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Hans reveals EBU concerns he might favour Germany ahead of Australian Eurovision jury duty

  • Writer: aussievision
    aussievision
  • 2 hours ago
  • 2 min read

Australian entertainer Hans has revealed the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) questioned whether he might favour Germany while serving on Australia's Eurovision 2026 jury.


Hans, whose real name is Matt Gilbertson, shared the behind-the-scenes story in a social media reel reflecting on his experience as one of Australia's seven professional jurors for this year's contest.


"My favourite thing about being on the jury was that I was the subject of an official email from the European Broadcasting Union with concerns that I might favour Germany," he said.


"I'm being serious."


This was a rare glimpse into Eurovision's jury approval process, where broadcasters submit prospective jurors to the EBU before they are cleared to vote.




Image: Hansaccordian Instagram
Image: Hansaccordian Instagram

Given Hans' long-running stage persona as an eccentric German entertainer (including a performance at Australia Decides), it appears the EBU wanted to ensure there would be no perception of bias towards Germany in Australia's jury rankings.



From SBS at 4am to ranking every song


Hans was one of seven music industry professionals selected by SBS to determine Australia's jury votes for Eurovision 2026.


Australia’s Eurovision 2026 jury included


  • Director, choreographer and performer Kelley Abbey

  • Singer Erica Padilla (Australia Decides 2022)

  • Entertainer and performer Hans the German (Matt Gilbertson)

  • Singer, actress & internet personality Indiana Massara

  • Radio presenter and host Mitch Churi

  • Music producer & member of Electric Fields Michael Ross (Eurovision 2024, Australia Decides 2019)

  • Music industry producer Millie Millgate


According to Hans, jury duty began before dawn.


"The next thing I know, it's four o'clock in the morning and I'm at SBS with some fabulous people," he said.


The jury was tasked with assessing every competing performance using Eurovision's official judging criteria, including vocal capacity, composition and originality of the song, stage performance and overall impression.


"We had to judge every single act," Hans explained.


"We had to judge on vocal ability, the song itself, the performance, and give an overall score."



While Eurovision fans often debate jury results, Hans said ranking all of the songs proved more difficult than many might imagine.


"You find your favourites, and then you kind of find the ones that you hate," he joked.


"But in the middle, when you've got to rank it, that's where it gets difficult."


Germany fears proved unnecessary


Ultimately, any concerns about German favouritism proved unfounded.


"In the end, they didn't need to worry because we gave our 12 points to Bulgaria, who ended up winning the competition," Hans said.


Germany failed to receive any points from Australia's jury, but did finish relatively high in 13th spot.



While Eurovision juries often attract criticism from fans unhappy with the results, Hans' story highlights the extent to which the EBU monitors juror independence – even when the concern involves Australia's most famous "German".


We wonder if they do the same for Greece and Cyprus?



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