Bulgaria has won the 70th Eurovision Song Contest — the country’s first-ever win.

The achievement surprised many because Bulgaria wasn’t among the favorites to win in 2026. But with its catchy “Welcome to the riot!” refrain and bouncy vibe, performer Dara’s banging anthem “Bangaranga” bested 24 other nations for the glittery global musical crown at the finals on Saturday in Vienna, Austria.

Israel came in second, as it did last year. Ten competitors were eliminated from the original group of 35 in the semi-finals earlier this week.

In his appraisal of his 10 favorite Eurovision 2026 songs, NPR critic Glen Weldon called “Bangaranga” an “insanely catchy bop” and praised its “deep, profound, abiding grooviness.”

“Oh my god!” Dara yelled, as she accepted the Crystal Microphone, the event’s glass trophy, from last year’s winner, JJ of Austria.

As with other global cultural events, such as the Venice Biennale currently underway in Italy, the glittery annual songfest is intended as a display of goodwill and togetherness between nations. “In a world often divided, we stand united by music,” said host Michael Ostrowski at the conclusion of this year’s event.

Last year’s contest, held in Basel, Switzerland, saw record viewership, reaching 166 million viewers across 37 markets.

Israel prepared for ‘boos’

Eurovision has long strived to prioritize artistry over political antagonism. However, as with the Biennale, Eurovision 2026 found itself at the center of protests related to the war in Gaza.

Five countries — Iceland, Ireland, the Netherlands, Slovenia and Spain — pulled out between September and December 2025 in protest over event organizer European Broadcasting Union’s decision to allow Israel to participate amid the ongoing war in Gaza.

In this year’s finals, Israeli singer Noam Bettan performed the romantic breakup song “Michelle” in French, Hebrew and English. Unlike in the semifinal, when the artist sang over chants of “stop the genocide,” Bettan was not booed — at least audibly. The artist told The Times of Israel last month he had been practicing performing in front of hecklers.

There were both anti- and pro-Israel demonstrations in Vienna this week.

Pro-Palestinian protests at the last two contests called for Israel to be disbarred from Eurovision over its role in the conflict, as well as allegations it attempted to manipulate voting to favor its entries. The European Broadcasting Union changed its voting rules in response. Among other requirements, contestants and broadcasters are prohibited from taking part in promotional campaigns by third parties including governments. Countries outside of Europe, such as Israel, participate in Eurovision because eligibility is based on European Broadcasting Union membership, not necessarily geographics.

A double standard?

Although Israel’s participation is the biggest cause of dissent in 2026, the country avoided being banned from the event.

That was not the case with Russia, which was disbarred indefinitely from participating in the contest soon after launching its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

European Broadcasting Union deputy director general Jean Philip De Tender defended his organization’s decision to allow Israel to perform, the European edition of Politico reported ahead of the contest’s final, because Israel’s public broadcaster KAN, the body behind its entry, is independent, whereas Russia’s state broadcaster, VGTRK, is run by the Russian government.

In a social media post on Friday, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez decried the European Broadcasting Union for its “double standard.”

I love reading about artists’ processes and routines. Toni Morrison wrote before dawn, before her children awoke and she had to go to her publishing job. In the evenings, Maya Angelou cleaned and put away all her dishes before she sat with what she had written that morning. Louise Bourgeois only worked in complete silence. These rules and routines are reminders that art takes work — and immense amounts of energy.

I grew up with parents who are also artists and had to find time for their projects between life and daily obligations. My father wrote in the early mornings; my mother painted in the hours after lunch and before we were done with school. It normalized for me the intentional carving out of time needed for writing, reading and creating. This has meant that I’m almost always busy doing something, and sometimes tired, but when I don’t carve that time, I’m guaranteed to be in a bad mood, like the hanger that comes from skipping a meal.

In Viv Chen’s interview with Tory Burch, the designer compares her workdays to being “like an athlete where it’s about discipline and grit and endurance.” It’s a sentiment that sums up much of the spirit of this issue, which looks at art as a sport and sport as an art. Whether you’re playing fútbol, sewing clothes or staging a performance, it’s a physical as well as mental game.

Above all, the artist-athletes in these pages show us the rewards of their commitments. We witness this in the sizzling images of Tory Burch shoes pounding the hot Los Angeles pavement and in the sportswear designs that Otis students worked on for months, the results literally glowing and electric. We witness this in the portraits of Betye Saar, regally dressed in a Gucci kaftan for what will likely be the last exhibition she’s involved in during her lifetime. We witness this in the image of our fútbol queen on the cover, strong, reverent and at peace. These stories are all reminders that dedication to one’s craft is not just life-giving, it’s what makes life worth living.

This week’s show was recorded in Chicago with host Peter Sagal, judge and scorekeeper Bill Kurtis, Not My Job guest Ken Jennings and panelists Tom Bodett, Joyelle Nicole Johnson, and Faith Salie. Click the audio link above to hear the whole show.

Who’s Bill This Time

ou Cruise, You Lose; Renovations on the Mall; A New Game Show For Word Nerds

Panel Questions

No Justice For Plumbers

Bluff The Listener

Our panelists tell three stories about an unusual situation on the beach, only one of which is true.

Not My Job: Jeopardy‘s Ken Jennings lives down his demons and answers our three questions about H&R Block

Peter talks to Jeopardy legend and host Ken Jennings. Ken plays our game called, “What is H&R Block?” Three questions about H&R Block, the subject of the Jeopardy question Ken got wrong and it ended his 74 game win streak.

Panel Questions

Open Your Heart and Lock Up Your Assets; Restaurants Get Clingy

Limericks

Bill Kurtis reads three news-related limericks: Uranus Overshadowed; Running From Romance; Double Date Danger

Lightning Fill In The Blank

All the news we couldn’t fit anywhere else

Predictions

Our panelists predict, what will be the next show made out something we do to kill time?