The Eurovision Song Contest, one of the world’s most-watched live annual music competitions, is navigating unprecedented growing pains, as organizers roll out sweeping rule changes and address lingering controversies tied to politically motivated voting. This year’s iteration of the contest wrapped with a decisive victory for Bulgarian singer Dara, who secured the top spot after earning first place from both the professional jury and the global public vote, earning her home country the right to host the 2027 edition. Organizers recently confirmed the 71st Eurovision will be held in Bulgaria’s Black Sea coastal town of Burgas between May 12 and 15, 2027.
But behind the celebration of this year’s win, the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), which oversees the contest, has been grappling with persistent problems tied to the current voting structure, driven by the shifting global geopolitical climate. The push for new rule changes gained momentum after the 2025 contest, when Israeli contestant Yuval Raphael placed second overall despite only ranking 15th among jury members. Raphael outperformed every other competitor in the public vote, earning 297 points, after official Israeli government social media accounts – including that of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu – urged supporters to cast the maximum allowed 20 votes for the singer.
Broadcasters across multiple countries raised formal questions about the lopsided result, with critics alleging a coordinated political voting campaign had skewed the rankings in Israel’s favor. In response to the outcry, the EBU adjusted the rules for the 2026 contest, cutting the maximum number of votes per viewer from 20 to 10. Even that change failed to stop coordinated campaigning, however: ahead of this year’s event, Israeli public broadcaster Kan received a formal warning from contest organizers after Raphael released videos instructing fans to “vote 10 times for Israel.” Eurovision officials ruled the posts violated the spirit of the competition and ordered the videos removed.
Now, the EBU is proposing far more radical changes to eliminate the influence of targeted political voting, according to a letter sent to all participating broadcasters and first reported by Swedish outlet Aftonbladet. Under the draft plan, the entire public vote would move online, doing away with the current phone and text voting options. Most notably, viewers would be required to select their top three favorite acts, ending the longstanding rule that allowed voters to cast multiple ballots for a single contestant.
The EBU explained that technical barriers have stopped multiple-act voting requirements from being implemented via phone and text channels, which is why a full shift to online voting is needed. The United Kingdom has already successfully transitioned to an online-only voting model for this year’s contest, serving as a test case for the broader change. In their letter, EBU chief executive Jean Philip De Tender and Eurovision Reference Group chair Ana Maria Bordas noted that geopolitical fragmentation has created persistent problems for the contest’s integrity.
“Even without major paid campaigns, and with a voting system that we can vouch for, it has become clear that today’s geopolitical climate is driving votes for certain artists for reasons that have very little to do with their performances,” the letter read. “This is nothing new in Eurovision’s history – we have seen it happen before – but this time it is persistent, and for many it is deeply worrying.” Officials added that the proposed changes would “help dilute the effect of a mobilised block vote, without compromising fairness or trust” in the competition’s results. While dedicated fans could still technically create multiple accounts to vote repeatedly for one act using different payment details, the new structure would create a significant barrier to large-scale coordinated campaigns.
In an official comment to BBC News, the EBU confirmed the ongoing review: “We can confirm that we have begun investigating a move to wholly online audience voting for the Eurovision Song Contest and more details will be announced in the months ahead.”
The voting overhaul is just one of multiple major changes coming to the 70-year-old competition in the wake of growing controversy. Organizers also recently announced that broadcasters from states involved in “armed conflict” or “sensitive geopolitical situations” will no longer be eligible to host the contest. They have also raised the minimum age for competing artists from 16 to 18, and implemented stricter regulations around the use of pre-recorded vocals during live performances.
In a separate development that underscores the ongoing tensions surrounding the contest, the EBU also confirmed that Israeli cosmetics and haircare brand Moroccan Oil has ended its six-year sponsorship of Eurovision. The company did not publicly share a reason for ending the partnership, which saw Moroccan Oil provide professional styling services and products to competing artists each year. The sponsorship had faced widespread criticism in recent years amid growing protests over Israel’s continued participation in the contest during the ongoing war in Gaza.