This year’s Eurovision Song Contest has been a very special occasion, taking place in the UK for the first time since 1998 – and excitement is at fever pitch as the final looms.
Before the weekend is ouof the 2023 show and landed the coveted microphone trophy – not to mention the chance for their country to host in 2024.
All eyes are on Sweden’s Loreen, Eurovision royalty who could be about to win the contest for the second time with her track Tattoo – but she faces stiff competition from the likes of Finnish rapper Kaarija, as well as Spain’s Blanca Paloma and ’s representative La Zarra.
And reigning champions Ukraine are hoping that their 2023 act Tvorchi will hand them a second successive victory – but from UK perspective we’ll be hoping for hoping toand top the leaderboard with her dance bop I Wrote A Song.
If she does win, we’ll be hosting it again next year – as if this contest season hasn’t been exciting enough.
More people than ever are expected to tune in to the grand final, which is being aired in hundreds of cinemas across the country including , Brighton, Cardiff, Darlington, Leeds, , Newcastle, Nottingham and Sheffield.
All of which means many of you will be wanting to cast your vote for your favourite song, once you’ve heard the performances.
But how can you make your voice heard and vote for your favourite?
Here’s how to cast your vote.
How to vote in the Eurovision 2023 final
As well as a professional jury vote which will make up just under half of the final score, viewers can also vote for their favourite song.
There are two ways to cast your vote here in the UK: by phone or via the .
UK viewers can either call from their landline using the long (11-digit) number or the shortcode (7-digit) number from their mobile phone – except in the Channel Islands and the Isle Of Man, where it’s recommended you use the landline to avoid higher mobile charges as the shortcode numbers are not available there.
The numbers you need to call are 09015 22 52 (long code) or 6 22 52 (shortcode) followed by the number for the act of your choice (so 01, 02 etc)
To vote via the app, make sure you have it downloaded via the or Google Play and follow the instructions. However, the app works by simply taking you to the shortened mobile number.
You can vote up to 20 times via the app – and if you do so, you may get the added bonus of a thank you message from the act of your choice.
In the UK, you can’t vote by text message, email or on the – which is where the programme will be broadcast.
Voting opens after the final song – in this case the UK’s Mae Muller – has been performed and is only open for 15 minutes. Any votes cast outside of that time won’t count and you may still be charged, so get in quick.
Unfortunately, you can’t vote for the act representing your own country – so if you try voting for Mae it won’t count.
When it comes to the results, the juries give out their points – 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10 and 12 – and then the televote result from each country, using the same points system, is added to the scoreboard.
Whichever country’s act ends up with the highest points total is declared the winner – and in the event of a tie the act with the highest number of points from the public vote will take the trophy.
How much does it cost to vote in Eurovision?
It costs 15p per call to vote in Eurovision on a mobile.
If you call on a landline, you’ll be charged 15p plus whatever your network access charge is.
Voting isn’t free on the app, either – as the app will take you to the shortened mobile number in order for you to cast your vote. So, you’ll still have the 15p charge.
Remember: there’s no text voting or website voting in the UK, so there’s no free alternative in place right now.
The Eurovision grand final is on Saturday May 13 at 8pm on BBC One.
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