8 juries will judge
SVT just revealed the 8 countries that will give out 50% of the votes at the final of Melodifestivalen 2020. These countries are:
- Australia
- Armenia
- France
- Iceland
- Israel
- Malta
- Netherlands
- Austria
Again, Sweden invited last year’s winning country, The Netherlands to judge. Another noticeable change is the absence of the United Kingdom, who were present in the last nine editions but will not be this year. France is still the country with the longest presence. They have been voting in Melodifestivalen since 2010.
What are the criteria?
The juries are in place to simulate the juries in Eurovision. However, instead of a long list of criteria on how a song should be judged, Christer Björkman, Sweden’s HoD, asks just one question: “Which one of these 12 songs will achieve the best placing in Eurovision?”
Last year, John Lundvik won Melodifestivalen with his song “Too Late For Love” and went on to place fifth at Eurovision 2019 in Tel Aviv, placing second with the juries. He also holds the record for being the only Melodifestivalen winner who got “douze points” from every jury in the Melodifestivalen final.
Do you think the juries will be able to pick another Top 5 finisher for Sweden? Let us know in the comments and on social media @ESCXTRA. Be sure to stay updated by following @ESCXTRA on Twitter, @escxtra on Instagram and liking our Facebook page for the latest updates.
