Bulgaria wins Eurovision with Dara 516

DARA won the Eurovision Song Contest in Vienna on May 16 with “Bangaranga,” giving Bulgaria its first victory in the competition, according to results published after the grand final. The Bulgarian singer finished on 516 points in the 70th edition of the contest, ahead of Israel on 343 and Romania on 296. The final was held at Wiener Stadthalle, with 25 countries competing for the trophy and the right to host next year’s event. ### How decisive was Bulgaria’s win? Bulgaria’s margin was clear in both parts of the vote. Eurovisionworld’s published results said DARA won the jury vote with 204 points and the public vote with 312, for a combined 516. Novinite reported that the televote widened Bulgaria’s lead after the juries had already put the country in front. (eurovisionworld.com) Israel finished second on 343 points with Noam Bettan’s “Michelle,” according to Eurovisionworld’s country results page. Romania placed third on 296 points, Novinite reported. France, represented by Monroe with “Regarde!,” finished 11th on 158 points, Eurovisionworld said. ### Who is DARA and what did she perform? DARA represented Bulgaria with “Bangaranga,” a song selected through the country’s national process earlier this year. (novinite.com) Eurovisionworld and Novinite both identified her as the winner for Bulgaria, while Wikipedia’s event page said the songwriters included Darina Yotova — DARA’s given name — along with Anne Judith Wik, Cristian Tarcea and Dimitris Kontopoulos. (eurovisionworld.com) Novinite quoted DARA after the result as saying, “I hope you felt ‘Bangaranga’. I still can’t comprehend what is happening.” The same report said she later described the title as a feeling of strength and overcoming fear. (eurovisionworld.com) ### Where did Bulgaria perform in the final? DARA performed 12th in the running order of the grand final, according to Novinite. Eurovision’s official site published the running order for the May 16 final and listed DARA among the finalists in Vienna. (novinite.com) Vienna hosted the 2026 contest after Austria’s JJ won in Basel in 2025, according to Eurovisionworld’s winners archive and 2026 event page. The 2026 final featured 25 countries, with automatic qualification for Austria as defending champion and for the “Big 4” countries — France, Germany, Italy and the United Kingdom — plus qualifiers from the two semi-finals, Eurovisionworld said. (novinite.com) ### Was this a first for Bulgaria? Eurovisionworld’s winners archive listed Bulgaria as the 2026 winner and showed no previous Bulgarian victory in the contest’s history. Novinite also described the result as a landmark for the country. Wikipedia’s country page for Bulgaria at Eurovision 2026 said DARA had already topped her semi-final with 278 points before going on to win the final. (eurovisionworld.com) That page said Bulgaria had last participated in 2022 before returning in 2026. ### What happens after the result? The Eurovision winner traditionally earns the right for their broadcaster and country to host the next contest, and Eurovisionworld’s report on the final said the Vienna winner took the trophy and “the honor of hosting next year’s Eurovision Song Contest.” Bulgaria’s broadcaster BNT organized DARA’s national selection this year, according to Novinite and Wikipedia’s country page. (en.wikipedia.org) (eurovisionworld.com) Eurovisionworld’s winners archive already lists Bulgaria as the 2026 winner and shows a placeholder entry for 2027, before formal host-city details are announced. Detailed split results and country-by-country voting are available on Eurovision results pages published after the May 16 final. (eurovisionworld.com 1) (eurovisionworld.com 2)