Overview
- Public vote caps will be halved in 2026, with viewers limited to 10 votes per payment method instead of 20.
- Professional juries return to the semi-finals with an approximately 50/50 split with the public vote, panels expand from five to seven, and at least two jurors must be aged 18–25 with all jurors signing independence declarations.
- The updated Code of Conduct discourages disproportionate third‑party campaigns, including those by governments, and bars broadcasters and artists from facilitating such efforts, with sanctions possible for attempts to sway results.
- The EBU will strengthen technical safeguards with voting partner Once to detect and block coordinated or fraudulent voting and will tighten enforcement on lyrics, staging and other compliance areas.
- The reforms, approved by the Eurovision Reference Group, follow broadcaster concerns linked to Israel’s 2025 televote surge; boycott threats persist, and the final list of 2026 participants is expected before Christmas.