Bulgaria's Dara wins the 2026 Eurovision Song Contest

VIENNA - Dara won the 2026 Eurovision Song Contest in Austria for Bulgaria with the song "Bangaranga" in the early hours of Sunday.

Dara gave Bulgaria its first Eurovision victory with 516 points. Runner-up with 343 points was Israel's Noam Bettan with "Michelle," followed by Romania's Alexandra Căpitănescu with "Choke Me" (296 points).

Finland - a standout favorite in betting markets and among fans with duo Linda Lampenius and Pete Parkkonen's song "Liekinheitin" ("Flamethrower") blending classical violin and pulsing pop elements in a stage performance featuring jets of fire - finished sixth with 279 points.

Political tensions over Israel's participation cast a shadow over the 70th edition of the competition.

Spain, the Netherlands, Ireland, Slovenia and Iceland boycotted in protest against Israel's military campaign in Gaza, which was launched after the Hamas-led attacks on Oct. 7, 2023.

Hours before the final was to get underway, several thousand people took to the streets in Vienna to protest Israel taking part. A pro-Palestinian protest just before the final began led to a large police operation in the Austrian capital. Fourteen people were arrested.

The protesters accused Eurovision organizers of hypocrisy for allowing Israel to compete, as Russia was excluded in 2022 for its invasion of Ukraine.

They carried signs reading "Free Palestine" and "Block Eurovision," and chanted the contentious slogan "From the river to the sea - Palestine will be free."

The Palestinian ambassador in Vienna, Salah Abdel Shafi, told protesters Israel's inclusion was "an insult to art, to culture, to music and to humanity," accusing Israel of genocide and ethnic cleansing.

The Israeli government rejects the accusations.

Security around the event was tightened amid the tensions, with police braced for further demonstrations. Access to the venue, the Vienna Stadthalle, as well as fan zones and after-show locations, is subject to strict security checks, and a no-drone zone has been imposed around event sites.

Austria secured hosting rights after countertenor JJ won last year's contest in Basel, Switzerland for his operatic pop ballad "Wasted Love."

As host nation, Austria automatically qualified for the final alongside the so-called "Big Five" financial contributors - France, the United Kingdom, Italy, Spain and Germany - although Spain is not participating this year.

This year's contest features revised voting rules. In the semifinals, where 10 countries were eliminated, the outcome was no longer decided solely by public vote, with national juries once again accounting for half of the points - a system previously used only in the final.

In addition, the maximum number of votes per viewer via app, SMS and phone was reduced from 20 to 10. The European Broadcasting Union, which organizes the contest, said the move followed last year's result, when Israel's entrant Yuval Raphael secured second place on the back of a strong public vote, prompting speculation about coordinated voting efforts.

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This story was originally published May 16, 2026 at 7:40 PM.