Austria wins Eurovision 2025 with operatic pop song “Wasted Love”

This children’s article, Austria wins Eurovision 2025 with operatic pop song “Wasted Love”, has been written for native English speakers and learners of English as a second or foreign language. It can help children practise reading and comprehension, learn useful vocabulary, and explore this year’s Eurovision Song Contest. Written by Sinead O’Carroll, a writer and EFL teacher with eight years’ experience.

Austria wins Eurovision 2025

The Eurovision Song Contest has been a big tradition for nearly 70 years. Families all across Europe, and even in other parts of the world, have gathered around their TVs to enjoy it. Many parents and even grandparents remember watching it as children and staying up late to see which country would win.

Now, in its 69th year, Eurovision is still going strong. This year’s contest took place on 17 May in Basel, Switzerland – the same country where the very first Eurovision was held back in 1956.

Austria takes the trophy

This year’s winner was Austria, a European country which borders Germany, Switzerland, Italy, and several others.

Austria won the contest with a powerful song called Wasted Love, performed by JJ, a 24-year-old Austrian-Filipino singer. His song was described as “operatic pop”, a style that mixes classical singing with modern pop music.

JJ, whose full name is Johannes Pietsch, is no stranger to TV competitions. In 2020, he appeared on the UK television show The Voice UK, where he was mentored by the famous singer will.i.am.

This is Austria’s third win at Eurovision. Their last victory was in 2014, and before that, they hadn’t won since 1965. So it was a big night for Austrian fans!

What is Eurovision?

The Eurovision Song Contest is a singing competition where countries, mainly from Europe, each choose one song and one performer (or group) to represent them. Then, during a live television show, people across the continent vote for their favourites.

This year, 37 countries entered the competition, and 26 made it to the grand final.

Although it began as a European event, countries outside Europe are sometimes invited too, such as Australia, which has taken part since 2015.

Where will Eurovision 2026 be?

Traditionally, the country that wins Eurovision gets to host the contest the following year. That means in 2026, we can expect to see the big show take place in Austria.

If you’d like to explore the history of Eurovision, visit the official website for more information.

Article vocabulary list

• Tradition – something people have done for a long time, often as part of a celebration or culture
• Trophy – a prize or object given to the winner of a competition
• Operatic – a style of music that is like opera, using strong, dramatic singing
• Classical – a type of music from the past, often played with instruments like violins and pianos
• Mentored – helped or guided by someone more experienced
• Represent – to stand or speak for a group, place, or country
• Continent – a large area of land like Europe, Asia, or Africa
• Victory – the act of winning a competition
• Invited – asked someone to join or take part
• Final – the last and most important part of a competition

Comprehension questions

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