The 64th Eurovision Song Contest in Tel Aviv, Israel is just over two weeks away –and SBS is delighted to announce the Jury and Spokespeople who will play a crucial role in the legendary voting procedure.

Viewers in all 41 participating countries, including Australia, are invited to vote for their favourite songs in the Eurovision Semi Finals and Grand Final by televoting, which makes up 50% of the total vote.

The other 50% of the vote is decided by a National Jury in each participating country. Each jury comprises of a team of respected local music/entertainment figures with extensive experience in the industry and, of course, a passion for the world’s biggest song contest.*

SBS is proud to announce that Australia’s 2019 Eurovision Jury members are: comedian Mark Humphries, singer-songwriter Christine Anu, Triple J presenter Lewis Hobba, composer Alice Chance and broadcaster Mark Cummins (Chairperson).

AUSTRALIA’S EUROVISION SPOKESPEOPLE

SBS is delighted to announce Australia’s Eurovision Spokespeople this year will be electric-soul music duo Electric Fields. Michael Ross and Zaachariaha Fielding were runners up at Eurovision –Australia Decides, and were chosen as Spokespeople for their passion for Eurovision and inspiring musical talent. The duo will get to announce Australia’s allocation of points via satellite to those gathered in Tel Aviv, and to 200 million Eurovision viewers worldwide.

Electric Fields said: “We are so excited to be Australia’s Jury Spokespeople for Eurovision. It’s the music event that brings millions together for a huge camp party, right up our ally. Kate is absolutely stunning live and we know she’ll deliver a powerful performance.”

PUBLIC VOTING

In each Semi Final, 10 contestants are chosen to qualify for the Grand Final. As per the official Eurovision rules, viewers in all countries taking part in a particular Semi Final are invited to vote via the official app, telephone and/or SMS. Australian viewers are eligible to vote in Semi Final 1 (in which Australia’s Kate Miller-Heidke will perform) as well as the Grand Final. The voting window for Semi Final 1 and the Grand Final opens after the last song has been performed, and ends 15 minutes later.

For Australian viewers, this means they will need to tune into the LIVE broadcast of Semi Final 1 on Wednesday May 15 at 5am (AEST) and the Grand Final on Sunday 19 May at 5am (AEST) by texting the numbers that appear on screen during the live broadcasts on SBS and at SBS On Demand.

Jury members and public voters can’t vote for their own country, but there are plenty of other outstanding acts alongside Australia’s Kate Miller-Heidke.

Will voters pick legendary DJ Darude, or will they be swayed by bookies favourite Duncan Laurence from The Netherlands? Will Russia make a comeback or will Swiss singer Luca Hanni come out on top? The competition is sure to be fierce, fabulous and totally unique.

How to watch Eurovision 2019

How to watch Eurovision 2019 Get behind Kate Miller Heidke from May 16 - 19 on SBS.

Watch: Australia’s Eurovision Journey

Stay tuned to the SBS Eurovision website for updates: sbs.com.au/eurovision #Eurovision

ELECTRIC FIELDS

Multi-award winning Electric Fields create a striking and haunting merging of living traditional culture with electronic music, bringing moments of breathtaking beauty and power to the stage. Featuring the rare and beautiful voice of Zaachariaha Fielding, who often sings in his traditional languages of the Anangu people, Electric Fields music ranges from soulful pop, to epic-scale electronic works, through to intensely intimate story-songs.

EUROVISION JURY

Mark Humphries

Host of Channel 10 quiz show Pointless and resident satirist on ABCTV’s 7.30. Prior to that, he was a writer/presenter on SBS’ The Feed, where he wrote and produced The Feed’s Eurovision After Party 2015. In 2017, he was appointed to announce Australia’s Eurovision artist of that year, Isaiah. Also that year, he wrote special lyrics for the Brandenburg Orchestra’s Christmas concerts and co-hosted Triple M’s Radio Chaser. He is the co-author of The Chaser’s Australia and is currently writing a musical.

Christine Anu

Christine Anu is a national treasure and Australia’s most iconic female Indigenous Entertainer. Trained in dance at the National Aboriginal Islander Skills Development Association (NAISDA) her illustrious career spans over 25 years including music, theatre, dance, film and television. Christine is a multi-award winning recording artist, including ARIA Song of the Year for My Island Home, ARIA Best Female Artist for Stylin Up, ARIA Best Video for Bazmark’s Now Until The Break of Day with David Hobson and many Deadly, Green Room and Sydney Theatre Awards.

Alice Chance

Alice Chance is a sought-after composer, lyricist, conductor, arranger, and music director. A finalist in 2018 APRA Art Music Awards, Alice regularly writes commissioned work for Australia's foremost art music ensembles. She has created music for organisations as diverse as Barangaroo Delivery Authority, The Art Gallery of NSW, and Belvoir Street Theatre. Alice wrote the song ‘Data Dust’, performed by rock legend Ella Hooper in Eurovision Australia Decides 2019.

Ella Hooper: 'Data Dust' Watch Ella Hooper's performance of 'Data Dust' at 'Eurovision - Australia Decides'

Lewis Hobba

Lewis is a comedian, writer, and broadcaster who has performed around the country from Splendour in the grass to the Sydney Opera House. He hosts a radio show on national youth music station Triple J with his school friend Veronica Milsom.

Mark Cummins

Mark Cummins is Content Manager at SBS Audio and Languages. He has a long career in broadcasting, starting with Asahi Broadcasting Corporation in Japan in 1990. He has played a leading role in transforming SBS Radio’s programming, including the digital pop music brands, SBSPopAsia and SBSPopDesi – which showcase the best of the Asian pop music and encourage audiences to explore the diversity of cultures in Australia and around the world.