Eurovision Song Contest Wiki
Register
Advertisement
Eurovision Song Contest Wiki

"Insert Country Here, Douze Points!" is said by the presenter when a country gives 12 points to another. 12 points has been the maximum number of points one country could give since 1975, and it has stuck since Luxembourg was given the first 12 points, 40 years ago.

From 1975 to 1979, the scores were read in the order of performance of the receiving countries. From 1980 to 2005, it was changed so that the points were read in ascending numerical order to increase the excitement for the audience and media as to who would get the 12 points.

Procedure[]

As of 2006, when the EBU decided to allocate points 1-7 automatically to save time, the spokesperson for the voting country would say points 8, 10, 12 themselves, with the host/s repeating them in French, the contest's second official language, or in the official language of the hosting country. French spokespersons usually say the points in French anyway, but are still repeated:

Spokesperson: "Eight points go to Estonia!"
Host/s: "L'Estonie! Huit points."
Spokesperson: "Ten points go to France!"
Host/s: "La France! Dix points!"
Spokesperson: "And Twelve points go to ... ... Sweden!"
Host/s: "La Suède! Douze points!"

Upon giving 12 points and after the scoreboard updates, the cameramen that are situated in the Green Room would go over to the delegation that received 12 points, and what is usually seen is the delegation celebrating, acting silly for the camera or just sitting and smiling if numerous 12 points are given. For television viewers, a graphic would come up saying something along the lines of:

"Flag of Ireland Ireland gets 12 points from the United Kingdom"

With the introduction of the new scoring system in 2016, only the jury points are announced as per usual. The scores 1 through 10 points are shown on screen, with the spokesperson only announcing who got the top score of 12 points. The graphic would then say for example:

"Flag of France France gets 12 points from the Armenian jury" (2016)
"Flag of United Kingdom United Kingdom gets 12 points from Azerbaijan" (2022)
Eurovision Song Contest
Editions
195619571958195919601961196219631964196519661967196819691970197119721973197419751976197719781979198019811982198319841985198619871988198919901991199219931994199519961997199819992000200120022003200420052006200720082009201020112012201320142015201620172018201920202021202220232024
Countries
AlbaniaAndorraArmeniaAustraliaAustriaAzerbaijanBelarusBelgiumBosnia and HerzegovinaBulgariaCroatiaCyprusCzechiaDenmarkEstoniaFinlandFranceGeorgiaGermanyGreeceHungaryIcelandIrelandIsraelItalyLatviaLithuaniaLuxembourgMaltaMoldovaMonacoMontenegroMoroccoThe NetherlandsNorth MacedoniaNorwayPolandPortugalRomaniaRussiaSan MarinoSerbiaSerbia and MontenegroSlovakiaSloveniaSpainSwedenSwitzerlandTurkeyUnited KingdomUkraineYugoslavia
Winning Songs
RefrainNet Als ToenDors, mon amourEen beetjeTom PillibiNous les amoureuxUn premier amourDanseviseNon ho l'etàPoupée de Cire, Poupée de SonMerci, ChériePuppet on a StringLa, La, LaBoom Bang-a-BangVivo CantandoUn jour, un enfantDe TroubadourAll Kinds of EverythingUn banc, un arbre, une rueAprès ToiTu Te ReconnaîtrasWaterlooDing-a-DongSave Your Kisses For MeL'Oiseau et l'enfantA-Ba-Ni-BiHallelujahWhat's Another YearMaking Your Mind UpEin bißchen FriedenSi la vie est cadeauDiggiloo DiggileyLa Det SwingeJ'aime La VieHold Me NowNe Partez Pas Sans MoiRock MeInsieme: 1992Fångad av en stormvindWhy Me?In Your EyesRock 'n' Roll KidsNocturneThe VoiceLove Shine a LightDivaTake Me To Your HeavenFly on the Wings of LoveEverybodyI WannaEveryway That I CanWild DancesMy Number OneHard Rock HallelujahMolitvaBelieveFairytaleSatelliteRunning ScaredEuphoriaOnly TeardropsRise Like a PhoenixHeroes1944Amar pelos doisToyArcadeZitti e buoniStefaniaTattoo
Specials
Congratulations: 50 Years of the Eurovision Song ContestEurovision's Greatest HitsEurope Shine a Light
Aspects of Eurovision
CommentatorEuroClubEurovision VillageExecutive SupervisorFlag ParadeGrand PrixGreen RoomHead of DelegationInterval ActNational FinalNational JuryOfficial RulesOpening CeremonyPre-PartiesPre-Song PostcardsReference GroupRest of the World VoteRunning Order DrawSemi-FinalsScoreboardSpokespersonTelevotingVoting Systems
Miscellaneous
Big FiveCurse of 43Curse of Number TwoCurse of GreenDouze Points!ESCRadio AwardsESC Top 250Eurovision AgainEurovision National BroadcastersEurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire SagaFounding SevenLGBT visibilityLynda WoodruffMarcel Bezençon AwardsNul PointsOGAERecordsStand-insThe Reorder BoardTie SituationTop Scoring SongsVoting DiasporaWinner's CurseWithdrawn SongsYou're a Vision Award

Trivia[]

  • 12points.tv is the name of a news and blogging website on Eurovision.
  • Douze Points is a well-used catchphrase among many fans today.
  • In an unsuccessful first tiebreaker round, if two delegations have been voted by the same number of countries, the countback method starts with 12 points and goes down to 1.
  • The giving of 12 points also reveals jury corruption, voting diaspora and many other relative things to do with voting situations.
  • The highest total amount of 12-point scores received by a single country is 28. They were given to Ukraine's Kalush Orchestra in 2022 via the public vote.
  • The 2014 hosts performed a tribute song to 12 points during the final, as seen in the video below (which included verses pertaining to Pilou's love of China, a running gag during the actual show itself).
  • Australia became the first country outside the European Broadcasting Area to receive 12 points in its first participation in 2015. It received 2 sets of top scores - one from Sweden and the other from host country Austria.

Videos[]

Eurovision_Song_Contest_2014_-_12_Point_Song_by_Nikolaj_Koppel,_Pilou_Asbæk_and_Lise_Rønne

Eurovision Song Contest 2014 - 12 Point Song by Nikolaj Koppel, Pilou Asbæk and Lise Rønne

The 2014 hosts with a song about 12 points.

Advertisement