Austria has won Eurovision 2025 in a nailbiting finish, with artist JJ singing Wasted Love.
In the end it came down to two likely winners, with Austria leapfrogging Israel, which won the public vote despite protests over the nation's inclusion.
JJ was emotional when holding up the trophy after taking out the competition.
"Thank you so much for making my dreams come true," JJ said.
JJ won with 436 points.
JJ's victory means Austria has now won Eurovision three times.
The first win came in 1966 with Udo Jürgens performing the song Merci, Chérie.
Austria's second win came in 2014 with Conchita Wurst's rousing performance of Rise Like A Phoenix.
JJ, 23, is an Austrian-Filipino artist whose full name is Johannes Pietsch.
He is a professional performer at the Vienna State Opera and is fluent in English, German and Tagalog.
It means Austria will host in 2026.
Austria was a hot favourite.
The leaderboard put Austria in front, followed by Israel, Estonia and Sweden, with Italy rounding out the top five.
- Austria
- Israel
- Estonia
- Sweden
- Italy
- Greece
- France
- Albania
- Ukraine
- Switzerland
Protests against Israel's participation
The host venue seats 12,400 people, with an additional 36,000 people at a viewing party in the stadium next door where researcher Jess Carniel is on the ground in the thick of the action.
The University of Southern Queensland researcher has been studying Eurovision for the past decade, since Australia began participating in the song contest.
Dr Carniel said a crowd protesting Israel's involvement in Eurovision was out in force ahead of the show but dwindled once she arrived closer to the stadium.
"There was a large pro-Palestinian protest along Freie Strasse, one of [the] main streets in Basel's centre that resulted in significant disruptions to public transport," Dr Carniel told ABC News.
"It was, however, peaceful, with protesters chanting, waving flags and signs, and urging bystanders to join in the protest."
Yuval Raphael, 24, performed New Day Will Rise for Israel during the competition.
"I am viewing the arena plus [the] show next to the stadium where the live show is being held," Dr Carniel said.
"There were no protests upon my arrival, nor any visible Palestinian flags. My assumption is that most fans who protest Israel's inclusion have opted out of the show altogether."
Dr Carniel said the overall vibe of the night lacked the tension that charged Malmo last year.
"During Israel's performance, the crowd was supportive," she said.
"There were cheers, albeit not loud, and only minimal booing audible from where I sat.
"By comparison, the cheer for Ukraine when their performance was announced was slightly louder, but they received less of a cheer upon the end of the song."
Dr Carniel said she later heard from spectators inside that two people tried to climb the stage during Raphael's performance, with one of them throwing paint, before ending up in police custody.
"I also received an email warning that rubber bullets were fired on the protesters later in the evening," Dr Carniel said.
Eurovision is famously "apolitical" but the European Broadcasting Union's (EBU's) decision to allow Israel to compete was a point of contention last year as people wondered whether there was a double standard given Russia's ban after its invasion of Ukraine.
Who has won Eurovision the most?
That’s a tie, with Sweden and Ireland both winning the competition seven times.
Sweden’s wins started with ABBA in 1974, and Lorena won the competition twice in 2023 and 2012.
Dr Carniel says the crowd was on their feet during Sweden’s performance "with people flooding out of their seats to dance by the front barricade".
Ireland’s Johnny Logan is the only other music artist to win more than once after his first triumph in 1980 in The Hague, winning again in 1987.
Nemo returns to represent Switzerland
The opening act was last year’s winner Nemo, who sang The Code in a haunting wedding dress and furry hat.
Nemo later performed the new song Unexplainable in a glittery black outfit that would have been banned if attempted to be worn at the Cannes Film Festival.
There will be an encore of the Eurovision grand final on SBS and SBS On Demand from 7:30pm AEST Sunday.
