Eurovision Song Contest 2022: How to vote, is there a Eurovision app, can UK viewers vote for Sam Ryder and how does the voting system work?

Here's how you can vote for your favourite performance in the Eurovision Song Contest 2022.

Fans will get their chance to have a say on who will be in the running to triumph, with many on the edge of their seats to see who receives the dreaded single point.

The annual event, which is watched by around 180 million people each year, has seen changes to the voting and ranking system in recent years, with experts claiming that the new way makes the competition fairer.

When is Eurovision 2022?

But how does the voting system work and can you vote online?

Here's everything you need to know:

How do you vote for your favourite performance?

Televotes are the main way to vote during the Eurovision Song Contest.

These are the votes made by the public watching at home and viewers can vote in the semi-finals as well as the grand final.

Voting will open after all countries have performed and it will remain open for around 15 minutes.

Viewers can vote via phone, text message or through the BBC Eurovision webpage.

Every country, regardless of whether they made it through to the final, can vote in the final, but not every country votes in both semi-finals.

Is there a Eurovision app?

Viewers can also vote for their favourite act through the Eurovision app.

The app is available on both the Apple App Store and Google Play.

Who are the 'Big Five'?

The 'Big Five' includes the UK, France, Germany, Italy and Spain.

These countries can only vote in one semi-final which is assigned to them ahead of time.

For Eurovision 2022, the UK will be voting in the second Semi-Final, which will take place on Thursday, May 12.

Can UK viewers vote for Sam Ryder?

Even if you live in the UK and TikTok star Sam Ryder is your favourite this year, you cannot vote for your own country.

The BBC's broadcast usually blocks out any voting information relevant to the UK so viewers do not make any mistakes.

What are Eurovision jury votes?

Performances during the contest will also be judged by a panel of experts from each country.

This was the only way winners were decided in the contest until televoting was introduced in 1997.

Each jury is made up of six experts who rank their favourite songs, allocating 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10 and 12 points.

How are votes counted?

The countries taking part in the competition are initially ranked on where they are placed in the jury vote and then they are allocated a number of points depending on the votes made by viewers.

This has been the method of announcing the results since 2016.

Before the method was introduced, the votes were combined and announced in one go.

Often there are big disparities between the jury’s favourite performances and the public’s favourites, therefore experts argue that the new method of voting is fairer to the contestants.

Who is presenting this year's Eurovision Song Contest?

Pop star Mika will take the stage alongside Laura Pausini and Alessandro Cattelan to host this year's Eurovision Song Contest.

Graham Norton will be back commentating for the UK on BBC One and Strictly Come Dancing finalist AJ Odudu will announce how the UK have voted in the finale.