Eurovision Song Contest has been a TV staple for seven decades. And with a string of countries around the world vying for the top spot year after year, you would assume that the prize would be something incredibly enticing, alongside the fame and notoriety that comes with being crowned winner.
But it seems the winner of this year’s hotly anticipated singing competition does not win a single penny in prize money. Instead they are to be gifted the Crystal Microphone trophy.
The trophy is handmade and constructed out of glass and has been the prize since 2008, according to reports. It was originally designed by the Swedish artist Kjell Engman of Kosta Boda and is designed in the shape of a 1950’s microphone. And it’s believed that miniature versions of the award is given to the songwriters and composers of the song.
However, the real prize is the platform being crowned winner provides the contestants. Back in 1974, ABBA won for Sweden and became a global pop group overnight.
View 2 ImagesLook Mum No Computer’s Sam Battle is the UK’s Eurovision entry(Image: Ian West/PA Wire)
Celine Dion represented Switzerland in 1988 and is now considered one of the greatest voices of our time. And most recently in 2021, the Italian contestants Maneskin headlined a festival in 2021.
In addition, the winning country is given the opportunity to host the competition the following year.
The UK is hoping to be in with a fighting chance this year with its entry Look Mum No Computer after missing out on the winning spot for nearly 30 years.
This year’s final will be held at the Wiener Stadthalle, in Vienna. The first semi-final took place on May 12 and the second semi-final was on Thursday last week.
Twenty five countries will take part in the final tonight. Iceland, Ireland, the Netherlands, Slovenia and Spain have pulled out of the competition out of protest at Israel taking part amid the conflict.
In a recent interview the UK entry star Sam Battle said: “There are gonna be people that don’t like the UK for the sake of it being the UK, but that’s the way it is. We can’t change that.”
He added: “So we’ve just got to crack on. Keep calm and carry on.” The 37 year old star was chosen to be the UK’s entry after touring across Europe thanks to his popularity online.
On analysis of of some of his lyrics, some have believed that one of his songs was an apology for Brexit. But he explained to The Sun: “There are a lot of things in the song that I like to try. I’m trying to just poke at people and question all of it. There’s no real reason to the song. There’s no real aim.”
He continued: “Mainly, the aim is talking about quirky British things. That’s what the song’s about. It’s nothing about that (Bexit). It’s not at all. It’s just funny.”
When asked if he was concerned about not receiving any points he said: “No, in fact, there’s a T-shirt that I’m dreaming of saying, ‘Look Mum, No Points’. There’s an outcome where there’s still fun to be had, even if there is nul points.”
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He went on to say: “It’s got a good ring to it, even though I have a feeling in my crystal ball, I might be wrong — and don’t hold me to this — I do think we’re gonna get points. How many points? I don’t know. But we’ve put a lot of work into it.”
He he admitted that his stage show was “risky” as it’s a “bit out there” and describes his performance as “marmite.”
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