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An Open Letter to the Eurovision Community with smoke and mirrors
Eurovision director congratulates JJ and ORF. We value voting integrity, transparency, and open dialogue to ensure fairness. Join us in celebrating talent and our robust voting system.
Dear Treasured Community
As the director of the Eurovision Song Contest, Martin Green CBE, Director of the Eurovision Song Contest, European Broadcasting Union, I want to reach out to you, the respected members of our beloved Eurovision community. Following this year’s event, the EBU has actively listened to conversations among our fans, the media, and our dedicated members. First and foremost, my heartfelt congratulations to this year’s winner, JJ, and the talented team from ORF. Their outstanding performance has rightfully earned them this victory.
Ensuring Integrity in Voting
It is essential to acknowledge that the voting system we use is built on multiple security layers and a stringent set of rules. Our voting partner, Once Germany GmbH, employs redundant systems and multiple platforms ensuring the correct transmission of votes. A specially designed setup monitors the voting process, significantly minimizing the risk of fraud during the Eurovision Song Contest.
Commitment to Transparency and Fairness
We uphold an 8-eye principle, involving our CEO and senior staff, who collectively possess over 40 years of voting experience. Independent compliance monitors like EY authenticate all results and every decision tied to outcomes is meticulously documented. As we move forward, we will continue to engage with our members to discuss voting practices and the impact of promotion strategies on community mobilisation. I reiterate my congratulations to JJ and ORF for their well-deserved win!
Our comment to the letter
JJ’s win has been accepted, but Israel’s second place and the EBU’s censoring of arena sound have been widely questioned. Martin Green CBE, Director of the Eurovision Song Contest, European Broadcasting Union, should be relieved Israel didn’t win, given the Israeli government’s alleged ad campaign targeting Eurovision countries during the genocide in Gaza, Palestine.
The inclusion of Israel in Eurovision 2024 was simply not acceptable. That Israel was participating in Eurovision 2025 was equally unacceptable. EBU didn’t listen! And to even consider the possibility of Israel being a part of Eurovision 2026 is something we find completely unacceptable. It should be clear that their participation in upcoming Eurovision events, is something we strongly disagree with. The prospect of them being involved in Eurovision in the coming years, in 2026, is just not something we can’t support or condone.
It’s time for EBU to kick out Israel that is the only option acceptable ! Even Israeli sponsors like Moroccanoil should be kicked out!