Two past Eurovision Song Contest winners have announced their intention to give back their winners’ trophies to the EBU as a protest against Israel’s inclusion in the Eurovision Song Contest 2026.
🇨🇭 Nemo sends back 2024 trophy
Nemo, who won the Eurovision Song Contest 2024 for Switzerland with “The Code”, has taken the step of returning their winner’s trophy to the EBU headquarters in Geneva. In a statement on social media, Nemo expressed deep disappointment that the contest’s stated values of unity, inclusion and dignity are at odds with the organisation’s decision to allow Israel to compete in 2026, despite ongoing conflict and human-rights concerns related to its actions in Gaza.
🇮🇪 Charlie McGettigan joins the protest
Joining Nemo’s protest, Charlie McGettigan, the Irish singer who won the Eurovision Song Contest 1994 alongside Paul Harrington with “Rock ‘n’ Roll Kids”, announced he also plans to return his trophy to the EBU, but only if he can locate it. McGettigan said he was inspired to act “in support of Nemo” and echoed the core message about aligning Eurovision’s values with its actions.
Because his win was more than 30 years ago, McGettigan has admitted he doesn’t currently have access to the physical trophy, but reaffirmed that he intends to return it if and when he finds it.
The story of Eurovision 2026
The journey to the 2026 Eurovision Song Contest kicked off immediately following JJ’s win in Basel, when Austria’s ORF accepted the rights to host the 70th edition of the contest. The bidding process started in June, with interested cities having until July 4 to submit their bid book. Innsbruck and Vienna were shortlisted, with the latter winning the right to host next year’s contest.
As for the organisation of the competition, the ‘core team‘ was revealed in June 2025, with further details about next year’s competition to be revealed in due course. The shows will take place on May 12th, 14th and 16th.
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News Source: BBC