Eurovision Song Contest 2020: Bracket Challenge!

The Eurovision Song Contest has been held every summer in Europe since 1956. More than 50 counties are eligible to compete each year (all of Europe plus Israel and Australia). Each participating country selects an original song and an artist to perform it at the grand finale - some are selected by committee, but most these days are selected through televised competitions such as The Voice Azerbaijan or Ukraine's Got Talent. The grand finale - a live stage spectacle that involves a complex formula of country-by-country votes - is one of the most-watched shows of the year throughout Europe.

Winning Eurovision is not only a source of pride, but also a path to international stardom for both the song and the artist - Lulu sang "Boom Bang-a-Bang" to lead the United Kingdom to victory in 1969; ABBA went on to worldwide fame after winning for Sweden with "Waterloo" in 1974; and Celine Dion - representing Switzerland - won in 1988 singing a French-language ballad, "Ne Partez Pas Sans Moi (Do Not Go Without Me)."

This year, 41 countries were poised to compete in Rotterdam before the pandemic scuttled those plans. But the songs and artists had already been chosen, so we've taken this opportunity to prepare a bracket and let you help us choose a winner for Eurovision 2020! According to the rules of the competition, six countries automatically advance to the finals: France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the United Kingdom, and the host country (this year that would have been the Netherlands). We followed that rule and then added our 10 favorites from among the remaining 36 entries to come up with a sixteen-song bracket.