Eleven members of the Aussievision team, took on the unenviable task of ranking every Eurovision winner of all contests.
This included 70 entries who have won since Eurovision first took place in 1956. This also includes all four entries who tied for the win in 1969.
Each team member rated each entry out of five stars based on the following:
Song quality
Overall performances
Impact on the contest
Longevity
iconicness
So without further ado, let's rank them from 70th down to 1st.
The full rankings of every Eurovision winner
70 . 2001: Tanel Padar, Dave Benton and 2XL - 'Everybody' (Estonia)
Despite finishing last, the song is significant for being the first win by an ex-Soviet nation. Estonia's victory would be backed up by another Baltic win for Latvia the very next year.
69. 2011: Ell and Nikki - 'Running Scared' (Azerbaijan)
68. 1962: Isabelle Aubret - 'Un premier amour' (France)
67. 1966: Udo Jürgens - 'Merci, Chérie' (Austria)
66. 2018: Netta - 'Toy' (Israel)
65. 1958: André Claveau - 'Dors, mon amour' (France)
64. 2002: Marie N - 'I Wanna' (Latvia)
63. 1983: Corinne Hermès - 'Si la vie est cadeau' (Luxembourg)
62. 1959: Teddy Scholten - 'Een beetje' (Netherlands)
61. 2008: Dima Bilan - 'Believe' (Russia)
Top 60
60. 1960: Jacqueline Boyer - 'Tom Pillibi' (France)
59. 1957: Corry Brokken - 'Net als toen' (Netherlands)
58. 1969: Lenny Kuhr - 'De troubadour' (Netherlands)
57. 1989: Riva - 'Rock Me' (Yugoslavia)
56. 1990: Toto Cutugno - 'Insieme: 1992' (Italy)
Eurovision isn't about politics is it? Well in 1990 there were multiple acts makin reference to the changing time in Europe including the fall of the Berlin Wall and the impending fall of the Iron Curtain. Toto Cutugno's entry made reference to the planned signing of the Maastricht Treaty that would form the European Union. It included the lyrics "Insieme, unite, unite, Europe (Together, unite, united Europe)"
55. 1994: Paul Harrington and Charlie McGettigan - 'Rock 'n' Roll Kids' (Ireland)
54. 1971: Séverine - 'Un banc, un arbre, une rue' (Monaco)
53. 1977: Marie Myriam - 'L'Oiseau et l'Enfant' (France)
52. 1992: Linda Martin - 'Why Me?' (Ireland)
51. 1979: Milk and Honey - 'Hallelujah' (Israel)
Top 50
50. 2013: Emmelie de Forest - 'Only Teardrops' (Denmark)
49. 1969: Frida Boccara - 'Un jour, un enfant' (France)
48. 1993: Niamh Kavanagh - 'In Your Eyes' (Ireland)
47. 1961: Jean-Claude Pascal - 'Nous les amoureux' (Luxembourg)
The 1961 winner was significant as it was a subtle gay love story. Jean-Claude used ambiguous references to gender when talking about his partner in the song. He himself was gay (though never publicly came out) and this was a way to publicly express this across Europe without being obvious. You can read more on this in our article on it here. He returned to the Contest in 1981 finishing 11th.
46. 2000: Olsen Brothers - 'Fly on the Wings of Love' (Denmark)
45. 1984: Herreys - 'Diggi-Loo Diggi-Ley' (Sweden)
44. 1970: Dana - 'All Kinds of Everything' (Ireland)
43. 1985: Bobbysocks! - 'La det swinge' (Norway)
42. 1978: Izhar Cohen and the Alphabeta - 'A-Ba-Ni-Bi' (Israel)
41. 2019: Duncan Laurence - 'Arcade' (Netherlands)
Top 40
40. 1972: Vicky Leandros - 'Après toi' (Luxembourg)
39. 1996: Eimear Quinn - 'The Voice' (Ireland)
38. 2022: Kalush Orchestra - 'Stefania' (Ukraine)
37. 1999: Charlotte Nilsson - 'Take Me to Your Heaven' (Sweden)
36. 1969: Lulu - 'Boom Bang-a-Bang' (United Kingdom)
35. 2015: Måns Zelmerlöw - 'Heroes' (Sweden)
34. 1995: Secret Garden - 'Nocturne' (Norway)
The win for Secret Garden was notable for a few reasons. It is most known for having the shortest amount of lyrics of any Eurovision winner - just 24 words. It was also the entry that stopped Ireland winning for the fourth time in a row. However, the violin player Fionnuala Sherr, whose instrumental forms much of the song, was from Ireland.
33. 1975: Teach-In - 'Ding-a-dong' (Netherlands)
32. 1968: Massiel - 'La La La' (Spain)
31. 1963: Grethe and Jørgen Ingmann - 'Dansevise' (Denmark)
Top 30
30. 2016: Jamala - '1944' (Ukraine)
29. 1991: Carola - 'Fångad av en stormvind' (Sweden)
28. 1980: Johnny Logan - 'What's Another Year' (Ireland)
27. 2005: Helena Paparizou - 'My Number One' (Greece)
Greece were a powerhouse during the 2000s and got their justified (and only) win with the Med-pop banger. She has performed at Eurovision celebrations and contests since and will again appear at Eurovision 2024 as an interval act in semi-final 1.
26. 1986: Sandra Kim - 'J'aime la vie' (Belgium)
25. 1964: Gigliola Cinquetti - 'Non ho l'età' (Italy)
24. 1969: Salomé - 'Vivo cantando' (Spain)
Salomé was one of four winners of the 1969 Contest but finishes highest in our list. Her performance was iconic for her dress which weighed 14 kg and was made of small chalk blue porcelain cylinders. She also wore three 1-kg necklaces. Additionally, dancing was not allowed but Salomé did so, but on the spot, avoiding disqualification. It was also Spain's second win in a row, and their last.
23. 2007: Marija Šerifović - 'Molitva' (Serbia)
22. 1997: Katrina and the Waves - 'Love Shine a Light' (United Kingdom)
21. 2010: Lena - 'Satellite' (Germany)
Top 20
20. 1988: Céline Dion - 'Ne partez pas sans moi' (Switzerland)
19. 2004: Ruslana - 'Wild Dances' (Ukraine)
18. 1973: Anne-Marie David - 'Tu te reconnaîtras' (Luxembourg)
17. 1956: Lys Assia - 'Refrain' (Switzerland)
Lys was the first ever winner of the Eurovision Song Contest in 1956. She remained a strong ambassador for the Contest throughout her life and even tried to go again in her late 80s but unfortunately wasn't selected.
16. 2009: Alexander Rybak - 'Fairytale' (Norway)
15. 2023: Loreen - 'Tattoo' (Sweden)
14. 2006: Lordi - 'Hard Rock Hallelujah' (Finland)
13. 1967: Sandie Shaw - 'Puppet on a String' (United Kingdom)
12. 2017: Salvador Sobral - 'Amar pelos dois' (Portugal)
Salvador won with a simple yet beautiful ballad at the 2017 Contest. He handed Portugal their first win and holds the record for the most points ever - 758. He was also the first to win completely in another language since 2007, something that has happened several times since (Italy 2021, Ukraine 2022).
11. 2021: Måneskin - 'Zitti e buoni' (Italy)
The Top 10 Eurovision winners of all time
10. 2014: Conchita Wurst - 'Rise Like a Phoenix' (Austria)
How appropriate that Conchita has finished 10th in this ranking as it's the 10th anniversary of that famous 2014 win. Conchita pulled off a stunning victory after much commentary on her look for the performance. Upon winning Conchita uttered the famous words: "We are unity and we are unstoppable!"
9. 2003: Sertab Erener - 'Everyway That I Can' (Turkey)
Sertab changed Eurovision in 2003 with a bold choreographed staging that would herald the era of the pop-banger with a distinct East/Mediterranean sound. Turkey, Greece and Ukraine would big the big hitters throughout the decade.
8. 1998: Dana International - 'Diva' (Israel)
Before there was Conchita there was Dana International providing queer visibility. The first transgender winner had a modern pop song that charted all over the world including in Australia.
7. 1982: Nicole - 'Ein bißchen Frieden' (Germany)
With Europe in the midst of a cold war, teenager Nicole sang a song about a little peace and won the contest easily. Her win is also noted for the reprise where she performed the song in multiple languages to very much send the message that music unites.
6. 1976: Brotherhood of Man - 'Save Your Kisses for Me' (United Kingdom)
UK finally broke their drought of six entries in a row finishing between 2nd and 4th with a victory! The song went on to become the biggest selling Eurovision winner of all time - yes even more than ABBA!
5. 1981: Bucks Fizz - 'Making Your Mind Up' (United Kingdom)
UK didn't have to wait too long for another victory with a win just four years later. An iconic performance which featured the skirt removal reveal went on to be a global hit.
4. 1987: Johnny Logan - 'Hold Me Now' (Ireland)
Johnny Logan made history when winning the Eurovision Song Contest for the second with 'Hold Me Now' He was the first person to do so as a performer and would go on to win for the third time as a songwriter. The performance saw him pull off the classic "winners wear white" outfit and Eurovision pose. It was a commercial hit and reached no.4 here in Australia.
3. 1965: France Gall - 'Poupée de cire, poupée de son' (Luxembourg)
France Gall dragged Eurovision into the modern era with a pop song that actually sounded contemporary. This was a departure from many of the dated orchestral ballads from previous years. It was a commercial hit and is often voted as one of the best winners of all time and has made our podium!
2. 2012: Loreen - 'Euphoria' (Sweden)
In a consistent theme of these top songs, Loreen also gave Eurovision the boost it needed. After the wacky 2000s, the Contest was finding it's feet again and was hit with a bang when 'Euphoria' won in Baku. It was a much-needed commercial success for the competition and is synonymous with modern-day Eurovision. Loreen would go on to do a Johnny Logan and win again for the second time with 'Tattoo' in 2023.
WINNER: 1974: ABBA - 'Waterloo' (Sweden)
Yes it's predictable, but it's predictable for a reason. It is the song that made ABBA global stars and is a song so popular that being a Eurovision winner is more an interesting fact that the leading story. This year is the 50th anniversary of ABBA's win with the song and it is still just as popular today. There won't be many (if any) winners in 50 years time that will be able to claim the same.
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