With Benidorm Fest taking place in less than one week, the professional jury that will give a significant portion of the points has been revealed by Spain’s public broadcaster, RTVE.
Familiar Eurovision faces among professional jury
The members of the professional jury at Benidorm Fest 2022 are:
- Nina (jury forewoman)
- Christer Björkman
- Tali Eshkoli
- Nicola Caligiore
- Katrina Leskanich
- William Lee Adams
- Irene Valiente
- Juan José Santana
Of these jurors, a significant number already have experience in the Eurovision bubble. Tali Eshkoli, Christer Björkman and Nicola Caligiore have previously acted as Heads of Delegation for Israel, Sweden and Italy respectively.
Katrina Leskanich won the Eurovision Song Contest 1997 for the United Kingdom. Nina also represented Spain in 1989, finishing in sixth place. William Lee Adams is the founder of fellow Eurovision-site Wiwibloggs. The remaining jurors – Irene Valiente and Juan José Santana – are prominent in Spain’s radio stations, with Juan being the President of OGAE Spain, giving Eurofans a voice.
Juries to hold significant power for Benidorm Fest 2023
Similarly to 2022, juries at Benidorm Fest will have a significant say on how the results pan out. The votes of the professional jury will make up 50% of the final vote. As well as this, a demoscopic jury – made up of people from all walks of life in Spain – will constitute 25% of the vote. The remaining 25% will come from the public televote.
This voting system will be used throughout the two semi-finals for Benidorm Fest, as well as the Grand Final. Eighteen acts will take part in the festival, with four from each semi-final advancing to the final. The semi-finals will take place on January 31st and February 2nd, with the final taking place on February 4th.
Spain’s Eurovision journey
Spain debuted at the Eurovision Song Contest in 1961 with Conchita Bautista’s “Estando Contigo”. The country earned its first win in 1968 with Massiel’s “La La La”, and won again in 1969 with Salome’s “Vivo Cantando” in an infamous four-way tie. Although they have yet to win again, Spain earned several 2nd place finishes, most famously with Mocedades’ “Eres tu” in 1973 and Anabel Conde’s “Vuelve conmigo” in 1996.
Spain has been less successful in recent years. Although they achieved two 10th place finishes in 2012 and 2014, the country has not finished above 20th place since 2015, including one last-place in 2017. This poor running streak was broken, however in 2022, when Chanel finished in 3rd place with 459 points from the jury and televoters with her song “SloMo”.
What do you think of the professional jury taking part in Benidorm Fest this year? Do you think the jury will make the right choices? Who would you liked to have seen on the jury? As always, let us know what you think by commenting below. Also, be sure to follow “That Eurovision Site” on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Tiktok as we gear up for Benidorm Fest 2023!
News Source: RTVE
Photo Credit: SVT
