Last Saturday, TVE aired the grand finale of Eurovision 2022, featuring the Kalush Orchestra from Ukraine, who claimed victory and received the Crystal Microphone trophy. The ceremony also highlighted a final moment of transparency when the public broadcaster revealed one of its best kept secrets — the identities of the professional judges responsible for evaluating the performances of the participating nations.
For this year’s judging panel, the responsibilities were entrusted to a distinguished lineup. Pilar Tabares, the program director and a winner of the 2022 Talent Award, anchored the group. She was joined by Blanca Paloma, a renowned singer who had been a finalist at Benidorm Fest 2022, along with a trio of accomplished songwriters and performers: Carlos Marco, Kai Etxainz, and Verónica Ferreiro. The ensemble brought a mix of experience, taste, and critical insight to the evaluative process, aiming to provide fair and well-considered appraisals of each participating country.
Around 24 hours after the curtain fell on the finale, Blanca Paloma posted a photograph with the other judges. In the caption, she spoke of the weight of the responsibility and the privilege of sharing it with Pilar Tabares, Carlos Marco, Kai Etxainz, and Verónica Ferreiro. She extended gratitude to TVE for the opportunity and acknowledged the trust placed in their scoring criteria, highlighting the importance of a transparent and credible selection process that appreciates both artistry and performance across the contest’s diverse entries.
From the scoring perspective in the final tally, Ukraine drew the highest single score of 12 points from the jury. Following closely were Azerbaijan with 12, Italy with 10, Australia with 8, Sweden with 7, Serbia with 6, Belgium with 5, Romania with 4, the United Kingdom with 3, Greece with 2, and Switzerland with 1 point. The audience’s voting narrative, which complemented the juries’ choices, showed a broad spectrum of national preferences and highlighted how audience sentiment intersected with professional evaluation in determining the overall ranking for Eurovision’s grand culmination.
The distribution of points from the public vote mirrored a dynamic and geographically diverse pattern. Ukraine received 12 points from the audience, followed by 10 for Romania, 8 for the United Kingdom, 7 for Moldova, 6 for Sweden, 5 for Italy, 4 for Portugal, 2 for Norway, 2 for Serbia, and 1 for Poland. This blend of juried judgment and public opinion underscored Eurovision’s enduring appeal as a pan-European event that blends technical appraisal with popular enthusiasm, creating a multi-layered assessment of each country’s performance and presentation.