On Saturday, May 16, 2026, the Austrian capital Vienna hummed to the beat of the 70th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest! For more than 2 hours, the representatives of the 25 finalist countries went head to head in tunes, delivering some memorable moments—from Croatia’s group Lelek to Denmark’s Søren Torpegaard Lund. Other performances aimed for a rockier edge (Romania’s Alexandra Căpitănescu, and Serbia’s Lavina), zanier energies (Greece’s Akylas and Britain’s Sam Bartle aka Look Mum No Computer), or more touching notes (France’s Monroe and Ukraine’s Leléka).
After the performances, it was time for the famed (and interminable) vote session (jury and public) where each country had to award points to its ten favorite songs.
More than four hours after the grand final kicked off, the 70th edition of Eurovision finally revealed the 2026 winner and named the artist succeeding the Austrian JJ, last year’s champion. Drumroll... The title goes to Bulgarie thanks to its entrant Dara!
Representing Bulgaria this year, Dara has captivated audiences around the globe with her song “Bangaranga” and a stunning live show. A notable achievement for the Varna-born artist, she takes first place at the Eurovision Song Contest with 516 points. With this win, Bulgaria secures the title for the very first time. The country will now have the honor of hosting the 71st edition of Eurovision, scheduled for spring 2027.
Just behind Dara, we find Noam Bettan, the Israeli contestant. Finally, Alexandra Căpitănescu, Romania's representative, steps onto the third rung of the podium. As for Linda Lampenius and Pete Parkkonen, the duo fueling Finland's hopes and the bookmakers' big favorites this year, they ultimately finish in sixth place.
What about France, this year represented by Monroe ? The singer finished in 11th place with her track Regarde !. Unfortunately, the young French artist couldn't do better than Louane, who placed 7th last year, or Barbara Pravi, who came in 2nd in 2021 with her song Voilà.
Official website
eurovision.tv
