. These votes are grouped together and treated like one extra voting country.

All this is the same as in previous years. But here come those tweaks....

The biggest change from last year is in the semi-finals. In 2025, the semi-final qualifiers were decided by the public vote only. In 2026, juries are back in the semis for the first time since 2022, creating a roughly 50/50 split between jury and audience voting, just like the Grand Final.

That means the songs that qualify will be shaped by both popularity and professional assessment. Or, in plain English: a chaotic banger still helps, but now the juries get a clipboard again.

Those juries are changing, too. Each national jury will now have seven members instead of five, and at least two jurors must be aged between 18 and 25. The European Broadcasting Union (EBU - the head honchos) has also widened the kinds of music professionals who can sit on juries, including music journalists, critics, teachers, choreographers, stage directors and music industry figures.

Public voting is also being tightened. Last year, viewers could cast up to 20 votes per payment method. In 2026, that drops to 10 votes per method, covering online, SMS and phone voting. The idea is to encourage people to spread their support around rather than empty their glitter cannon all on one act.

There are also stronger rules around promotion. The EBU has made it clearer that broadcasters, artists and delegations must not take part in disproportionate third-party campaigns that could unfairly influence the vote, especially if governments or government agencies are involved. And they are serious about it!

So, in short: Eurovision 2026 keeps the familiar 12-point drama, brings juries back into the semi-finals, expands and diversifies jury panels, halves the public vote cap, and tightens the rules around organised promotion.

Same scoreboard pandemonium. A few more guardrails. Still epic Eurovision. Australian viewers will need to tune into the LIVE broadcast of semi-final 2 on Friday 15 May at 5:00am AEST and the Grand Final on Sunday 17 May at 5:00am AEST and follow the voting prompts that appear on screen. For more information on how to vote please visit the official Eurovision Song Contest website here. Details on how to watch from Australia are available from SBS here.

Read more: Eurovision 2026: Delta Goodrem performs at Australian Embassy event in Vienna

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