The members of the juries from the forty-one nations competing in the 2019 Eurovision Song Contest have been revealed.
205 jurors will vote at this year’s Eurovision Song Contest, which will be held in Tel Aviv, Israel, next month. This year, the youngest juror comes from Malta at 16 years old, with the oldest coming from Croatia at 82. There are a total of 96 female jurors and 109 male jurors all together.
Some notable jury members include:
- Leyla Quliyeva (Azerbaijan) – Host of Eurovision 2012
- Franka (Croatia) – Represented Croatia in 2018
- Bruno Berberes (France) – Was Head of Delegation for France
- Michael Schulte (Germany) – Represented Germany in 2018
- Kati Wolf (Hungary) – Represented Hungary in 2011
- Maria Olafs (Iceland) – Represented Iceland in 2015
- Tolmachevy Sisters (Russia) – Represented Russia in 2014 and won the 2006 Junior Eurovision Song Contest
- Sophie Ellis-Bextor – Pop star from the United Kingdom
You can find the full list of jury members here.
Since a change in the rules of the contest in 2014, the members of the jurors from all of the competing nations have been revealed ahead of the competition. This reveal has traditionally taken place two weeks before the contest takes place.
The reveal of the jurors before the contest is meant to ensure transparency ahead of the competition. The reveal of jury members ahead of the contest had led to some jury members being changed before the shows take place.
What Do the Jury Members Do?
Each of the nations taking part in the competition has a jury formed of five persons. These jurors vote on the dress rehearsals which take place the night before each of the Semi-Finals and the Grand Final.
The rehearsal is broadcast to the juries via satellite, with jurors normally watching at the studios of the broadcaster of their nation. The scores of the jurors then determine 50% of the results. The results of the jury voting is disclosed in full after the Grand Final.
What Checks are in Place?
The European Broadcasting Union works with PwC to supervise the jury voting procedure. PwC reserves the right to make unannounced visits to jurors voting on the shows to ensure that they are adhereing to the rules.
The EBU and PwC work to check the jury results once they are submitted by the broadcaster. In the event that any irregularities are found the jury results of the offending nation can be declared invalid.
