What is the best Eurovision Song Contest winning performance of all time?

From ABBA's Waterloo to Maneskin's rock revolution, Eurovision has delivered legendary winning performances across six decades — which entry delivered the greatest moment in the contest's history?

1

Waterloo – ABBA

The 1974 Swedish entry that launched ABBA onto the world stage and remains the most voted Eurovision winner in the contest's history.

2

Euphoria – Loreen

Loreen's 2012 electrifying stadium anthem that broke Eurovision voting records and became a global nightclub smash.

3

Fairytale – Alexander Rybak

Norway's 2009 record-breaking folk-pop gem, delivered by a violin-playing showman who still holds one of the contest's highest scores.

4

Ne partez pas sans moi – Céline Dion

A powerful ballad performed by a pre-fame Céline Dion for Switzerland in 1988 that launched one of the greatest careers in pop history.

5

Rise Like a Phoenix – Conchita Wurst

Austria's 2014 anthem of self-acceptance that made global headlines and became an enduring symbol of LGBTQ+ pride.

6

Arcade – Duncan Laurence

An intimate indie-pop ballad for the Netherlands in 2019 that became the highest-charting Eurovision winner in years and reached mainstream radio worldwide.

7

Wild Dances – Ruslana

Ukraine's explosive 2004 fusion of folk, rock, and Hutsul culture that placed Ukrainian music on the international map.

8

Hard Rock Hallelujah – Lordi

Finland's monster-costumed 2006 heavy metal act that changed Eurovision forever by winning by the widest margin of the post-televote era.

9

Heroes – Mans Zelmerlow

Sweden's slick 2015 pop performance with innovative shadow-figure animation that captivated all of Europe and set a new staging benchmark.

10

Amar pelos dois – Salvador Sobral

Portugal's 2017 winner: the most unusual modern champion — a quiet, jazz-influenced ballad performed with extraordinary raw vulnerability.

11

Toy – Netta

Israel's quirky 2018 feminist anthem using loop station technology that dominated Eurovision and went globally viral online.

12

1944 – Jamala

Ukraine's 2016 shattering political art song about the Soviet deportation of Crimean Tatars, performed with devastating emotional intensity.

13

Satellite – Lena

Germany's 2010 winner — a catchy, sunny pop song performed by teenage Lena Meyer-Landrut that swept Europe and topped charts nationwide.

14

Zitti e buoni – Maneskin

Italy's explosive 2021 rock winner that launched Måneskin from Eurovision unknowns to one of the world's biggest rock bands.

15

Tattoo – Loreen

Loreen became the first female artist to win Eurovision twice in 2023 with this intense dance-pop masterpiece.

16

Bangaranga – Margarita Georgieva

Bulgaria's first-ever Eurovision win in 2026, an infectious Balkan-pop fusion that captivated voters across Europe.

17

Save Your Kisses for Me – Brotherhood of Man

The UK's 1976 pop smash that topped charts across Europe and became one of the best-selling Eurovision winners of all time.

18

Diva – Dana International

Israel's pioneering 1998 disco-pop victory for transgender rights that caused both controversy and worldwide celebration.

19

Puppet on a String – Sandie Shaw

The barefoot British pop star made history in 1967 as the UK's first Eurovision winner with this irresistibly chipper singalong.

20

Stefania – Kalush Orchestra

Ukraine's 2022 winner, a hip-hop meets folk fusion that took on even greater emotional weight amid the ongoing war.

21

The Code – Nemo

Switzerland's 2024 non-binary winner, a genre-blending operatic pop spectacle that sparked major rule discussions across Europe.