The lights dimmed inside the Wiener Stadthalle as the scoreboard locked. A 27-year-old singer from Varna, Bulgaria, stood still. Then the final number appeared: 516. Dara had just won Bulgaria its first ever Eurovision Song Contest, 21 years after the country first entered the competition.
Dara, whose real name is Darina Yotova, performed "Bangaranga" on Saturday, 16 May 2026, at the 70th edition of Eurovision. She scored 516 points, with 204 from the national juries. She became the first artist to win both the jury and public vote since Portugal's Salvador Sobral in 2017.
Israel's Noam Bettan finished second with 343 points, followed by Romania's Alexandra Căpitănescu in third. Australia's Delta Goodrem placed fourth. The United Kingdom's Sam Battle finished last with just one point.
Only 35 broadcasters competed, the smallest Eurovision in more than two decades. Five countries, including Spain and Ireland, had withdrawn in protest over Israeli participation during the Gaza war. This was the largest coordinated boycott since 1970.
Dara had almost not competed at all. She spoke of "doubt and anxiety" before agreeing to represent Bulgaria. In Bulgaria, she was already famous from The X Factor Bulgaria and The Voice of Bulgaria. But Bulgaria had never won Eurovision before.
The trophy was handed over by JJ, Austria's 2025 winner. By tradition, Bulgaria will now host Eurovision 2027, possibly in Sofia.