After the Eurovision Song Contest, there will be a debate for many years as to why the Finnish jury often gives Sweden full marks and does not get an echo in the final.
Sweden’s Cornelia Jakobs did well at Eurovision Song Contest. However, the total points were not enough to win. Rolf Klatt / Shutterstock
Every year after the Eurovision final, the scores of the competition speak. Iltalehti explained to the Finnish Eurovision judges why Finland often gives full marks to Swedish performances.
Iltalehti received the Eurovision Song Contest from the chairman of the Finnish jury From Amie Borgari answers regarding Eurovision scores. He explained to Iltalehti how the jury’s score is calculated in the competition.
– National juries, made up of experts from different backgrounds, age groups and genders, give country scores on a wide range of issues. The points are influenced by the originality of the song, the composition of the lyrics, the singing skills of the performer and the general influence of the performance and the show.
According to Borgar, each member of the jury individually gives their points, which are added together with the help of a notary.
– I have been on the Finnish panel twice, last year and this year, so I can only comment on the panel’s work these years, Borgar emphasizes in an interview.
Iltalehti also reached out Juuso Määttänenone of the judges of the Finnish Eurovision Song Contest.
– The score of the jury should not be affected by the country or other external factors. Finland strictly follows the guidelines, Määttänen says of the decisions made by the Finnish jury regarding scoring.
Full score for Sweden
At this year’s Eurovision Song Contest, the difference between the points of the Finnish and Swedish representatives was large. The Rasmus ranked JezebelSweden’s Cornelia Jakobs, on the other hand, finished fourth.
The burning question about Eurovision is why the Finnish jury gives Sweden full marks almost every year. Määttänen answers the question from his own point of view.
– My assessment is that Sweden has made good songs. Sweden is a tough music-making country.
According to Määttänen, Finland was not the only country to award Sweden a lot of judges this year. The country got a lot of jury points in the final. In the case of Finland, the jury tried to give the score to the best performance.
– It has not mattered to the country, but to the fact that the criteria of the guidelines are met.
Eurovision judges follow the guidelines and strive to give full marks to the representative who meets the best criteria. Why didn’t the Finnish song get full points this year?
– Only the councils of three countries gave Finland points. I assume that the juries of other countries have stated that the Finnish song did not reach the points with these criteria this year, Määttänen says about the points situation this year.
Annual points
According to Eurovision voting statistics, Finland and Sweden have given each other the highest number of points since the 2010s. Last time, Sweden gave the Finnish representative a full score last year, ie in 2021, when the band Blind Channel represented Eurovision Song Contest.
Last year, however, Finland did not give Sweden full council points. Borgar confirms this information.
– Last year, the Finnish jury gave Switzerland full marks. Sweden scored five points.
Finland and Sweden support each other with points every year. According to statistics, the countries give each other at least some points each year if one of them is in the final. The points always given to the other are not complete, but points are still awarded.
Statistics and interviews show that there is variation in scoring over the years. The fact that Finland would give Sweden full marks every year is therefore a myth.