Eurovision 2027: EBU Confirms Mixed Jury and Public Voting for Semi-Finals

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The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) has officially announced that national juries will continue to play a crucial role in determining the semi-final results of the Eurovision Song Contest.

Following approval by the contest’s governing body, the Reference Group, the updated rules confirm that qualification for the Grand Final will still be decided by a combined split of audience and jury voting.

Under the current system, the semi-final outcomes are calculated using:

• The Public Vote: Cast by competing countries, alongside a “Rest of the World” vote (which holds the weight of one additional participating country).
• The Jury Vote: Scores awarded by national juries, with each jury consisting of seven music industry professionals.

New Rule Changes for 2027

This announcement follows a series of significant rule amendments and clarifications introduced by the EBU last week, ahead of next year’s contest in Burgas, Bulgaria:

• Host Country Eligibility: A country will be deemed ineligible to host the contest if it is experiencing an armed conflict, a sensitive geopolitical situation, or any other crisis that severely compromises the security and stability of the state or its immediate region.
• Age Limit Increased: The minimum age for competing artists has been raised from 16 to 18 years old. Participants must be 18 by the day of their first rehearsal.
• Audio Regulations: The rules surrounding audio production have been clarified to ensure a transparent, shared understanding among all broadcasters, producers, and songwriters.

Looking Ahead: Burgas 2027

Burgas is gearing up to host the 71st Eurovision Song Contest following Bulgaria’s historic victory in Vienna.

Bulgaria claimed its first-ever Eurovision trophy thanks to DARA, who performed the hit track “Bangaranga” (written and composed by Anne Judith Wik, Cristian Tarcea, Darina Yotova, and Dimitris Kontopoulos). Regarded as a dark horse in the competition, DARA rapidly climbed the betting odds after her second rehearsal.

Not only did she secure Bulgaria’s maiden win—surpassing Kristian Kostov’s second-place finish in 2017—but DARA also became the first artist since Portugal’s Salvador Sobral in 2017 to win both the jury and public votes.