Austrian drag act Conchita Wurst has been
crowned the winner of the 59th annual
Eurovision Song Contest held in Denmark's
capital, Copenhagen.
The singer, whose real name is Tom Neuwirth,
won with the song Rise Like a Phoenix,
collecting 290 points.
The Netherlands finished second with 238
points, with Sweden in third place with 218
points.
The UK's Molly Smitten-Downes came 17th,
with 40 points for her song Children of the
Universe.
It is the first time Austria has won the contest
since 1966, and only the second time the
country has competed in the final in the past
10 years as it either did not participate or qualify.
Wurst had been the second favourite to win
behind Sweden going in to the competition,
with many predicting the act could be too
divisive among voters.
However she was the clear winner, with her
victory announced after 34 of the 37 countries
had submitted their scores.
Collecting her trophy on stage the singer said:
"This night is dedicated to everyone who
believes in a future of peace and freedom. You
know who you are – we are unity and we are
unstoppable."
Speaking backstage later, Wurst said she felt
Europe had taken a stand by voting her the
winner.
"I dream of a world where we don't have to
talk about unnecessary things like sexuality,
who you love. I felt like tonight Europe showed
that we are a community of respect and
tolerance," she said.
Smitten-Downes, who closed the
performances, had been tipped to score highly
with bookmakers placing her in the top five.
She received points from only nine countries:
San Marino, Denmark, Malta, Iceland, Norway,
Ireland, Spain, Belgium and Georgia.
Her result was still better than the UK's entry
last year, when Bonnie Tyler finished 19th on
the final scoreboard with 23 points.
The evening's events were overshadowed by
the current events in Ukraine, with Russia's
entry – The Tolmachevy Sisters – receiving boos
from the audience during the results when
countries including Azerbaijan awarded them
the highest number of points.
When Russia's delegate appeared on screen to
announce its votes – seven points of which
were for Ukraine – more booing could be
heard. Ukraine gave four points to Russia in
return.
Russia ended the night in seventh place with
89 points, behind Ukraine with 113.
The Tolmachevy Sisters received points from
13 countries, compared with last year's
Russian entrant who received votes from 27 countries.
The contest featured the usual mix of pop
tunes and ballads, accompanied by spectacular
stage performances.
Ukraine kicked off the show with a man in a
giant hamster wheel, while Greece included a
trampolinist and Poland offered a number of
busty performers who suggestively churned
butter and washed laundry on stage.
Some 26 countries performed at the B&W
Hallerne arena for an expected television
audience of more than 120 million fans.
