Eurovision Song Contest rewrites its rules for countries at war

The Eurovision Song Contest announced rule changes on August 12 covering how it treats countries at war during the competition, NME reported the same day.

Under the new rules, a country involved in an armed conflict that wins the contest could be ruled ineligible to host it the following year. The European Broadcasting Union, which runs Eurovision, said it may commission an independent security assessment of a winning country's region before deciding whether hosting can safely go ahead; if not, the EBU will pick an alternative broadcaster to stage the show instead.

The move follows years of controversy over how the contest handles countries in conflict, including the 2023 edition, which the BBC staged in Liverpool on Ukraine's behalf after Ukraine's win the year before made hosting inside the country itself unsafe, and this year's contest, when Ireland, the Netherlands, Slovenia, Iceland and Spain boycotted in protest at Israel's inclusion.

Eurovision also raised its minimum competing age from 16 to 18 and clarified that backing tracks must not "unduly assist" performers on stage, changes Eurovision director Martin Green said were meant to give "everyone involved greater clarity" while protecting artists. Next year's contest goes to Bulgaria, after Dara won the 2026 edition with "Bangaranga."

The changes follow criticism this year over the contest's handling of Israel's participation. Amnesty International's Agnes Callamard called the EBU's decision not to suspend Israel, as it had with Russia in 2022, "an act of cowardice," while an open letter from the campaign No Music For Genocide drew more than 1,100 signatures from musicians including Brian Eno, Massive Attack and Primal Scream calling for a boycott unless Israel was excluded. Eurovision also confirmed last month that Canada will make its debut in the pop competition.