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Eurovision Song Contest 2023
United by Music
Dates
Semi-final 1	9 May 2023
Semi-final 2	11 May 2023
Final	13 May 2023
Host
Venue	Liverpool Arena Liverpool, United Kingdom
Presenter(s)	Alesha Dixon Hannah Waddingham Julia Sanina Graham Norton (final)
Directed by	Nikki Parsons Richard Valentine Ollie Bartlett
Executive supervisor	Martin Österdahl
Executive producer	Andrew Cartmell
Host broadcaster	British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)
Participants
Number of entries	37
Debuting countries	None
Returning countries	None
Non-returning countries	Bulgaria  Montenegro  North Macedonia
Participation map      Did not qualify from the semi-final     Countries that participated in the past but not in 2023
Vote
Voting system	Each country awarded one set in the semi-finals, or two sets in the final of 12, 10, 8–1 points to ten songs. In all three shows, online votes from viewers in non-participating countries are aggregated and awarded as one set of points.
Winning song	Sweden "Tattoo"
2022 ← Eurovision Song Contest → 2024

The Eurovision Song Contest 2023 was the 67th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It took place in Liverpool, United Kingdom, after Ukraine, winner of the 2022 contest with the song "Stefania" by Kalush Orchestra, was unable to meet the demands of hosting the event due to security concerns caused by the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Organised by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and host broadcaster the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) on behalf of the Public Broadcasting Company of Ukraine (UA:PBC), the contest was held at the Liverpool Arena, and consisted of two semi-finals on 9 and 11 May, and a final on 13 May 2023. The three live shows were presented by British singer Alesha Dixon, British actress Hannah Waddingham and Ukrainian singer Julia Sanina, with Irish television presenter Graham Norton joining for the final.

Thirty-seven countries participated in the contest, with Bulgaria, Montenegro and North Macedonia ceasing their participation, mainly due to the economic impact of the 2021–2023 global energy crisis.

The winner was Sweden with the song "Tattoo", performed by Loreen and written by her with five others. Loreen became the second performer to win the contest twice; it was also the seventh win for Sweden, tying Ireland's record for the most victories in the contest. Finland, Israel, Italy and Norway rounded out the top five.

Location of host venue (red) and other contest-related sites and events (blue)

The 2023 contest was held in Liverpool, United Kingdom. It was the ninth time that the United Kingdom had hosted the contest, having previously done so in 1960, 1963, 1968, 1972, 1974, 1977, 1982 and 1998. The selected venue was the 11,000-seat Liverpool Arena, a multi-purpose indoor arena located in the ACC Liverpool complex, which serves as a venue for events including concerts and sports. The venue had previously hosted the 2008 MTV Europe Music Awards, the BBC Sports Personality of the Year in 2008 and 2017, and the 2022 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships.

In addition to the main venue, the host city also organised side events in tandem with the contest. The Eurovision Village was the official Eurovision Song Contest fan and sponsors area during the event weeks. At the Village, it was possible to watch performances by contest participants and local artists, as well as the three live shows broadcast from the main venue. It was located at the Pier Head and open from 5 to 13 May 2023. Entry to the Village was free of charge except during the final, when—for the first time—there was an entry fee. The EuroClub, which took place at Camp and Furnace, hosted the official after-parties and private performances by contest participants. A two-week cultural festival called EuroFest took place across Liverpool from 1 to 14 May 2023, and featured collaborations between British and Ukrainian artists. The "Turquoise Carpet" event, where the contestants and their delegations were presented before the accredited press and fans, took place outside the Walker Art Gallery on 7 May 2023, followed by the Opening Ceremony at St George's Hall.

The 2022 contest was won by Ukraine with the song "Stefania" by Kalush Orchestra, and in accordance with Eurovision tradition, the EBU initially gave Ukraine the opportunity to organise the 2023 contest. Ukraine had hosted the contest twice before, in 2005 and 2017, both times in Kyiv. However, in light of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, speculation was raised that the country would not be capable of hosting the event. Due to this, several countries expressed interest in hosting in the event that Ukraine could not, including Belgium, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Spain (which later withdrew its interest), Sweden, and the United Kingdom. The previous time the contest was not held in the previous year's winning country was in 1980.

On 16 May 2022, Mykola Chernotytskyi [uk], chairman of the Ukrainian participating broadcaster UA:PBC, stated that they wished to host the contest in a peaceful Ukraine and hoped that the country would be able to guarantee the safety of all participants and their delegations during the event. Chernotytskyi stated on 20 May that the broadcaster would begin discussions with the EBU regarding the hosting of the contest. Numerous Ukrainian politicians advocated for the contest to take place in the country, including Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who stated his hope for the event to take place one day in Mariupol; the first deputy head of the Kyiv City State Administration, Mykola Povoroznyk, who declared Kyiv's readiness to host; Ukrainian minister of culture, Oleksandr Tkachenko, who stated his intention to discuss conditional changes with the EBU in order to allow the contest to be held in the country; and Ukrainian government representative for the Verkhovna Rada, Taras Melnychuk, who announced the formation of a committee to aid the organisation of the event.

On 16 June 2022, UA:PBC and the Ukrainian government held a meeting with the EBU to discuss potential hosting options in Ukraine. At the meeting, UA:PBC proposed Lviv, Zakarpattia and Kyiv as potential host locations. The following day, the EBU announced that Ukraine would not be able to host the contest, following assessments with both UA:PBC and third-party specialists, and that discussions would begin with the BBC for potentially hosting in the United Kingdom, which finished in second place in the 2022 contest with the song "Space Man" by Sam Ryder. In response, UA:PBC chairman Chernotytskyi expressed disappointment with the decision, and together with Ukrainian minister of culture Tkachenko, alongside former Ukrainian Eurovision winners Ruslana, Jamala and Oleh Psiuk of Kalush Orchestra, issued a joint statement requesting further talks with the EBU on hosting the event in Ukraine. This stance was supported by then-British prime minister Boris Johnson, the Polish broadcaster TVP, Polish deputy prime minister and minister of culture Piotr Gliński, and then-British culture secretary Nadine Dorries. A follow-up statement from the EBU on 23 June reaffirmed its decision to not host the event in Ukraine, highlighting the security considerations for doing so while also urging for the process of choosing the host country to not be politicised.

On 25 July 2022, the EBU, UA:PBC and the BBC announced that the 2023 contest would be held in the United Kingdom, with the host city bidding process to commence in the same week. This would be the fifth time that the UK hosted instead of the previous year's winning country, having previously done so for the Netherlands in 1960, France in 1963, Monaco in 1972, and Luxembourg in 1974.

Aberdeen

Birmingham

Brighton

Bristol

Edinburgh

Glasgow

Leeds

Liverpool

London

Manchester

Nottingham

Newcastle

Sheffield

Sunderland

Belfast

Derry

Cardiff

Wolverhampton

Darlington

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Location of host city Liverpool (in blue), finalist city Glasgow (in yellow), shortlisted cities (in green), other bidding cities (in red) and cities and towns that expressed interest but ultimately did not bid (in grey)

Simultaneously with the confirmation that the United Kingdom would host the contest on behalf of Ukraine, host broadcaster BBC launched the bidding process on 25 July 2022. The BBC stated that "any potential candidates must meet a set of minimum standards that demonstrate they have the capacity, capability, and experience to host an event of this scale and complexity." The selection criteria for the host city in previous years have included: a venue capable of accommodating at least 10,000 spectators, a press centre for a maximum of 1,500 journalists, easy access to an international airport, and hotel accommodation for at least 2,000 delegates, journalists, and spectators.

During the first stage of the bidding process, the BBC received expressions of interest from 20 UK cities and towns, seven of which were shortlisted on 12 August 2022: Birmingham, Glasgow, Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester, Newcastle, and Sheffield. These cities went to the second stage, where they had until 8 September to develop their bids in detail for evaluation by the BBC, who also conducted visits to the cities throughout the month. On 27 September, Glasgow and Liverpool were announced to have made the final shortlist, and on 7 October, the EBU and the BBC announced Liverpool as the host city, with the Liverpool Arena as the chosen venue for the contest.

The Eurovision Song Contest 2023 was produced by the British national broadcaster British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC). The Ukrainian public broadcaster UA:PBC worked with the BBC to develop and implement Ukrainian elements for the live shows, including theme artwork, background music, selection of presenters, and opening and interval acts. The three shows were produced by BBC Studios Entertainment Productions and BBC Studios Music Productions, part of the BBC's commercial subsidiary BBC Studios.

The senior production team consisted of Martin Green as managing director, Rachel Ashdown as lead commissioner, Andrew Cartmell as executive producer, Lee Smithurst as head of show, Twan van de Nieuwenhuijzen as head of contest, and James O'Brien as executive in charge of production. Additional production personnel included multi-camera directors Nikki Parsons, Richard Valentine and Ollie Bartlett, lead creative director Dan Shipton, music director Kojo Samuel, stage designer Julio Himede, head of sound Robert Edwards, and lighting designer Tim Routledge. The Ukrainian consultation team is led by Oksana Skybinska, Tetiana Semenova, and Herman Nenov [ru]. Background music for the shows was composed by Mykhailo Nekrasov.

The budget was contributed to by Liverpool City Council and the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority (£2 million), the British government (£10 million), and the BBC (£8 million to £17 million). The full costs are expected to be published at a later date.

On 7 October 2022, along with the host city announcement, the EBU revealed the generic logo for the 2023 contest. The Eurovision heart, which typically has the flag of the host country placed in its centre, contains the Ukrainian flag for this year to reflect the country's win the previous year. The 'Song Contest' text is accompanied below by 'United Kingdom' and further down by 'Liverpool 2023'.

The theme art and slogan for the contest, "United by Music", was unveiled on 31 January 2023. Designed by London-based brand consultancy Superunion and Ukrainian production company Starlight Media, the artwork was built around a string of two-dimensional hearts resembling an electrocardiogram, representing response to rhythm and sound, while the colours were inspired by those of the Ukrainian and British flags. The typeface, Penny Lane, was inspired by 20th-century Liverpool street signs and the city's musical heritage.

British singer Alesha Dixon, British actress Hannah Waddingham, and Ukrainian singer Julia Sanina were announced as the presenters for the 2023 contest on 22 February 2023, and they hosted all three shows of the event; Irish television presenter Graham Norton joined them for the final. Norton has served as the BBC's commentator for the contest since 2009, and previously co-hosted both editions of the Eurovision Dance Contest in 2007 and 2008, as well as Eurovision Song Contest's Greatest Hits in 2015.

The "Turquoise Carpet" and Opening Ceremony events were hosted by Timur Miroshnychenko (who had co-hosted the 2017 contest) and Sam Quek, with Richie Anderson providing off-screen commentary. Miroshnychenko also moderated the contest's press conferences, along with Jermaine Foster and Mariia Vynogradova.

The stage design for the 2023 contest was revealed on 2 February 2023. Designed by New York-based set designer Julio Himede, the design was based on "the principles of togetherness, celebration and community", taking inspiration from a wide hug and the "cultural aspects and similarities between Ukraine, the UK and specifically Liverpool". The stage is 450 square metres, with 220 square metres of independently rotating LED screens, over 700 LED floor tiles and more than 1500 metres of LED lights. King Charles III and Queen Camilla (whose coronations were held the week before the contest) inaugurated the stage on 26 April, during an official visit to Liverpool.

The first semi-final was opened by a dance sketch set to "Together in Electric Dreams", followed by co-presenter Julia Sanina performing "Mayak", while the interval featured Alyosha performing "Ordinary World" with Rebecca Ferguson, and Rita Ora performing a medley of "Ritual", "Anywhere", "I Will Never Let You Down" and "Praising You".

The second semi-final featured a spoken word piece on the history of the contest by Luke Evans during a break between the competing performances, while the interval featured "Music Unites Generations", a medley of well-known Ukrainian musical works including "Shchedryk" performed by Mariya Yaremchuk, Otoy [uk] and Zlata Dziunka, and a dance sketch choreographed by Jason Gilkison and performed by three drag performers, Miss Demeanour, Miss Mercedes Bends, and Tomara Thomas, along with the Podilya dance ensemble. The sketch, titled "Be Who You Wanna Be", was set to a medley of "Free Yourself", "Free Your Mind", "Free" and the 2018 Australian entry "We Got Love".

Ahead of the final, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy requested that the EBU allow him to address the audience during the final via a pre-recorded message. This was rejected on the basis of the EBU's wish to "not politicize the event".

The final was opened by Kalush Orchestra performing their winning song "Stefania" and their latest single "Changes". Among those who appeared in the pre-recorded portion of the opening were Andrew Lloyd Webber, Ballet Black, Bolt Strings, Joss Stone, Ms Banks, and Princess Catherine. This was followed by the flag parade, introducing all twenty-six finalists, accompanied by four former Ukrainian Eurovision entrants performing new spins on their competing songs mixed with British classics: Go_A with "Shum", Jamala with her winning song "1944", Tina Karol with "Show Me Your Love", and Verka Serduchka with "Dancing Lasha Tumbai". The interval acts included Sam Ryder performing his new single "Mountain" with Queen's Roger Taylor, and "The Liverpool Songbook", a homage to Liverpool's music heritage featuring six former Eurovision entrants singing their own version of songs from the host city: Mahmood with "Imagine", Netta with "You Spin Me Round (Like a Record)", Daði Freyr with "Whole Again", Cornelia Jakobs with "I Turn to You", Sonia with "Better the Devil You Know", and Duncan Laurence, together with the aforementioned artists, the presenters, and Ruslana in a pre-recorded appearance at the Golden Gate in Kyiv, with "You'll Never Walk Alone". ABBA's Björn Ulvaeus also appeared in a short video skit on the recent commercial successes to come out of the contest.

On 22 November 2022, the EBU announced changes to the voting system for the 2023 contest. The results of the semi-finals would be determined solely by televoting, as was the case between 2004 and 2007,^[a] while the results of the final would be determined by a combination of national juries and televoting, as has been the case since the 2009 final. In the event that a country cannot deliver a televoting result, an aggregated result calculated on the basis of countries with similar voting patterns would be used, and in case that too fails, a backup jury result would be used instead. If a country's jury is disqualified, the televoting points from that country would be doubled and used as a substitute in the final. The procedure of using calculated points would remain as a last resort in the event that a country cannot deliver a valid jury or televoting result. Viewers from non-participating countries would also be able to vote in all shows, with their votes being aggregated and presented as one individual set of points under "Rest of the World". Those viewers would be able to cast votes via an online platform, which requires ownership of a credit or debit card for verification.

On 8 May 2023, a change to the semi-final qualifiers announcement format was trialled during the first dress rehearsal of the first semi-final, where the acts would be on stage to anticipate the announcement of the finalists instead of sitting in the green room, similar to shows such as The X Factor, but this format was dropped on the same day due to a negative response.

For the third year in a row, delegations had the option to use pre-recorded backing vocals, though each delegation could still use live backing singers—whether on or off stage—or a combination of live and recorded backing vocals. However, all lead vocals and lead dubs performing the melody of the song must still be live. The contest's executive supervisor Martin Österdahl later stated that the use of pre-recorded backing vocals would continue to be permitted for the foreseeable future.

The draw to determine the participating countries' semi-finals took place on 31 January 2023 at 19:00 GMT (20:00 CET), at St George's Hall. The thirty-one semi-finalists were divided over five pots, based on historical voting patterns as calculated by the contest's official televoting partner Digame. The purpose of drawing from different pots was to reduce the chance of "bloc voting" and to increase suspense in the semi-finals. The draw also determined which semi-final each of the six automatic qualifiers – the previous year's winning country Ukraine and "Big Five" countries France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom – would broadcast and vote in. The ceremony was hosted by AJ Odudu and Rylan, and included the passing of the host city insignia from Stefano Lo Russo, the mayor of previous host city Turin, to Joanne Anderson, the mayor of Liverpool. London-based production company ModestTV was commissioned to produce the broadcast of the ceremony.

The "postcards" were 40-second video introductions shown on television whilst the stage is being prepared for the next entry. Filmed between February and April 2023 and directed by Tom Cook, with Carlo Massarella and Jane McGoldrick serving as executive producers, the postcards were based on the "United by Music" theme of the contest. Making use of 360° drone technology, each postcard began in a selected location in Ukraine, then one in the United Kingdom, before moving to the artist's country of origin, where the artist took part in an activity of their choice. The three locations appearing in each postcard were connected by a singular theme. Each postcard was bookended with the "little planet effect", which symbolised the interconnections between people. The postcards were produced by London-based production company Windfall Films and Ukrainian production company 23/32, with background music composed by Dmytro Shurov. The following locations were used for each participating country:

On 20 October 2022, the EBU announced that 37 countries would participate in the 2023 contest – the lowest number of participating countries in a single edition since 2014 – with Bulgaria, Montenegro and North Macedonia opting not to participate for financial reasons. This was also the first contest where the Czech Republic participated under its shortened English name of Czechia.

The contest featured four representatives who previously performed as lead vocalists for the same country. Two of them competed in 2012: Loreen won that year's contest representing Sweden, while Pasha Parfeni represented Moldova that year and later provided backing vocals for Aliona Moon in 2013. Also returning as lead artists were Marco Mengoni, who represented Italy in 2013, and Monika Linkytė, who represented Lithuania in 2015 alongside Vaidas Baumila. In addition, Belgium's Gustaph previously provided backing vocals for Sennek in 2018 and Hooverphonic in 2021, and Georgia's Iru won the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2011 as a member of Candy.

The first semi-final took place on 9 May 2023 at 20:00 BST (21:00 CEST). Fifteen countries participated in the first semi-final. Those countries plus France, Germany and Italy, as well as non-participating countries under an aggregated "Rest of the World" vote, voted in this semi-final. The highlighted countries qualified for the final.

The second semi-final took place on 11 May 2023 at 20:00 BST (21:00 CEST). Sixteen countries participated in the second semi-final. Those countries plus Spain, Ukraine and the United Kingdom, as well as non-participating countries under an aggregated "Rest of the World" vote, voted in this semi-final. The highlighted countries qualified for the final.

The final took place on 13 May 2023 at 20:00 BST (21:00 CEST). Twenty-six countries participated in the final, with the jury and televote of all thirty-seven participating countries, as well as non-participating countries under an aggregated "Rest of the World" online vote, eligible to vote.

The winner was Sweden with the song "Tattoo", performed by Loreen and written by Loreen along with Jimmy "Joker" Thörnfeldt, Jimmy Jansson, Moa Carlebecker, Peter Boström and Thomas G:son. Finland, Israel, Italy and Norway rounded out the top five. Sweden came second in the public vote to Finland, but won the jury vote by a considerable margin, enabling its overall victory. Loreen became the second performer to win the contest twice after Johnny Logan; her win was also the seventh for Sweden, tying Ireland's record for the most victories in the contest.

Below is a summary of all 12 points received from each country's televote.

Below is a summary of all 12 points received from each country's televote.

Below is a summary of all 12 points received from each country's professional juries.

The spokespersons announced the 12-point score from their respective country's national jury in the following order. Unlike in the editions from 2016 to 2022, in which the previous host country announced its points first, Ukraine was the first country to announce its jury points, followed by the previous host country, Italy. The current host country, the United Kingdom, announced its points last as usual.

Eligibility for potential participation in the Eurovision Song Contest requires a national broadcaster with active EBU membership that would be able to broadcast the contest via the Eurovision network. The EBU issued an invitation to participate in the contest to all active members. Associate member Australia did not need an invitation for the 2023 contest, as it had previously been granted permission to participate until at least this year.

•  Bulgaria – On 7 September 2022, the management board of Bulgarian broadcaster BNT decided not to participate in 2023, citing an expected increase in participation fees. Later, on 19 October 2022, BNT publicly confirmed to several Bulgarian news outlets that the country would not participate in 2023, citing financial constraints.
•  Monaco – On 22 November 2021, it was reported that part of the Monégasque state budget had been reserved for participation in the 2023 contest. However, the plans were delayed because the launch of Monaco's new public television channel, TVMonaco, was pushed back to 1 September 2023 instead of the initially outlined period of late 2022, putting the possibility of Monaco returning to the contest by 2024 at the earliest. On 5 September 2022, Monaco Media Diffusion confirmed that the country would not return in 2023. Monaco last took part in 2006.
•  Montenegro – On 13 October 2022, Montenegrin broadcaster RTCG confirmed that the country would not participate in 2023, citing financial constraints and a lack of interest from sponsors. RTCG, however, still broadcast the contest.
•  North Macedonia – On 14 October 2022, Macedonian broadcaster MRT confirmed that the country would not participate in 2023, citing financial constraints. MRT, however, still broadcast the contest, with a view of returning in 2024.

Active EBU member broadcasters in Andorra, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Luxembourg and Slovakia also confirmed non-participation prior to the announcement of the participants list by the EBU.

•  Kazakhstan – In October 2022, TV producer Zhan Mukanov stated that the Kazakh broadcaster Khabar Agency was in discussions with the EBU about potentially being invited to debut in 2023, stating that "there is every chance [for Kazakhstan] to enter the adult Eurovision next year" and that the country's participation in the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2022 would have a "significant impact" on its chances of debuting. However, the country did not appear on the final list of participants.

All participating broadcasters may choose to have on-site or remote commentators providing insight and voting information to their local audience. While they must broadcast at least the semi-final they are voting in and the final, most broadcasters air all three shows with different programming plans. In addition, some non-participating broadcasters air the contest. The European Broadcasting Union also provided international live streams with no commentary of both semi-finals and the final through their official YouTube and TikTok channels. The table below details the broadcasting plans and commentators for the countries that aired the contest.

Technical issues occurred during the start of the first semi-final, causing most of the on-site commentators to lose connection to their broadcasters for around 15 minutes.

In addition to the main winner's trophy, the Marcel Bezençon Awards were contested during the Eurovision Song Contest 2023. The OGAE, "General Organisation of Eurovision Fans" voting poll also took place before the contest.

The Marcel Bezençon Awards, organised since 2002 by Sweden's then-Head of Delegation and 1992 representative Christer Björkman, and winner of the 1984 contest Richard Herrey, honours songs in the contest's final. The awards are divided into three categories: the Artistic Award, the Composers Award, and the Press Award. The winners were revealed shortly before the Eurovision final on 13 May.

OGAE, an organisation of over forty Eurovision Song Contest fan clubs across Europe and beyond, conducts an annual voting poll first held in 2002 as the Marcel Bezençon Fan Award. After all votes were cast, the top-ranked entry in the 2023 poll was also the winner of the contest, "Tattoo" performed by Loreen; the top five results are shown below.

The You're A Vision Award (a word play of "Eurovision"), established in 2022 by the fansite Songfestival.be following the cancellation of the Barbara Dex Award due to its associated negative connotations, aims to "celebrate the creativity and diversity that embody the Eurovision spirit", with the winner being the one with the most notable outfit. Voting for the 2023 award is open from 14 to 21 May.

Eurovision Song Contest: Liverpool 2023 is the official compilation album of the contest. It was put together by the European Broadcasting Union and was released by Universal Music Group digitally on 14 April 2023, in CD format on 28 April 2023, and will be released in vinyl format on 26 May 2023. The album features all 37 entries.

• Official website
• Loreen wins Eurovision for Sweden for second time at Wikinews