Eurovision Song Contest 2018
| Eurovision Song Contest 2018 | |
|---|---|
| All Aboard! | |
| Dates | |
| Semi-final 1 | 8 May 2018 |
| Semi-final 2 | 10 May 2018 |
| Final | 12 May 2018 |
| Host | |
| Venue | MEO Arena Lisbon, Portugal |
| Presenter(s) | |
| Executive producer | João Nuno Nogueira |
| Director |
|
| Executive supervisor | Jon Ola Sand |
| Host broadcaster | Rádio e Televisão de Portugal (RTP) |
| Website | eurovision |
| Participants | |
| Number of entries | 43 |
| Number of finalists | 26 |
| Debuting countries | None |
| Returning countries | Russia |
| Non-returning countries | None |
Participation map
| |
| Vote | |
| Voting system | Each country awards two sets of 12, 10, 8–1 points to ten songs. |
| Winning song | Israel "Toy" |
The Eurovision Song Contest 2018 was the 63rd edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It took place in Lisbon, Portugal, following the country's victory at the 2017 contest with the song "Amar pelos dois" by Salvador Sobral. Organised by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and host broadcaster Rádio e Televisão de Portugal (RTP), the contest was held at the MEO Arena, and consisted of two semi-finals on 8 and 10 May, and a final on 12 May 2018. The three live shows were presented by Portuguese television presenters Filomena Cautela, Sílvia Alberto and Catarina Furtado, and Portuguese-American actress Daniela Ruah, marking the first time that the contest was presented by four hosts.
Forty-three countries participated in the contest, equalling the record of the 2008 and 2011 editions. Russia returned after their absence from the previous edition, and for the first time since 2011, no country that participated in the previous edition withdrew.
The winner was Israel with the song "Toy", performed by Netta and written by Doron Medalie and Stav Beger. Cyprus, Austria, Germany, and Italy rounded out the top five, with Cyprus achieving its best result to date. Israel won the public vote, and came third in the jury vote behind Austria and Sweden. Further down the table, the Czech Republic also achieved its best result to date, finishing sixth.
The EBU reported that 186 million viewers watched the contest, surpassing the 2017 edition by over 4 million.