Eurovision 2025: Qualified countries, online voting, jury weight... Everything you need to know about the competition

The 69th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest will open on Tuesday, May 13, at the Halle Saint-Jacques in Switzerland, home of Nemo, the latest Eurovision winner. The first semi-final will feature 15 contestants and will be broadcast live on Culture box-France 4 (TNT Channel 14) at 9 p.m., with commentary by Stéphane Bern.

The competition takes place over three evenings. First, there are two semi-finals, broadcast live on France 4, on Tuesday, May 13th and Thursday, May 15th at 9 p.m. Then, the grand finale, featuring the 26 qualifiers, will be broadcast on France 2 at 9 p.m. on Saturday, May 17th.

A draw was held in January to allocate the 37 candidates to the two semi-finals. Louane will perform on Thursday, May 15. But the French candidate has no fear of elimination at this stage: France is one of the six countries automatically qualified. This is a privilege of the "Big Five," namely Germany, the United Kingdom, Spain, and Italy, which represent the main financial contributors to the competition. These "immunity necklaces" guarantee revenue for the Eurovision organization and ensure audiences. Switzerland, as the winner of the last edition, also automatically advances to the final.

Eurovision is open to members of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and the Council of Europe. This includes countries outside of mainland Europe, such as Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia. Others, such as Russia and Belarus, have been excluded from the competition since the invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

Of the EBU's forty active members, the 69th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest has 37 participants this year. Notably absent are Moldova, Bosnia, and Slovakia, which cite economic difficulties, as well as Andorra. Montenegro, for its part, is making its return to the competition after a two-year absence.

For its 67th participation in Eurovision, France is presenting the singer Louane, and her song Maman . She was chosen to succeed Slimane, who came in fourth place in 2024.

In the semi-finals, only the public vote counts. On the evening of the final, however, a jury composed of five music industry professionals from each country, appointed by the national broadcasters, also votes. To prevent any attempts at corruption, the names of the jurors are generally not released before the competition.

In 2024, the French jury was made up of personalities such as Valérie Dissaux, director of communications for Culture, Games, Entertainment at France Télévisions , casting director Pierre Suppa and Fanny Llado, singing and vocal technique trainer.

Each juror's vote is based on four criteria: overall impression, composition and originality, the artist's vocal ability, performance, and staging. Their choice weighs half of the vote in the ranking, along with the public vote.

During the semi-finals, viewers can only vote on the night their representative performs. So, while they don't have to worry about their candidate's qualification for the semi-finals, the French will be able to vote on Thursday, May 15.

For the final, voting is open not only to participating countries but also to the rest of the world. To vote, viewers can visit the competition's official platform for free. Voters from participating countries can also vote by phone and/or text message to the numbers displayed on their screens. Each participant can vote up to 20 times for their favorite(s).

Please note that just as a cardinal cannot vote for himself in a conclave, it is also impossible to vote for his own country's candidate at Eurovision.