Bulgaria with DARA wins the Eurovision Song Contest 2026 in a 70th anniversary marked by the controversial participation of Israel

The Eurovision Song Contest 2026 culminates its 70th edition with the victory of Bulgaria. After a decisive night with its Grand Final held this Saturday, May 16, from 21:00 CEST at the Wiener Stadthalle in Vienna, the European contest has chosen the best entry of the year: DARA and her song «Bangaranga» representing Bulgaria have won the coveted crystal microphone.

Vienna, the European capital of music, hosted the third Eurovision Song Contest in its history, following the editions of 1967 and 2015. Victoria Swarovski and Michael Ostrowski were the presenters of this 70th edition, with the collaboration of Emily Busvine from the Viennese green room.

Despite reaching its 70th anniversary, the European contest took place in a climate of unprecedented tension and protests. Israel’s presence in the competition led to the largest boycott in the history of the contest, with the withdrawal of five countries (Slovenia, Spain, Ireland, Iceland, and the Netherlands) after refusing to share the stage with the Israeli representative.

All of this has taken place alongside protests and demonstrations organized throughout the entire week in the Austrian capital. Pro-Palestinian activists believe that the European contest cannot serve as a platform for international whitewashing for Israel. Added to this are Israel’s constant attempts to disrupt the balance of the Eurovision voting through massive promotional campaigns, such as the one launched in the days leading up to the live shows, which ultimately forced the EBU to intervene and stop the promotional strategy.

Who won Eurovision 2026? Review the results of the Grand Final

In total, 25 entries competed for the crystal microphone in the Grand Final of the Eurovision Song Contest 2026. Notably, Spain’s absence due to the boycott of the festival over Israel’s participation reduced the number of finalist entries, something that had not happened since Turin 2022, an edition organized by Italy, whose broadcaster is part of the contest’s “Big Five” group.

The winner of the Eurovision Song Contest 2026 was decided through the votes of the viewers (including those from the “Rest of the World”) and the national juries, providing a broader perspective on who deserved to win the crystal microphone.

In the Grand Final, the participating countries were subject to the verdict of the professional jury (49.4%) and the televote plus online vote (50.6%). Voting was carried out by viewers from the participating countries, as well as those from countries that failed to qualify from the semifinals, together with the “Rest of the World” (through the new esc.vote platform). As a novelty, the expert panels increased to seven members, with two of them representing a younger profile.