How Winners Are Chosen at the Sanremo Music Festival

One of the most common questions viewers ask every year is: how are winners chosen at the Sanremo Music Festival?
The answer is more complex than it may appear on screen.
Unlike many music competitions where a single vote decides everything, Sanremo uses a layered system that unfolds over several nights. Understanding this process helps explain why results can be surprising, controversial, or even misunderstood.

​Winning at Sanremo Is a Process, Not a Moment

At the Sanremo Music Festival, winners are not decided by a single performance or a single vote.
Instead:

• rankings evolve over multiple nights
• different voting bodies contribute at different stages
• ​partial results influence later outcomes

This means that the final winner is the result of accumulated evaluation, not a one-time judgment

​The Role of Multiple Voting Bodies

One of the defining features of how winners are chosen at the Sanremo Music Festival is the presence of multiple voting groups.
These may include:

• professional juries
• demoscopic panels representing selected viewers
• public televoting

Each group brings a different perspective:

• experts focus on musical and technical quality
• panels aim to reflect broader audience taste
• ​the public responds emotionally and immediately

The balance between these voices is what gives Sanremo its unique character.

​Why Results Often Surprise Viewers

Many viewers expect the most popular or most talked-about song to win.
At Sanremo, this expectation often clashes with reality.
This happens because:

• expert juries may value composition and performance over popularity
• cumulative voting can amplify consistency rather than hype
• early rankings can influence later stages

As a result, songs that grow slowly over the week often outperform early favorites

​The Importance of Repeated Performances

Another key factor in how winners are chosen is repetition.
Artists perform the same song multiple times, allowing:

• performances to improve
• audiences to listen more carefully
• opinions to evolve

This repeated exposure reduces the impact of first impressions and rewards songs with depth and staying power

​Final Rankings and the Last Night

The final night of the Sanremo Music Festival brings together:

• cumulative scores from previous rounds
• final performances
• decisive voting phases

While the last night feels dramatic, it rarely overturns the entire trajectory of the competition.
In most cases, the winner reflects patterns that have been building throughout the week.

​How This Fits Into the Overall Festival Structure

The way winners are chosen cannot be separated from how the Sanremo Music Festival works as a whole.
If you are unfamiliar with the festival’s format, start with our Sanremo Music Festival guide, which explains the structure, nights, and logic behind the event.
Understanding the system makes the final result feel far less random.

​Why Understanding the Winner Selection Changes Everything

Once you understand how winners are chosen at the Sanremo Music Festival, you begin to notice:

• recurring patterns
• strategic performances
• predictable controversies

The festival stops being confusing and starts becoming readable.
This deeper understanding is what turns casual viewing into informed appreciation.

This article explains how winners are chosen.
The ebook goes further, analyzing voting logic, historical trends, and recurring dynamics that explain why certain songs succeed over time.
👉 Get the Sanremo Music Festival ebook