The 63rd edition of the Eurovision Song Contest is tantalisingly close! With less than two weeks to go, we’re gearing up to join in on the year’s biggest party in Lisbon, Portugal.
As part of our celebrations, we are so excited to introduce our New Zealand jury that will be bringing – for the first-time ever – a distinctly-Kiwi voice and opinion to the biggest music competition in the world. The Eurovision community in New Zealand continues to grow in size and vigour every year with every edition of the contest. Introducing this (un)official vote from New Zealand fans not only represents the next step in the evolution of this expanding community but also, we hope, a welcome addition to a vibrant, increasingly international fanbase that the Eurovision Song Contest attracts.
In its inaugural year of existence, the Eurovision NZ Jury will be ranking and voting on every performance from every participating country to find, ultimately, our national douze points. The process we will be following will closely resemble the one that the real professional juries follow with some slight variation:
- each jury member will individually score each televised semi-final performance out of 10 on each of the four professional jury focus areas (vocal capacity of the singer, performance on-stage, composition and originality of the song, and, overall impression of the act);
- the four scores out of 10 will be combined to find a total out of 40 for each performance;
- each performance will be given a rank, with the highest scores out of 40 ranking the highest through to the lowest scores being ranked lower;
- following the scoring, each jury member has the option to reorder the ranking of the performances if they feel the order determined by the individual scoring doesn’t accurately reflect an holistic viewing of the performances in light of each other;
- the final rankings of all jury members will be collated to find a combined jury ranking and points allocation.
We will announce our picks going into the grand final on the day of the broadcast. Think of it as the first-ever New Zealand calling!
The jury
What can I say, we have the best jury that the Eurovision Song Contest has ever seen. Truly. Don’t believe us? Take a look: these are our Eurovision New Zealand Jury members for 2018!
With Eurovision festivities ramping up, we’re hard at work putting together so many great resources and activities with both Kiwi and global Eurofans alike. Keep an eye out over the next few weeks!
Brittany
Brittany, or Britt as we call her, is an avid Eurovision fan. The legendary Song Contest first came on Britt’s radar in 2011 (with the unforgettable Jedward) which led her to fall into a deep “YouTube blackhole of weird that is Eurovision.” Britt has since developed a keen eye for what makes a winning Eurovision entry.
John
John is the creator of 58points.com – a simultaneously “data-driven” and “nerdtastic” view of Eurovision – while also writing for ESC Insight. John is a long-time Eurovision obsessive and is interested in viewing the Contest from an analytical perspective: a perfect match to our jury! Though, originally hailing from Canada, he laments the call time for the NZ-based Eurovision viewer: 7AM here instead of an easy noon start!
Cadin
One of our Eurovision’s biggest kiwi fans, Cadin tweets and comments on the Contest from @EurovisionFanNZ. As a devoted fan of the Contest since 2015, Cadin has seen it all – including what makes a good (or cringe-worthy!) Eurovision entry.
Logan
Logan, a 22-year old kiwi from the outskirts of Auckland, writes here for Eurovision NZ. Logan’s hopes of fame were crushed by his choir teacher who kicked him out for his inability to harmonise. Logan says he his “currently floundering through a degree in Clinical Psychology since no one will employ me for my Eurovision passion (yet)”.
Robyn
This jury member will be a familiar face to many a Eurovision fan as she writes and contribute to Wiwibloggs all the way from the beautiful Waikato of New Zealand. Robyn is not only a Eurovision authority, she is one of New Zealand’s most preeminent music writers and historians. Robyn is a formidable force and wonderful addition to the jury!
Paul
Paul brings musical prowess and expertise to our jury. A professional music teacher of countless instruments and styles, Paul is also a passionate Eurovision fan. Paul will be looking at the finer technical elements of the performances as well as counting the sequins, which may make all the difference this year!
Kylie
A self-described “music lover”, Kylie is the editor-in-chief of ESC Pulse (escpulse.com). Kylie brings a tremendous wealth of knowledge and experience to the jury as dedicated viewer of the Song Contest since 1999.
Josh
Rounding off the jury is Josh, the editor here at Eurovision NZ. Josh secretly has very particular tastes when it comes to Eurovision, and will try his hardest not to exclusively give out 1’s and 10’s.
