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 Euan’s turn to reveal how he voted.
Euan’s Votes
For many years I’ve tried to do a balanced set of no more than one country, no two from the same year etc. Couldn’t be bothered this year. Went wild and picked a few I’ve never done before.
1 Point: “Tu Te Reconnaîtras” – Anne-Marie David (Luxembourg, 1973)
Kicking off my top ten with a classy opener. Anne-Marie is without a doubt one of the best winners. She connects to the camera in an encaptivating way. My standout moment for this song is how great each individual instrument builds in such a dramatic and perfect manner that has you hooked before a single word is uttered.
2 Points: “Dis Rien” – François Deguelt (Monaco, 1962)
A new addition to my 250 top. I’d always loved this one, but after (incoming shameless plug) we recorded the Monaco podcast I found a new appreciation for this, with it ending up becoming one of my most listened to songs of this year. There’s something so timeless about this. ‘Dis Rien’ perfectly transports you back to a more classy time when Eurovision was at its peak. François is so encaptivating with his performance.
3 Points: “Rock Me” – Riva (Yugoslavia, 1989)
I always struggle to explain this one because objectively the song is pish. I don’t like 80s pop and highly repetitive and not very interesting when you dig deep into it. But by god am I sticking this on when I need something fun and energetic to dance along to.
4 Points: “Anouschka” – Inge Brück (Germany, 1967)
As you can see from the first entries on my list; I’m a huge fan of the classic era of Eurovision. ’67 being my favourite year of the contest I even managed to bully convince some other site members to even record a podcast on it. (Shameless plug I know) ‘Anouschka’ is an utterly enthralling masterpiece of the age. Lyrically the song tells of Inge consoling someone experiencing heartbreak, and in this performance she managed to create such such compassion and warmth in its presentation, while still managing to fill the stage in such an impressive manner.
5 Points: “The Real Thing” – Highway (Montenegro, 2016)
Unfortunately Montenegro were unjustly denied their victory in 2016. Putting aside the fact that visually this was the best performance of the year, if not the entire decade. The song itself is so simple in its construction, but what they do with that is fantastic. There’s so much energy here.
6 Points: “Thunder And Lightning” – Vukašin Brajić (Bosnia and Herzegovina, 2010)
All Eurofans have that one song that they fell in love with that brought them to the contest as a superfan. This is mine. I’m a sucker for a rock ballad. There’s so much drama and atmosphere here. It’s a tad dated now, but that almost adds more to the charm of it. This brings me such a nostalgic feeling to being a fresh Eurofan embracing this new thing.
7 Points: “Truth” – Chingiz (Azerbaijan, 2019)
Unfortunately the Dutch stole Azerbaijan of its second (or fifth if I had my way) win. ‘Truth’ had me in a chokehold for the entirety of 2019. The blend of traditional music in such a contemporary pop song will always be something I’ll like, however the addition of Mugham? Azerbaijan at its best. Chingiz’s vocal moment is one of my favourite moments in the entire history of the contest.
8 Points: “Boum-Badaboum” – Minouche Barelli (Monaco, 1967)
If you haven’t guessed already, I love a vintage song. The beat is so infectious and gets so easily stuck in your head, but what really gets me about this is the lyrics. I love the irreverence of the lyrics and the carefree candidness of stating just how much you want to live your life your own way and do what you want in the face of a potential nuclear apocalypse.
10 Points: “Yo Soy Aquél” – Raphael ( Spain, 1966)
After I became a eurofan I did what we all do and go back and watch old contests. For some reason my first old one was 1966. No idea why I chose that, but even from then I was hooked. I’ve commented on how much I love a classy number throughout this, but really is it so true here. Raphael manages to evoke so much power and depth in his singing that is unmatched decades later.
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.
- Sva bol svijeta (Bosnia and Herzegovina 1993) – Instant tearjerker. I’m so glad the contest had this moment.
- Messieurs les noyés de la Seine (Belgium 1956) – My depressing 11th place.
- Viszlát nyár (Hungary 2018) – Unmatched vocal prowess.
- This Time (Lithuania 2015) – Favourite cheesy love song of the contest.
And Georgia’s 12 points go to… “Mon Alliée (The Best In Me)” – Tom Leeb (France, 2020)
I’ve terrorised this site a lot about our Lord and Saviour, the King of Eurovision, the rightful winner of 2020; Tom Leeb. And I’m back to do it again. I am obsessed with both versions of this and am drawn to both, but the more Fancified revamp version has a slight edge for me. The more subdued intro and build leading up to that louder grand chorus is much greater in this version. The softness of Tom’s voice works so well with the gentility of the backing strings and the guitar to create something truly magical. I feel I should have so much more to say about my favourite, but ??? What can you really say about a song you love so much. This clicked more than any that year and clicks with me now more than any of the 1500+ songs the contest has had. We desperately need more Tom Leeb songs.
Listen to our collective ESC 250 playlist on Spotify
Listen to our collective ESC 250 playlist on YouTube
Now that XX has revealed XX votes for ESC250 this year, what do you think of XX 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.
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