Voting for the annual ESC250 celebration closed 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 Angus’ turn to reveal how he voted.
Angus’ Votes
Loyal readers of our site will be well aware that I use quite the ruleset to put my top 10 together. This is because the contest spans so many genres, cultures, and decades that I find it hard to pit some songs against each other, and also because I want to do justice to the large variety of music the contest has introduced Europe and myself to.
Back in 2024, I made my ESC 250 ballot with the following rules in mind: at least one song per Eurovision decade (so 56-65, 66-75, and so on). A maximum of one song per year and per country. Entries should include lyrics in an official (national, regional, or local/minority) language of the country it represented. One song per language. And, as my campaign for lesser known or appreciated songs will never end, only tracks that finished outside of the previous 250.
After a lot of thinking, I have decided to keep my rules the same. It is restrictive enough as it is, while still giving me the opportunity to rediscover songs you or I might have largely forgotten about. But now I still have your attention, I want to express my personal disappointment with the recent decisions by the EBU. Eurovision isn’t perfect, and never has been. But the 250 is a way to celebrate the good about the contest as we remember it and to think about what we would want it to be like in the future. I do not know if I will be there for that future but whatever happens, my memories of and connections to the old songs remain.
1 Point: “Ne pali svetla u sumrak” – Lola Novaković (Yugoslavia, 1962)
This song is a regular in my ballot for a while now, and with good reason. Together with songs such as 1956 German effort “So geht das jede Nacht” or better remembered songs such as 1963 winner “Dansevise”, this is a song that really shows that the first 10 years of Eurovision has a lot of musical variation on offer, even if it can sometimes be hard to tell with our present day sensibilities. Out of the songs mentioned, this one hews closest to the classy chanson-esque style most Eurovision entries went for, but with enough influences from jazz and interesting musical elements to still make it very much its own thing. (Last year’s ESC 250 finish: 1007)
2 points: “Intet er nytt under solen” – Åse Kleveland (Norway, 1966)
Will there ever be something new under the sun? What is there still to say about this song that has been bubbling just under the 250 for multiple years now, a track that manages to combine gentle folk influences with a sudden wall of sound from the orchestra. (Last year’s ESC 250 finish: 355)
3 Points: “Ellada, Chora Tou Fotos” – Katerina Garbi (Greece, 1993)
As this song dropped out of the 250 last year, it gets the honour this year of making it onto my ballot! It replaces the ’86-’95 slot that last year was fulfilled by fellow Greek-language entry “Sti Fotia”. Katerina seems to be having a great time performing it, and I appreciate how the song takes a lot of inspiration from traditional sounds while still sounding extremely early ’90s. (Last year’s ESC 250 finish: 274)
4 Points: “Boonika Bate Doba” – Zdob şi Zdub (Moldova, 2005)
It is safe to say that Zdob şi Zdub are Eurovision legends, and their first appearance in Eurovision alone was enough to catapult them into the hearts of many a Eurofan. While their sounds has evolved, the almost ska-esque feel of the folk rock of “Boonika Bate Doba” (or Toba, as it is called on YouTube) while looking like the Red Hot Chili Peppers is proof of how well suited Zdob şi Zdub are for parties. Whether it is a big celebration like Eurovision or just cranking up your speakers to 11 while you’re home alone, the train dads really just are amazing at bringing the entertainment. Pure fun, and I look forward to welcoming Zdob şi Zdub back to the contest somewhere in the 2030’s. (Last year’s ESC 250 finish: 460)
5 Points: “Theater” – Katja Ebstein (Germany, 1980)
We keep losing videos of the Eurovision performance of this, which is a tragedy. The 1980 edition of the contest was fascinating and full of amazing music, perhaps best exemplified by queen of Eurovision top-threes Katja Ebstein. “Theater” is such good schlager that even I, someone who will take any excuse to complain about the genre, love it. (Last year’s ESC 250 finish: 581)
6 Points: “Birth Of A New Age” – Jeangu Macrooy (Netherlands, 2021)
Consider this. “Birth Of A New Age” is one of my favourite Eurovision entries of all time. Yet I also think that Jeangu’s non-Eurovision work, such as his latest album, are still far better than this. That is why, instead of praising this song as I have done every year before this, I ask you to check out his music. It is amazing, and Jeangu really deserves the biggest possible audience if you ask me. (Last year’s ESC 250 finish: 642)
7 Points: “Salvem El Món” – Anonymous (Andorra, 2007)
They’re here to stay, although I really hope that one day this song will be in the 250 and becomes a mainstay. Why? Because it is excellent indie-rock disguised as pop-punk, just an all-around good time while still saying something (even if the message is rather generic). Also, Andorra, please come back to the contest someday. (Last year’s ESC 250 finish: 431)
8 Points: “Story Of My Life” – Naviband (Belarus, 2017)
This song dropped further away from the 250 last year, but one day it will return. In the meantime, all there is to say that Naviband are a good band and that “Story Of My Life” is the kind of joyous mixing of languages and, yes, musical influences that I keep coming back to Eurovision for. (Last year’s ESC 250 finish: 359)
10 points: “Toi, la musique et moi” – Mary Christy (Monaco, 1976)
There is always time for a cocktail and for some “Toi, la musique et moi”. Timeless, classy, yet also fun. Best enjoyed while drinking something with martini in it, or while enjoying a bike or drive past a coast of your choosing. (Last year’s ESC 250 finish: 609)
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. On top of that, as always, all the songs I voted for in previous years and many of the honourable mentions also deserve a (re)visit, if you haven’t heard them in a while. And yes, my winner last year, “Beşinci Mevsim” has dropped out of my top 10 for this year, but that says more about how many good songs are out there and how your mood when making a top 10 can really influence things.
- “Promise” by Voyager (Australia, 2023) – This was blocked by (thankfully) still finishing high in the vote last year. If you asked me back in 2023 if this would be the Eurovision song I would revisit years later, I would look at you oddly. But this is the Eurovision song I have listened to most this year. Just promise me it’s gonna be alright. (Last year’s ESC 250 finish: 119)
- “Je Suis Un Vrai Garçon” by Nina Morato (France, 1994) is a track that sadly drops out because of my one-song-per-language rule, but damn it if it is not a great track that too many Eurovision fans have forgotten about. (Last year’s ESC 250 finish: 819)
- “I Anixi” by Sophia Vossou. This track might drop out of the 250 this year, which would be a shame. Basically an orchestral power ballad, which is like catnip to me. While it gets slightly ruined by the saxophonist in the live version, this still is excellent. (Last year’s ESC 250 finish: 216)
And Angus’ 12 points go to… “Aven Romale” – Gipsy.CZ (Czechia, 2009)
Now, I know this might be a weird song to put as my first place. The rare semi-final 0 pointer. A song that even at its best is chaotic. But as I worked on the puzzle that is my ESC 250 ballot, the chorus of this song kept returning to me over and over and over again. It’s loud, it’s proud, and pure fun. (Last year’s ESC 250 finish: 1465)
Listen to our collective ESC 250 playlist on Spotify
Listen to our collective ESC 250 playlist on YouTube
Now that Angus 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: Harry Pot / Anefo / Nationaal Archief
Euan T