Eurovision primer: How does the song contest work?

The 2016 Eurovision Song Contest is hosted by Sweden, the winner of the 2015 competition. (eurovision 2016)

The Eurovision Song Contest -- the longest-running annual televised music competition -- culminates May 14. Here's a look at who participates and how it works.

The competing artists are picked by a television broadcaster in their country that is a member of the European Broadcasting Union. Most participating countries are European, but not all (Israel and Egypt, for example).

Broadcasters in most EBU countries take part. This year, of the 56 EBU member countries, there are 42 countries represented. And broadcasters who participate don't necessarily do so every year. The Eurovision final will be telecast live for the first time on U.S. screens this year, by the Viacom-owned channel Logo.

The acts chosen by their national broadcasters present their songs at the semi-finals, and public and jury voting takes place during the show.

The point system reflects a mix of votes by juries of music professionals and the public, with the latter voting by telephone, SMS or using the official Eurovision app. Voters and juries cannot vote for the entry from their own country.

The top ten vote-winners from each of the semi-finals on May 10 and 12 go on to the final to join the previous year's winner and the Big Five countries, which are all guaranteed a place in the May 14 final.

The Big Five -- France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom -- are the countries that contribute the most to the EBU budget. As last year's winner, Sweden is also the 2016 host.