Acts from 25 countries, whittled down from an initial 35, took the stage at the Wiener Stadthalle arena in Vienna to battle for 70thEurovisionSong Contest the continents pop crown.

Bulgarian singer Dara won with her infectious party anthem Bangaranga, giving the southeast European country its first-ever victory in the competition.

With its infectious beats and tightly choreographed dance routine "Bangaranga" proved a hit with both national juries in participating countries and viewers around the world, whose votes together decide the winner.

This is unbelievable, Dara said at a post-show news conference early Sunday. I dont even know whats going on.

DARA's "Bangaranga" got everybody dancing.

She thanked everyone who felt the bangaranga and felt connected to the force.

We wanted to offer the public something new and fresh, something unexpected, capable of giving Eurovision a new image, she said. Once we can let go of this mask of striving for perfection, thats when we can be true to who we really are," she said.

The 27-year-old performer is an established name in her homeland of 6.5 million people, but had not been among the favorites to win.

Dara: dancing to victory at Eurovision

France's Monroe 'really proud'

Israeli competitor Noam Bettan came second with a trilingual ballad "Michelle".

Romanias Alexandra Cpitnescu came third in the contest with the rock song Choke Me. Australian star Delta Goodremwas fourth with a celestially themed love ballad Eclipse, and Italian crooner Sal Da Vinci came fifth with Per Sempre Si, or Forever Yes.

Delta Goodrem from Australia performs the song "Eclipse".

Finland's entry, "Liekinheitin," or Flamethrower, a love song in Finnish featuring violinist Linda Lampenius and pop singer Pete Parkkonen on a burning set, was the favourite this year, but ended up in sixth place.

Francefinished in 11th place. French-American singer Monroe, 17, was among the favourites before dropping down the bookmakers rankings following the semi-finals.

She delivered an impressive and confident performance with her pop opera song "Regarde!"

"I'm really proud. I think we gave it our all; we put our hearts into that performance. So I'm really happy with what we shared," she told reporters.

Monroe, representing France, performs "Regarde !" during the Grand Final.

Last 10 Eurovision winners

Boos heard at Israel's result

The contest has been clouded for a third year by calls forIsraelto be excluded over its conflicts in Gaza and elsewhere, with five longtime participants - Spain, the Netherlands, Ireland, Iceland and Slovenia - boycotting in protest.

Israel has alleged a global smear campaign against it. Its performance at the final was not, however, marred by any obvious protests, unlike Tuesday's semi-final when four people were ejected for trying to disrupt his performance.

Bettan was loudly cheered for his trilingual rock ballad "Michelle" in Hebrew, French and English, though some booing from the audience wasaudible when Israel's massive points haul from the public vote sent it surging up the table from eighth place to second.

Noam Bettan from Israel performs the song "Michelle".

Eurovision organisers tightened voting rules this year after allegations the country had mounted an intense lobbying campaign to get votes for its competitor.

Israeli public broadcaster KAN received a formal warningfrom organisers a week ago over videos posted online in which Bettan courted votes too aggressively, after a similar controversyinvolving Israel last year.

KAN said it plays by the rules and the videos were immediately taken down.

Finland's Linda Lampenius and Pete Parkkonen, the bookies' favourites, came in 6th place.

Four countries boycott Eurovision after Israel allowed to compete

Eurovision expansion

Hundreds of protesters against Israels inclusion marched near the contest arena before Saturdays final, some holding placards saying Block Eurovision. Pro-Palestinian groups also staged an outdoor concert on Friday under the banner No stage for genocide".

Inviting Israel on such a beautiful stage as the Eurovision Song Contest stage is an affront to all the people who believe in humanity, who believe in love and togetherness, said Congolese-Austrian artist Patrick Bongola, one of the organisers.

As much of Europe was glued to their screens to watch the show, the Spanish broadcaster RTVE displayed a black banner with the following message: Eurovision is a contest, but human rights are not. No indifference. Peace and justice forPalestine.

Demonstrators protest against Israel ahead of the Grand Final of the 70th Eurovision Song Contest in Vienna on May 16, 2026.

Despite the blow to Eurovisions finances and viewership from the boycott, the contest is eyeing expansion, with a spinoff Eurovision Song Contest Asiadue to take place in Bangkokin November.

(with newswires)

Originally published on RFI