Bulgaria wins Eurovision Song Contest for the first time as Malta places 18th

Malta finished 18th at the 70th Eurovision Song Contest on Saturday, scoring 89 points, as Bulgaria claimed its first-ever victory in the competition with Dara's party anthem "Bangaranga."

Aidan received 81 points from the national juries but only eight from the public vote — matching Malta's televote score from last year, when Miriana Conte also received eight points from viewers.

The 26-year-old singer-songwriter has been on a lengthy road to Eurovision, having first competed in Malta's national selection back in 2018. He won this year's Malta Eurovision Song Contest with 'Bella'.

The contest came down to the wire, with Israel leading in the final 20 minutes of voting. Bulgaria's Dara had collected 312 points from the jury, leaving Israel on 343 points overall — but the public vote pushed Bulgaria to a final total of 516 points, securing the win.

It is the first time Bulgaria has won the contest.

The next Eurovision Song Contest will be held in Bulgaria.

Eurovision is the world's biggest live televised music event, typically drawing more than 150 million viewers.

The contest has carried a stronger political tone than usual this year, with Spain, Ireland, Slovenia, the Netherlands and Iceland all withdrawing over Israel's war in the Gaza Strip, the biggest political withdrawal in the show's history.