Ukraine won the Eurovision Song Contest 2022 after points from the jury vote and the public phone-ins were tallied up.
The UK's act, Sam Ryder, had been first on the Eurovision Song Contest leaderboard with 283 points after the jury vote. However the swell of support for Ukraine across Europe saw the country win the competition on viewer votes.
Ukraine had been the bookie's favourite to win, however they were in the eighth position after the jury vote. The jury vote awarded them 192 points, however, the public vote gave them a whopping 492 points, launching them straight to the top of the leaderboard with 631 points.
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Germany were in last place with just six votes. Singer Malik Harris was praised by viewers after he flipped hisguitar to show the Ukraine flag with 'peace' written across it while on stage.
Ukraine's act Kalush Orchestra had been the frontrunners since Russia’s invasion of the country in February. Eurovision organisers excluded Russia from taking part in the contest after the invasion.
The folk-rap group collected their trophy and said: “Thank you for supporting Ukraine. This victory is for every Ukrainian. Slava Ukraini.”
The Eurovision 2022 results in full were:
There was a stark reminder of the situation in the country during the show when Graham Norton pointed out to viewers that the commentator for Ukraine was broadcasting from a bomb shelter.
Despite not winning, Sam Ryder's second place has been seen as a turning point for the UK's participation in the contest. It is the first time in 20 years that the UK has placed in the top three.
BBC presenter Graham Norton, said: “This is a red-letter moment. I am so happy for him, for the UK and for the BBC who have worked so hard to turn our fortunes.”
The UK's entry was in first place after the jury vote. The performance beat Sweden, who placed second with 258 points, and third-place Spain with 231 points in the jury vote section of the competition.
The 32-year-old from Essex's performance of Space Man was hailed as 'the best UK entry ever' by viewers at home. Thousands took to social media to say how 'proud' they were of him.
The 66th Eurovision Song Contest was held in Turin after Italy's Maneskin won the 2021 contest. The glam rock band won 524 points in 2021, though their performance was overshadowed by accusations of drug-taking.
The band returned to the Eurovision stage this year, and addressed the issue head-on. Singer Damiano David joked ‘Don’t get too close to the table’, referring to the allegations last year after he was seen lowering his head behind a bucket of drinks before taking a drug test to prove his innocence.
