Voting for the annual ESC250 celebration will close on the 7th of December 2025, and now we have a nervous wait to find out the results! The event is hosted by songfestival.be, with the results revealed on the 31st December 2025 on EFR12 Radio to close out the year. Find out more about it here!
While we wait to find out the official results, members of the TES team will be sharing their votes for this year and explaining the reason for their picks. This time it’s Daniel’s turn to reveal how he voted as this year’s countdown gets underway.
Daniel’s Votes
I’ve toned myself down from previous editions, and didn’t give myself any arbitrary restrictions this year, but still wanted to make sure I wasn’t too reliant on one particular country or edition. My votes this year are a mixture of songs I love which I find are underrated or overlookeed, songs that have particularly grown on me throughout 2025, with the latter half being simply my favourite Eurovision songs ever.
1 Point: “Aven Romale” – Gipsy.cz (Czechia 2009)
We start with a song that NQd with 0 points and caused the country who sent it to withdraw for the next half a decade. So why do I love this song that Europe at large roundly rejected? It is in essence one big celebration of one’s own identity and culture, calling on GRT people everywhere to take pride in that identity. I absolutely love the niche of Eurovision songs that is what I’ll call “Loud and proud” – Hora Din Moldova nearly took this spot for that reason – but Aven Romale just edges it for me, it’s incredibly in your face, and a bit cringe in all honesty, but I just love it. “AV-EN ROMA-LE” will continue to echo in my head for a long time to come.
2 Points: “Moj Svijet” – Sergej Ćetković (Montenegro 2014)
“Balkans in Eurovision” done absolutely perfectly. Sergej’s great vocals layered over his utterly gorgeous melody make for a great performance, which the staging with the figure skater tops off brilliantly, I especially love the trails she gives off as she skates. Montenegro may only be a small country with a budget that reflects it, but they’re one capable of producing masterpieces like this one.
3 Points: “My Star” – Brainstorm (Latvia 2000)
This is just so much fun. Renārs’ energy and shamelessly erratic dancing hook you in from the very beginning and don’t let you go. You can tell the full group are having an absolute blast of a time, and that’s absolutely infectous. Whilst points might be lost for wearing a Manchester United shirt on stage, it’s still an all time great Eurovision song, and should have, in a fair world, earned Latvia a win on their Eurovision debut.
4 Points: “Strazdas” – Aistė (Lithuania 1999)
Eight points in 2023, just the one in 2024 and now four in 2025, whilst I apparently can’t make up my mind where to place it, being one of just two songs to be in my top 10 for three years running should give you an idea of how highly I regard this song. The musical arrangement is beautiful and Aistė’s vocals match it so perfectly. She actually performed the song on the Lithuanian TV show Dainuoju Lietuvą back in March, and it sounds just as good over 25 years on.
Lithuania have been on a great run in recent years, and it would be amazing if they were to add another Samogitian song like this one to that. Maybe even by Aistė herself.
5 Points: “Ale Jestem” – Anna Maria Jopek (Poland 1997)
I watched a whole load of old Eurovision editions in the last 6 months. My main takeaway (other than the fact Belgium and Switzerland should’ve both been banned for crimes against music in the late noughties) was utter bemusement at how I wasn’t already madly in love with this absolutely amazing song.
It’s the type of track to transport you into its own musical world for the three minute duration. Anna Maria Jopek’s vocals are absolutely stunning, and the instrumental feels like something out of a fantasy realm. Beautiful song that I wish I’d found my love for sooner.
6 Points: “Sámiid Ædnan” – Sverre Kjelsberg & Mattis Hætta (Norway 1980)
If you were expecting a list by Daniel from That Eurovision Site to not include at least one Sámi artist then I really don’t know what to say to you. My pick, as with last year, is Mattis Hætta & Sverre Kjelsberg’s iconic song that highlighted the then ongoing protest against the damming of the Alta river back in 1980. Whilst said protests may have ended in defeat, those protests and this song that came from it have left such a massive legacy that is still felt today. I absolutely love how well the song works with the orchestra, and it is scientifically impossible for me to not love a joik.
Oh, and last year I promised a deep dive article into this song. It’s coming in one form or another at some point, but it’s not been started yet. Tune in next year to see if there’s any progress made, because I’ll probably be voting for this again.
7 Points: “saudade, saudade” – MARO (Portugal 2022)
One of the best songs the contest has ever seen by one of the most talented artists the contest has ever seen. I’ve had the pleasure of seeing MARO perform twice now, and have been completely blown away on both occasions. saudade, saudade encapsulates the feeling of the loss of a loved one so perfectly and so humanly, MARO’s soft and delicate voice is beautiful, and if you could bottle and sell the atmosphere the song creates every time it is played then you’d be a trillionaire. I’m beyond excited for the upcoming album (and tour, which I’ve already got tickets for!) MARO. WORLD. DOMINATION.
8 Points: “Jako” – Ladaniva (Armenia 2024)
Sometimes I think about Ladaniva and get a little emotional. Not sure what that says about me.
Just such an incredible little burst of joy of a song, and absolutely everything that makes me love Eurovision. Jaklin has the most infectious energy of any musician I’ve ever had the pleasure of seeing perform, and Louis and the entire Ladaniva ensemble are absolutely brilliant musicians. If you ever have an opportunity to see them live, take it.
10 Points: “Burning Daylight” – Mia Nicolai & Dion Cooper (Netherlands 2023)
You either don’t know me, and are shocked that it’s so high, or you do know me, and you’re shocked that it’s not my 12. I’ve gone on record saying many a time that this song is my all time favourite. Burning Daylight came along at the perfect time for me, then a final year student with very little sense of life direction, and was actually a major contributing factor in why I initially joined the site, so I could have a place to talk about my love for the contest, and songs such as this one.
I know what was presented on the Eurovision stage was far from the ideal of what the song could’ve been, but I will always love it all the same. There is however one song that, maybe just for this year, maybe for longer, I can’t help but hold even dearer than this one.
Honourable Mentions
Before I reveal my 12 points, I’d like to give a shoutout to a few songs that just missed out on making my list for ESC250.
- NAPA – Deslocado (Portugal 2025) – The first time ever my current reigning champion doesn’t make my ballot, though it’s still a fantastic song. I especially love the version with the Madeiran Classical Orchestra.
- Malik Harris – Rockstars (Germany 2022) – I don’t like having too many songs from the same year in my list, otherwise this really nice stripped back song might’ve made the cut. One that really deserved better.
- Jahn Teigen & Anita Skorgan – Adieu (Norway 1982) – A really classy and sweet song. It got 0 votes in last year’s countdown, and I really wanted to be the one to change that, but just couldn’t find the room in my ballot.
- Voltaj – De La Capat (Romania 2015) – This was in my 10 up until 1am on the day of publishing. Lovely song with a great message behind it.
- Lastly, every song that made my list in 2023 and 2024 that doesn’t feature this time around. Still love them all, just want to change things up!
And Daniel’s 12 points go to… “De Diepte” – S10 (Netherlands, 2022)
Raw, honest and heartfelt lyrics, an intimate stage show and performance, a beautiful female vocal, and a guitar riff that wouldn’t feel out of place in a country song. Yeah, I love this one.
For those unaware, I’m an enormous Nederpop fan, and Dutch artists make up a very large chunk of my music listening habits. It was S10 and De Diepte that were my gateway into this music scene I love so much, leading me to fall in love with Dutch language music and discover some of my absolute favourite artists (Froukje, Hannah Mae, MEAU, the list goes on) and even some of the hidden gems the low countries have to offer.
I always knew I was going to vote for this song after it was an honourable mention last year, for ages it was in my one point slot, but It was only in the last month or so that it truly hit home just quite how much this song means to me. S10 and her bestie Froukje (fantastic musician, please do check her out) played two sold out Ziggo Dome shows this year, and from the first announcement I just knew I had to be there. So there I was, maybe the only non fluent Dutch speaker in a 17,000 capacity arena, when to my shock (I expected her to be doing the newer stuff!) this song came on. I was instantly overcome by chills. Okay, so probably my favourite gig ever, and it gave me an excuse to visit a country I quickly fell in love with, I figured I’d put it up in my shortlist a bit. 10 points for S10, that will be fun! Nothing can topple Burning Daylight, it’s forever my #1!
Then, just as my flight home was beginning to take off, out of over 1300 options in my playlist, it was this song that started playing. In that moment it hit me, had this song not been at Eurovision, had it not led me to S10’s other music, including the Froukje collaborations, the entire previous week I’d spent going to an amazing gig, exploring some lovely Dutch cities, and meeting some weird Dutch guy named “Angus” most likely wouldn’t have happened. All that considered, the only place it feels right to put De Diepte in my 12 points spot. Dankjewel, S10.
All that said, she still should’ve sent Hoor Je Mij.
Listen to our collective ESC 250 playlist on Spotify
Listen to our collective ESC 250 playlist on YouTube
Now that Daniel has revealed his votes for ESC250 this year, what do you think of his picks? Who received your 12 points this year? As always, please let us know what you think by commenting below. Be sure to follow ‘That Eurovision Site’ on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Threads and Bluesky for all of the latest Eurovision news.
News Source: That Eurovision Site
Photo Credit: EBU / Nathan Reinds
Euan T