Bulgaria's Dara has claimed victory at the 70th Eurovision Song Contest with 516 points for her song “Banagaranga.”
Top Performers and Scores
Israel's Noam Bettan secured second place with 343 points for “Michelle,” while Alexandra Căpitănescu from Romania took third with 296 points for “Choke Me.” The United Kingdom finished last with Sam Battle, also known as Look Mum No Computer, performing “Eins, Zwei, Drei.”
Finalists and Notable Entries
The top five were completed by Australia and Italy. Delta Goodrem's “Eclipse” earned fourth place with 287 points, and Sal Da Vinci's “Per Sempre Sì” took fifth with 281 points. Da Vinci had previously won at the Sanremo Music Festival, securing his spot to represent Italy.
Other notable participants included Cyprus's Antigoni, known from “Love Island” Season 8, performing “Jalla.” Delta Goodrem, who gained fame from the Australian soap “Neighbours,” was also a highlight.
Event Details and Host Information
The event was held at the Wiener Stadthalle in Vienna, Austria, celebrating the contest's 70th anniversary with the theme “United by Music.” Hosts included model and singer Victoria Swarovski and actor Michael Ostrowski.
Audience and Jury Voting
This year saw 35 countries participating, with votes split equally between national juries and the audience. Despite protests and a boycott by five countries, Israel managed to place second for the second consecutive year. Noam Bettan moved from fifteenth to first in the jury section, ultimately finishing second due to a strong audience vote.
Bulgaria's 589 audience points secured its first-ever Eurovision win. Last year's winner, Switzerland's JJ, returned to pass the glass trophy to Dara. JJ had won in 2025 with “Wasted Love,” scoring 436 points.
Eurovision, launched in 1956, remains the world's longest-running annual international televised music competition.
Source: https://variety.com/2026/music/global/winner-2026-eurovision-song-contest-bulgaria-1236750873/
