Rest of the World in the Eurovision Song Contest
Online vote for non-participating countries in Eurovision.
It was implemented following a similar system used in the Junior Eurovision Song Contest, where online voting replaced traditional televoting. The change gave the public vote a slight majority over the jury vote in the overall result.
Quick Facts
- Introduced
- 2023
- Voting platform
- Esc.vote
- Vote weighting
- Public vote 51%, jury vote 49%
- Verification method
- Credit or debit card
Facts from the source article.
Background and introduction
The online voting system used in the Junior Eurovision Song Contest, which let anyone cast a ballot regardless of where they lived, sparked talk of a similar change for the main event. Jon Ola Sand, who oversaw both contests at the time, suggested this could happen in the future. Then, on 22 November 2022, the European Broadcasting Union confirmed that from the 2023 contest onward, people in countries not taking part could vote in every show. Their combined votes would be turned into a single set of points labeled "Rest of the World." To vote, these viewers had to use the Esc.vote website, which asks for a credit or debit card to confirm their identity. This new voting block shifted the usual balance between juries and the public. Instead of each side having equal weight, the public vote now held a slight edge, making up roughly 51% of the final result compared to the jury's 49%.
Contributing countries
Since the Rest of the World vote began in 2023, the EBU has each year released an unordered list of roughly ten non-competing countries that cast the most votes across all live shows. By 2026, seven nations had made that list every time: Canada, Hungary, Mexico, Slovakia, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, and the United States. Hungary, Slovakia, and Turkey are former participants; Hungary’s last appearance was in an unspecified year, while Slovakia and Turkey last competed in an unspecified year. One country appeared only once in the top ten, returning to the contest after a 31-year gap in an unspecified year. Another country was on every list until an unspecified year, when it will debut. Two countries first appeared due to sitting out in 2023 and 2024, respectively. Romania reappeared in an unspecified year, while Bulgaria did not, before both returned in an unspecified year. Among the five countries that boycotted in 2026 over an unspecified nation’s participation, three appeared on the list, and two did not.
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