The Eurovision Awards 2025

Somehow 2025 is almost at an end. I don’t know about you, but I think it’s absolutely flown by, and it feels like such a lot has happened. As we close this chapter, I wanted to take a look back at the year in Eurovision and give recognition to some of its stars. To do so, I have created my ‘Eurovision Awards’, which I will be using to reflect on what the contest has offered us over this past year. The categories, nominees and winners have all been determined by a panel of one, so there may be a little bit of personal bias present, but I have never claimed to be objective!

I would like to clarify that these awards are not in any way related to the official ‘Eurovision Awards’ organised by the EBU’s social media channels. I haven’t seen much about them this year but know that they have taken place in previous years so wish to re-affirm that I alone have chosen these categories and their respective winners.

 

Song of the Year

To be awarded to the best competing entry in this year’s Eurovision Song Contest.

I don’t think that Eurovision 2025 will be remembered for the quality of its songs. Coming after what was, in my opinion, quite a strong field in 2024, this year was always going to feel like a step down to a certain extent, however, I can’t see most of this year’s songs being remembered as ‘classics’ in years to come. That’s not to say, though, that there weren’t any good offerings. Several countries really pulled it out of the bag this year – and not always the usual suspects! 2025 saw Denmark break a four-year non-qualification streak, and Malta and San Marino both qualified for the final for the first time since 2021. We had a fabulous variety of genres and languages on display as well, with this contest being the most linguistically diverse in recent memory. It was difficult to single out three of this year’s 37 competing entries for nomination, but here are my choices:

•         “Zjerm” – Shkodra Elektronike (Albania)
•         “Maman” – Louane (France)
•         “Voyage” – Zoë Më (Switzerland)

Maybe it’s just something about the French language in Eurovision, but I think both France and Switzerland brought beautiful songs to the contest this year. Both had deep meanings and were performed excellently by their respective singers. I was very pleased to see these entries recognised in the Marcel Bezençon awards and was most disappointed by their low televote scores. However, I will be giving this year’s award to Albania. “Zjerm” has been my favourite of the Eurovision 2025 cohort ever since it was selected for the contest (now more than a year ago!) and I think it’s just fantastic. The way the song’s ethnic roots are blended with more contemporary elements makes for a brilliant listening experience, and it was performed very well by Beatriçe and Kolë in Basel. I am so glad that this was the song to bring Albania into the top ten for only the third time since the country’s debut in 2004, though I will maintain that it should have finished higher with the juries and given Albania its best Eurovision result ever.

 

National Final Song of the Year

To be awarded to the best non-winning entry in a national selection for this year’s Eurovision Song Contest.

We had a lot of national finals this year. A total of 26 countries used a selection show to choose their Eurovision entry, with Israel selecting Yuval Raphael through a televised competition before choosing their song internally. Before I share my nominations, I must disclose that I haven’t listened to every competing entry in each of these national selections – I think I would have been there forever! That does perhaps mean that I shouldn’t be making decisions about which songs were the best, but I’ve decided to just compare the entries I have heard. This includes most of the field in some selections (including some of the big-hitters like Sweden’s Melodifestivalen) and a few that seemed to pique the interest of fans, such as The Ludvig’s “Līgo” from Supernova in Latvia. Of all of these, I have chosen three which really wouldn’t have looked out of place had they made it to Eurovision:

•         “Karnaval” – Elvana Gjata (Festivali i Këngës, Albania)
•         “Made Of” – Goldielocks (Uuden Musiikin Kilpailu, Finland)
•         “Revolution” – Måns Zelmerlöw (Melodifestivalen, Sweden)

I would also like to give an honourable mention to “Balorda nostalgia” by Olly, which was a lovely song from Italy’s Sanremo Music Festival; however, since it actually won the competition, it doesn’t qualify for this award. “Karnaval” was an early highlight of this year’s national final season, as FiK happens so early on, and was very much the favourite to win among much of the Eurovision fan community before losing narrowly to Shkodra Elektronike. Both “Made Of” and “Revolution” were fairly unremarkable songs enhanced massively by their stage performances. They both won the jury vote in their respective national selections before losing to more bombastic televote favourites. For me, this award has to go to “Revolution”. This song, and Måns himself, has received so much hate from Eurovision fans this year and I think the vast majority of it is unwarranted and undeserved. Whilst I understand people’s grievances with past winners returning to the contest, I honestly believe that this song would have at least equalled KAJ’s result in Basel, and on a good day could have challenged JJ for the victory.

Artist of the Year

To be awarded to the competing artist in this year’s Eurovision Song Contest who approached the contest with the best attitude and embodied the spirit of Eurovision.

For me, one of the best parts of the Eurovision pre-season is seeing the connections between the different artists. Despite the obvious language and cultural barriers, we often see the majority of the year’s competitors coming together at several pre-parties throughout March and April, often creating memorable moments and forming lasting friendships in the process. Even beyond that, sometimes we can just tell how much Eurovision means to its competing artists, and that is always clear from their enthusiasm in everything they do. To take an example from this year, I think Remember Monday were fantastic ambassadors for the UK thanks to their hard work, enduring positivity and clear love for the Eurovision Song Contest. For this award, I have chosen another three artists who have stood out to me over the course of 2025:

•         Sissal (Denmark)
•         Miriana Conte (Malta)
•         Kyle Alessandro (Norway)

These three artists clearly formed a strong connection in Basel this year. Alongside Austria’s JJ, they have provided some absolutely golden moments on social media and have generally been great fun to follow from the perspective of a fan. However, I am going to single out Miriana Conte as the stand-out competitor of this year. She has had one of the craziest Eurovision journeys of any contestant ever, having to change the lyrics of her competing song with little notice and making headlines internationally weeks before the contest itself. This is unheard of for any Eurovision contestant, but particularly impressive for someone from a country as small as Malta. So much of Miriana’s journey has seemed almost too ridiculous to be believed, from the accident she was involved in shortly after winning the national selection to the eventual Eurovision performance which was camp to the point of absurdity; however, Miriana handled everything so well, with her ‘diva down’ catchphrase reflecting her determination and enthusiasm for the contest, and desire to share the experience with her fans. She has been great to watch this year, and it has been lovely to see her blossoming friendships with several other artists.

Vocalist(s) of the Year

To be awarded to the competing artist in this year’s Eurovision Song Contest who displayed the most impressive vocal capacity.

One of the four criteria that Eurovision jurors are asked to consider when casting their votes is “the vocal capacity of the performer(s)”. This is often seen to elevate the packages with a strong live performance, as opposed to a popular song with a less-than-impressive delivery. However, I’ve seen several figures in the Eurovision fan community criticising this criterion, saying that the points should be awarded solely based on the strength of the songs. Artists such as Dami Im and Gjon’s Tears have been cited as examples of Eurovision performers providing the juries with a drastically different package to that performed in the main show. For what it’s worth, I think strong vocals are something to be celebrated at Eurovision, and their current weighting is probably appropriate, giving jurors the chance to consider other things as well. A strong vocal delivery can make or break a performance, so here are my three choices for this year’s stand-out singer:

•         JJ (Austria)
•         Tautumeitas (Latvia)
•         Remember Monday (United Kingdom)

JJ’s inclusion on this shortlist probably needs no explanation. “Wasted Love”, criticised by some for being too similar to last year’s winner “The Code”, allowed him to showcase the best of his vocal ability with such an intricate chorus that explains in no small part his victory with the national juries. Tautumeitas and Remember Monday have, for me, similar appeal in the vocal department. Both are groups of female performers who use harmonies to add to the delivery of their respective songs. Much like Austria, both Latvia and the UK were helped by this in the jury vote this year, and all three countries scored more highly with the jury than the televote. This year’s award is going to Remember Monday. Yes, I am from the UK (again, I have never claimed to be objective) but I honestly believe that this is very well-deserved. The three girls’ delivery of “What The Hell Just Happened?” probably saved the UK from another dreadful bottom-five result in Basel and earned us 12 cheesy points from Topo Gigio. One only needs to have a listen to some of Remember Monday’s back catalogue, or even the cover of “Húsavík” that they released for the Eurovision social media channels, to get an impression of the incredible talent these women have to offer.

 

Performance of the Year

To be awarded to the competing entry in this year’s Eurovision Song Contest who produced the best on-stage performance.

Every year, it feels like the performances at Eurovision get bigger and better, and 2025 was no exception. This year gave us energetic choreography, artists with fantastic stage presence, and multiple flying singers! Melody from Spain threw everything bar the kitchen sink at her performance of “Esa diva”, and Italy’s Lucio Corsi brought us the first live instrument at Eurovision in many years when he incorporated his harmonica into “Volevo essere un duro”. This year showed more than ever that the performance of a song is crucial. We saw several shocking results, both in the semi-finals and the final, with favoured countries underperforming and perceived underdogs doing better than expected after a solid live performance. After all, the vast majority of the Eurovision audience will only hear each song once, so it’s important to present something attention-grabbing. With that in mind, here are my stand-out performances of 2025:

•         “Ich Komme” – Erika Vikman (Finland)
•         “Bur man laimi” – Tautumeitas (Latvia)
•         “Gaja” – Justyna Steczkowska (Poland)

Erika gave everything to her performance this year, and it was clear on the night how much the crowd enjoyed her show. Her bombast and stage presence is off the charts, and I struggle to think of another package that has created quite the same energy in the arena. The ladies of Tautumeitas brought incredible artistry to the Eurovision stage, with a show that was clean, polished and wonderfully authentic. It was nothing short of enchanting and, much like Erika, created a unique atmosphere on stage. Justyna Steczkowska casually threw herself into a three-minute acrobatic workout at the age of 52, all whilst belting out some of the most impressive notes of the contest. The level of endurance required to pull it all off cannot be understated. Whilst all three would be a worthy winner, I’ve decided to give this year’s award to Tautumeitas, for a performance which transformed “Bur man laimi” from a song considered a borderline qualifier by most into one that finished second, only behind Israel, in a televote-only semi-final; and reached the left-hand side of the board on Saturday night. Latvia should be very proud of this entry, which gave the country its second consecutive qualification.

Staging of the Year

To be awarded to the competing entry in this year’s Eurovision Song Contest who produced the best stage show.

I think there is an important distinction to be made between ‘performance’ and ‘staging’. Whilst the two areas definitely do overlap, I consider performance as referring more to the stage presence of the artist, choreography and the overall impression given by the song, whilst staging includes everything from physical props to the camera angles and lighting cues. We’ve seen several Eurovision songs in years gone by be absolutely transformed by the staging, including Kate Miller-Heidke’s “Zero Gravity” in 2019 and Bambie Thug’s “Doomsday Blue” last year. However, there have been a few entries brought down by poor stage shows – some countries are particularly notorious for this (yes, I do mean Belgium). This year saw a chandelier brought to the ground for the UK, JJ performing in black and white with a paper boat and Theo Evan challenging the Vitruvian man. However, I have selected three different entries as my personal favourites:

•         “La poupée monte le son” – Laura Thorn (Luxembourg)
•         “Bara bada bastu” – KAJ (Sweden)
•         “Voyage” – Zoë Më (Switzerland)

These choices may seem slightly eclectic, but hopefully my reasons for each will become clear. Luxembourg’s song this year was one that I enjoyed from the get-go, but at times seemed like it was being underappreciated by the fan community on the whole. However, I think it was staged very cleverly, with plenty of imagery to allude to the song’s meaning and Laura beginning the song lying down, lined up perfectly with the floor projections. Sweden did their usual trick of bringing almost an identical performance from Melodifestivalen, with KAJ creating a whole sauna scene on stage in Basel. This entire performance was such fun, and the way it was staged allowed the audience at home to share the joy of the song, whilst not forgetting about the crowd in the arena. However, I’m giving this award to the simple yet effective “Voyage” from Switzerland. The performance was so different to everything else on the night, and kept the attention on Zoë throughout. When this song was performed in exhibition during the first semi-final, we saw exactly how much this show relied on the camerawork, and exactly how wrong it could all go with the slightest issue. For this intricacy, and for stripping everything right back to basics, Switzerland deserve this award this year.

Outfit of the Year

To be awarded to the competing artist in this year’s Eurovision Song Contest who performed their song in the best costume.

One Eurovision tradition that no longer exists is the Barbara Dex award. This was handed out every year from 1999 until 2021 by various Eurovision fan websites to the worst-dressed artist of that year’s contest. Understandably, this was eventually considered too negative for Eurovision, and was replaced by the ‘You’re a Vision’ award for the “most notable” outfit of the year. This too didn’t last, but I would like to celebrate some of Eurovision’s best outfits. This year, it was arguably presenter Hazel Brugger who stole the show with most of her outfits, including one number that seemed to consist largely of CDs; however, as she was not a competing artist, I can’t shortlist her for the award. Other notable costumes included Remember Monday’s ‘Powerpuff girls’ outfits and a somewhat revealing suit from Go-Jo, but here are my three nominees for this year’s award:

•         Klavdia (Greece)
•         Yuval Raphael (Israel)
•         Melody (Spain)

Klavdia performed in a lovely, sophisticated black dress, even incorporating a costume change towards the end of her performance which I’m still not quite sure how she managed to pull off. The outfit matched the mood of “Asteromáta” perfectly and contributed in no small part to a wonderful performance. Despite the controversy surrounding her appearance at the contest, I thought Yuval’s outfit was another classy number which fit very well with the rest of her stage show and didn’t take too much attention away from the song or Yuval’s vocals. Melody performed “Esa diva” in a very shiny silver number that felt more modern than the song itself. The outfit was striking and exactly the right level of kitschy camp to match the song. I’m giving this award to Melody for the reasons stated above, and for the fact that this costume gave as much to the performance as any other element. Again, it matched the song very well and allowed Melody to execute every single part of her jam-packed show without snatching much of the focus. Ultimately, I think this was both a chic, stylish outfit and one that worked well with the rest of the performance, hence I see it as a deserving winner.

Non-Qualifier of the Year

To be awarded to the best competing entry in this year’s Eurovision Song Contest which failed to qualify for the final.

This year’s qualifiers from both semi-finals were some of the most shocking overall sets of results that I can remember. We always have one or two that make it against the odds, or a fan favourite that bows out early, but this year that seemed to happen time and again, with multiple surprises on both Tuesday and Thursday. For example, I hadn’t expected Iceland or Portugal to make it out of the first semi-final, particularly over the likes of Belgium and Cyprus, whilst the second semi-final, which was always going to be a nail-biter, saw Latvia, Denmark and Armenia qualifying, none of which I had predicted. Failing to make it to Saturday night doesn’t necessarily mean the end of an artist’s Eurovision story, however, as several non-qualifying songs have been remembered as classics by the fans, so will any of this year’s cohort reach that status? Here are my nominations:

•         “Run With U” – Mamagama (Azerbaijan)
•         “Kiss Kiss Goodbye” – Adonxs (Czechia)
•         “Mila” – Princ (Serbia)

I expect my inclusion of Azerbaijan may have raised a few eyebrows, but putting the less-than-ideal live performance aside for a moment, I think this was the best song the country has sent to Eurovision for a few years – and could have done better with a jury vote. Whilst I understand why “Run With U” didn’t make the cut, I still want to give the song some acknowledgement. Czechia was probably one of the most surprising non-qualifiers of the year. I think it was sunk by a disappointing vocal outing for Adonxs combined with a lack of immediacy and a misplaced dance break meaning that audiences couldn’t necessarily connect to the song as well as everything else. Both of these songs are, in my opinion, of a fairly good quality, however, I am going for Serbia as the winner of this award. For me, this was an exercise in listening to the world around me. As predictor after predictor left Serbia out of the grand final, I continued to (metaphorically) put my fingers in my ears, unable to comprehend how a song this good could miss out. I love “Mila”, and thought the tried and tested Balkan ballad would see Serbia through to the final relatively comfortably. I was very disappointed that this was the entry to break Serbia’s qualification streak, and would therefore like to honour it here.

Most Improved

To be awarded to the competing entry in this year’s Eurovision Song Contest that improved most from its original release to the Eurovision performance.

Some songs hit you from the very start and remain a firm favourite throughout the Eurovision season – “Zjerm” was one of those for me this year. However, some take a little longer to hit their stride. Whether it’s a revamp making the song more Eurovision-appropriate, a pre-party performance convincing me of its quality, or just an excellent on-stage performance, it’s always nice when a more unsuspecting entry sneaks up on you to become a favourite as the contest approaches. Moldova’s 2022 entry “Trenuleţul” is one of the best examples of a ‘grower’ for me: a song I didn’t think too much of when it was first selected for the contest, but absolutely loved by the time it reached the stage in Turin. This year, Spain’s entry was improved by a revamp, and I much preferred Malta’s entry when it became “Serving”, but who have I chosen for the award?

•         “Baller” – Abor & Tynna (Germany)
•         “Asteromáta” – Klavdia (Greece)
•         “La poupée monte le son” – Laura Thorn (Luxembourg)

Both “Baller” and “Asteromáta” came alive on stage for me. I really didn’t think much to the German entry before the contest this year and completely wrote it off, whilst Klavdia was struggling to make an impact on me despite her excellent vocals. However, I was very impressed with both of their live performances on the night, and was pleased to see them do well in the end. Both are now songs that I listen to more regularly than I did before Basel. The version of “La poupée monte le son” that competed in the Luxembourg Song Contest was, in my opinion, significantly worse than what we saw at Eurovision, as the song received a revamp in March which, to me, gave it that extra bit of polish to help it on the big stage. This year’s winner of the ‘Most Improved’ award will be Germany. I am on record on this blog saying, multiple times, that I thought Abor & Tynna would be finishing last in the final, a combination of poor vocal performances leading up to the contest and the song taking a while to land with me. However, I was delighted to see most of the issues with the performance ironed out in Basel and “Baller” was given a slight revamp which just made it fit that bit better in the show. It was great to hear the German language in Eurovision again, and I am glad that the country earned a respectable result with this song.

Music Video of the Year

To be awarded to the competing entry in this year’s Eurovision Song Contest which had the best official music video.

The final ‘regular’ category of my Eurovision Awards is for the best music video. This is something that probably doesn’t make a huge difference to the final Eurovision results, given that most of the viewing audience will only see the eventual live performance; however, it really shapes the perception of a song by the fans throughout the Eurovision season. The right music video should, in my opinion, match the vibe of its song exactly, and give an impression of what its live performance will look like. Granted, this is easier for some songs than others, and of course some songs never get an official music video, with a national final performance being used instead, but I have re-watched all of this year’s videos to produce the following shortlist of nominees:

•         “Espresso Macchiato” – Tommy Cash (Estonia)
•         “Serving” – Miriana Conte (Malta)
•         “What The Hell Just Happened?” – Remember Monday (United Kingdom)

I don’t think it’s a secret that I don’t like “Espresso Macchiato” as a song, but even I must admit that its music video captured its ridiculous nature very well. It’s silly, non-sensical and very, very Tommy Cash. I was glad, though, when Tommy stepped things up a bit for the live performance in Basel. Malta’s entry went up in my estimation this year when the name was changed from “Kant” to “Serving”, with controversial lyrics removed and a bit of a revamp given to the rest of the song. At the same time, the music video was released and it is a celebration of both Miriana herself and the song’s message of unapologetic self-celebration. Again, it’s very silly but works in its own way. The big country house worked so well as a setting for the UK’s music video this year. It perfectly encapsulated both Remember Monday as an artist and the energy of the song itself, and we got a bit of a throwback with the chandelier in the live performance. This award will be going to Malta, for almost the same reason that Miriana won Artist of the Year. The music video for “Serving” was an absolute hoot and an excellent visual expression of Miriana’s chaotic Eurovision journey. As I have already said, it fit the song exactly, and it’s for that reason that it is winning the award.

 

Lifetime Achievement Award

To be awarded to the person (not a competing artist in this year’s Eurovision Song Contest) who has had the greatest impact on the contest over a significant period of time. The winner should be in some way connected to this year’s Eurovision Song Contest.

The final award I have is a little different, and I won’t be making a shortlist for this one. It’s the Lifetime Achievement Award, designed to celebrate those who have been in the Eurovision bubble for much longer than just one year, but was recognised in some way in 2025. Before I decided that the winner of the award should not be one of this year’s competing artists, I considered giving the prize to Justyna Steczkowska for a successful Eurovision return after thirty years. In the end, however, I decided that the award should go to Sandra Studer (or Simó). Sandra was born in Zurich, and represented Switzerland at the Eurovision Song Contest 1991 in Rome at the age of 22. Performing “Canzone per te” in the Italian language, she finished fifth out of twenty-two competing entries. Of course, this year, Switzerland hosted the competition and Sandra was invited back as a presenter. For the semi-finals, she was joined by Hazel Brugger, and Sandra was very much the ‘straight man’ of the partnership, keeping the show on the road whilst Hazel was eating fondue and making funny shapes with her tongue. The addition of Michelle Hunziker for the final only served once again to show Sandra’s presenting ability, as, in my opinion, she was the only one of the three to balance the comic elements of the script with the more serious parts of the show. She also showed us that she’s still got it, delivering multiple memorable performances over the course of the week. Congratulations on a job well done Sandra!

 

That’s it from me for 2025. As I said at the top of this article, it’s been a truly wild ride but I have really enjoyed sharing some of my thoughts on the contest I love so much, and can only hope that some of you have enjoyed reading them as well. If you have – please do consider sharing your thoughts with me or letting me know what you’d like to see on this blog in 2026. There will be more coming very soon, and I am very open to suggestions. Until then, I wish you all a very happy and peaceful New Year.