Dara has won the 2026 Eurovision Song Contest for Bulgaria with her catchy song, Bangaranga.
The X Factor Bulgaria alum pulled off the first ever Eurovision win for Bulgaria with a total of 516 points, 204 from the juries (1st) and 312 from the televote (1st).
Dara has achieved huge chart success in her home country, having had multiple No 1 hits on the local music charts. She has also appeared as a coach on The Voice of Bulgaria since 2021, winning twice so far.
Israel finished in second place on Eurovision 2026 night, and Romania in third.
Delta Goodrem did Australia proud, finishing in fourth place with Eclipse.
The United Kingdom, represented by Sam Battle under his stage name Look Mum No Computer, didn’t get close to the fairytale ending fans had hoped for, finishing in last place with only 1 point. In the public vote, he picked up the dreaded nul points, leaving him at the bottom of the leaderboard.
Ahead of his performance, Battle spoke to Radio Times about the prospect of winning.
“It would be nice to win, of course. I won’t be horrified if I don’t win. There are a lot of very good acts that we’re playing with. I’m going for the experience, and regardless of the outcome, I’m going to try my hardest, be myself and have a lot of fun.”
The Eurovision Song Contest has faced criticism this year over its decision to allow Israel to take part in the event despite the ongoing war in Gaza.
A number of countries boycotted the contest following the European Broadcasting Union’s decision not to expel Israel from the competition.
