Every year since 2009, no matter how many artists were featured in the fifth night of the Festival di Sanremo, at the end of the evening there has always been a second round of voting which featured the top 3. This tradition of holding a “Finalissima” vote will continue in 2023, however this year, the final vote will include 5 songs.

Earlier today, Italian broadcaster Rai published rules for Sanremo 2023, and this change was noticeable:

During the Fifth and final evening of Sanremo 2023, at the end of the performances of the 28 artists in the competition, the top 5 ranked songs/artists […] will be voted on again, and no longer just 3.

Following the new vote, the most voted song/artist [of the remaining 5] will be proclaimed the winner of Sanremo 2023. The second, third, fourth and fifth ranked songs may also be announced.

To find the last time a Sanremo Finalissima had more than three artists, we have to go all the way back to 2006, when there were four categories of winners. The winner of each category then went to the Finalissima to determine the winner.

Unchanged for 2023 will be the way in which the winner will be determined. The final results will be split with the televote counting for 34%, the demoscopic jury at 33% and the press vote the other 33%. This year, all those votes will be spread across 5 songs instead of the usual 3.

In the unlikely event of a tie, the public vote will be the deciding vote. If that doesn’t work, the press vote will break the tie, and if somehow there is still no clear winner, the demoscopic jury will have the final say.

What are your thoughts on expanding the Finalissima to 5 songs? Will this make for a better winner? Let us know what you think in the comments below or at our social media @escbubble.

Last year, Mahmood and Blanco stormed to victory at the 72nd Festival di Sanremo, winning the televote, the demoscopic jury, and the press vote. At Eurovision in Turin, the duo secured a 6th place finish with Brividi.