When and how do votes count in the Eurovision Song Contest?
The second semi-final began on Thursday, May 12th, with the final 18 countries performing their songs.
After all of the acts have performed, the public will be able to vote on who they believe should advance to the finals. The polls will be open for about 15 minutes, and viewers will have 20 chances to vote.
Ukraine is currently favored to win the Eurovision Song Contest in 2022, with the UK's entry Sam Ryder coming in third.
Of course, UK residents will not be able to vote for our own entry - but if you're curious about how you can vote, we've got all the details you need below.
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After all of the songs have been performed, viewers can vote for their favorites online through the BBC Eurovision page - it will appear as an option on the main page as soon as voting opens (which is now).
To vote, you must first create a BBC account, which you will have done if you have ever watched anything on iPlayer.
Following the opening of voting, the acts are listed in performance order, and you can vote for only one act at a time. You can only vote online three times, so make sure you've chosen the right acts.
In the past, there has only been a fifteen-minute window to vote, and while we have not been confirmed, we suspect that the time limit will remain the same this year.
Previously, voting was done primarily over the phone, with each act being assigned a phone number to call in order to vote. The BBC Eurovision page currently only mentions online voting, but we will keep our ears to the ground to see if phone voting will be available in 2022.
The official BBC guidelines for UK voters are as follows:
When the voting begins, it will be displayed at the top of the Eurovision homepage. If you are unable to see it, try refreshing the page.
The songs will be listed in the show's running order. You can then choose your favorite by clicking on the artist's name or their image, causing it to turn red and a small tick to appear to the right of their names. Votes must be cast one at a time, and you can change your vote before submitting it, but it cannot be changed once it has been submitted.
The Eurovision app, which can be downloaded from the official site, allows you to easily cast your votes and keep up with the latest news.
Votes cast through the app will cost 15p.
What is the Eurovision voting system?
Eurovision was first judged by juries before being open to the public for televoting. However, when people became concerned about political 'bloc voting,' or the idea that certain countries were all voting for each other, they instituted a new dual system.
Each country's juries award 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10, and 12 points to their favorite songs, and those jury scores are revealed through their national spokesperson in the usual time-consuming yet exciting manner.
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Viewers in each country also vote, with points ranging from 1 to 12 awarded to the most popular acts among the viewers. The results of each country's public votes will then be combined to give one overall Eurovision viewer score per song.
These results are revealed in reverse order: the country with the fewest public votes receives the most points first.
This means that the contest winner is only revealed at the last minute. Isn't it exciting?
During the live show, each country's spokesperson read out the jury results - those crucial douze points.
The Eurovision 2021 presenters will then read out the results of the European public vote, starting with the country that received the fewest votes and ending with the country that received the most votes.
Viewers in all competing countries, including those eliminated in the semi-finals, can vote up to 20 times for their favorite songs, but they cannot vote for their own country.
The country with the most votes wins the competition and gets to host it the following year.
What if there is a tie?
If two or more songs are tied in the combined ranking of public votes and jury votes, the song with the higher ranking from the public vote is declared the winner.
How many countries can compete in Eurovision?
Eurovision is more than just a 'European' Song Contest, as you may have noticed. This is due to the fact that it is open to active members of the European Broadcasting Union, an alliance of public service broadcasters (such as the BBC in the United Kingdom and RTE in Ireland) from across Europe and its neighboring countries.
Every year, approximately 43 countries compete in the Eurovision Song Contest, with each country allowed to enter one song. However, only 40 countries are competing this year, with only 26 making it to the final.
How do the Eurovision semi-finals work?
Only six nations are guaranteed a spot in the final. The 'Big Five' - Spain, France, Italy, the United Kingdom, and Germany - as well as the host nation (this year, Italy) all have free passes to the final, while everyone else must compete to make it to the stage on Saturday night.
The other countries compete in two semi-finals, dubbed Semi-Final One and Semi-Final Two, for a total of 20 spots.
And why do the Big 5 always win Eurovision?
They pay the most money to keep the competition going, so it would be strange if they weren't always in the running now, wouldn't it?
But anything can happen on the Eurovision stage, right?
Wrong There are actually some fairly strict rules governing what the contestants can and cannot do.
For example, no more than six people are permitted on stage per entry, and their songs cannot last more than three minutes.
You can sing in any language you want, but you must sing live because miming is prohibited.
What happens if Australia wins the Eurovision Song Contest?
Don't worry, the show will not be coming to Australia - but what if Australia wins Eurovision in the future?
The Australian delegation will be asked to choose a European country to host the show next year on their behalf.
Germany is most likely their first choice. If they decline, the UK could host the show the following year.
- More: Eurovision 2022 lineup: Confirmed list of participating countries
The Eurovision Song Contest Grand Final will air on BBC One on Saturday, May 14, at 8 p.m. Check out our TV Guide if you're looking for something else to watch.
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