Crime & Safety
Who won Eurovision 2026? Full leaderboard and scores
The 2026 competition was held in Vienna, Austria, after their act JJ won the 2025 contest with the song ‘Wasted Love’.
Favourites going into the final included the Finnish duo Pete Parkkonen and Linda Lampenius, and Australian singer Delta Goodrem.
Meanwhile, the UK’s entry was Sam Battle (known by his stage name Look Mum No Computer), who is known for his unusual electronic music.
But how did the votes stack up, and who impressed the juries and viewing public the most?
Who won Eurovision 2026?
The full leaderboard for Eurovision 2026 is as follows:
Bulgaria’s Dara secured victory, with her song ‘Bangaranga’ scoring 516 points.
A tense finale saw Israel in first place until the last points were announced, eventually finishing second with 343 points.
The country’s entrant, Noam Bettan, sang his song ‘Michelle’, in English, Hebrew and French.
Some chants and booing could be heard in the crowd, where many Israeli flags and banners could also be seen.
There were a number of protests in Vienna this week over Israel’s inclusion in the contest amid its actions in Gaza.
Romania’s Alexandra Capitanescu, with the intense pop metal song Choke Me, finished third on 296 points.
Speaking at a press conference after her win, Dara said: “I want to thank my husband, because he was the one to push me to come to Eurovision.
“Because in the beginning I was not sure if I want to come or not, because I had anxiety and doubt with myself, and he was the one that he just pushed me, and he was like, ‘you need to go right now to Eurovision, right now, pick up your phone tell them you’re going’.”
She added: “I’m so thankful that I (got) the chance to be in Eurovision, and every day I’ve been here in this place, I felt safe, protected, loved, supported.
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“I felt that I can do everything, that everything is possible, and I really, truly think that this community is so amazing.
“I will miss you so much, today I woke up, and I almost cried, because I will miss this place, and you all.”
Dara’s win means next year’s contest will take place in the Bulgarian capital, Sofia.
What did you think of Eurovision 2026 this year? Let us know in the comments.
The incident occurred on Grove Road in Sonning Common, and Oxfordshire village on the border with Reading, at about 11.20am on Friday, May 15.
Firefighters from Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue responded to a blaze on the road, sending crews from Reading stations Caversham Road and Whitley wood to the scene.
READ MORE: Police update after man killed on Oxfordshire border
On arrival, crews discovered a fire involving a power pylon.
One hose reel jet was used to extinguish the electrical fire before the crews handed the scene over the engineers from Scottish and Southern Energy, SSE.
The Berkshire firefighters remained at the scene for approximately one hour and 10 minutes before it was successfully extinguished and made safe.
The incident occurred on the A361 Banbury Road in Chipping Warden, close to Banbury, at about 8.30pm on Friday, May 1.
A BMW motorbike was travelling south on Banbury Road when it left the carriageway at the approach to Hogg End Road, coming to rest in the bushes.
READ MORE: Oxfordshire bakery has hundreds of pounds worth stolen
As a result of the single-vehicle collision, the rider of the motorbike, a man in his 40s, died at the scene.
Northamptonshire Police said two men were arrested following the tragic incident, both on suspicion of aiding and abetting causing death by dangerous driving and drink driving.
An update from the force released today, Sunday, May 17, said the two men, who are aged 41 and 34, have been released on police bail ‘pending further investigation’.
Officers from the Serious Collision Investigation Unit earlier asked anyone with information to come forward, quoting incident number 26000251842.
Nathan Stear, of Market End Way, Bicester, appeared at Oxford Crown Court on Friday, May 15.
The 21-year-old is charged with two counts of assault by beating and one count of section 20 grievous bodily harm against three police officers in Banbury on January 27.
He pleaded guilty to the offences.
READ MORE: Didcot Sainsbury’s thief faked rib fracture before escape
In committing these offences, Stear is in breach of a suspended sentence which he received last year for breaching a restraining order against an ex-partner.
This was a 12-month sentence, suspended for two years.
Kelly Purcell-Chandler, mitigating, said: “He was surrounded by four officers.
“There was no intention to cause any harm at all. He is very remorseful for the injury caused.
“This was a blip. He has worked on himself in custody.”
It was agreed to adjourn the sentencing to June 12 for a pre-sentence report.
Judge Maria Lamb said: “There is no indication whatsoever that this will be anything other than immediate custody.”
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