Page 807 - Liverpool Philharmonic 22-23 Season Coverage Book

participants are chosen by EBU member broadcasters to represent their countries.
Entries come from across Europe and beyond.

Each country has until mid-March to select the song and the artist who will perform it.
These artists then compete at the Eurovision Song Contest Finals, which is held
each May.

Who is hosting Eurovision 2023?

The UK is hosting the 2023 Eurovision Song Contest, which is being held in
Liverpool. Normally, the winner of the previous ear's Eurovision hosts the following
year. Ukraine were last year's winners: however, given the current situation in
Ukraine, the UK stepped in as this year's hosts.

How many nations are in Eurovision 2023?

This year's contest features 37 nations. They are:

Europe
Albania, Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia,
Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania,
Malta, Moldova, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, San Marino,
Serbia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Ukraine and the 2023 hosts, United
Kingdom

Rest of world
Australia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Israel

When was the first Eurovision Song Contest?

The very first Eurovision was staged in 1956. That debut Eurovision Song Contest
was largely a radio broadcast, as televisions were still not yet in mass ownership.

How is the Eurovision winner selected?

Eurovision itself consists of three live shows. There are two Semi-Finals, this year on
Tuesday 9 May and Thursday 11 May. Then, there's the Eurovision Grand Final on
Saturday 13 May.

Of the 37 nations taking part, 31 compete in two Semi-Finals. From each of those
two Semi-Finals, ten successful acts make it through to join France, Germany, Italy
and Spain (members of the 'Big Five', see below), plus the host (and fellow 'Big Five'
member) the United Kingdom, and last year's winners, Ukraine, in the Grand Final.

Is the UK always in the Eurovision final?

Yes. The UK is one of the ‘Big Five’ - nations whose broadcasters make the biggest
financial contributions towards each year's Eurovision, and as a result their entries
get an automatic place in the Final.