Eurovision winner Nemo broke their trophy just minutes after they were crowned the song contest’s winner during the final on Saturday.
The 24-year-old from Switzerland, who is the competition’s first non-binary winner, scored 365 points with the juries and 226 from the public for a total of 591 with their song The Code.
After collecting the trophy from Sweden‘s 2023 winner Loreen, they excitedly took to the stage for their final performance.
Before belting out their catchy tune, the star dropped to the floor and passionately waved the glass microphone in the air.
But as the star went to stand back up, Nemo slammed the trophy on the stage as they tried to balance themselves to stand up.
Eurovision winner Nemo broke their trophy just minutes after they were crowned the song contest’s winner during the final on Saturday
The 24-year-old, who is the competition’s first non-binary winner, scored 365 points with the juries and 226 from the public for a total of 591 with their song The Code
When the singer finally managed to stand, half of the trophy was lying on the stage and the other half was still firmly gripped in their hand.
The breakage came 30 seconds after the show’s TV presenter Graham Norton said on the show’s voice over ‘don’t break the trophy’.
This will come as a shock to the show’s producers as they had already installed scaffolding to prevent the award from snapping after a previous incident 15 years ago.
In 2009, Alexander Rybak arrived at his Winner’s Press Conference with a broken trophy after he represented Norway with the hit Fairytale.
Ever since, the trophy has had two metal rings connecting the top and bottom parts.
The unique hand-made piece of art is in the shape of a classic microphone and is made of solid transparent glass with sand-blasted and painted detailing.
It was designed by Kjell Engman of Kosta Boda in 1946 and they worked as a glass artist for thirty years.
Nemo’s song writer and composer will also receive smaller, non-broken, versions of the iconic trophy.
After collecting the trophy from Sweden’s 2023 winner Loreen, he excitedly took to the stage for their final performance
Before belting out their catchy tune, the star dropped to the floor and passionately waved the glass microphone in the air
But as the star went to stand back up, Nemo slammed the trophy on the stage as he tried to balance themselves to stand up. When he finally managed to stand, half of the trophy was lying on the stage and the other half was still firmly gripped in their hand
There is also one ‘mother trophy’ with a generic Eurovision Song Contest logo, which is usually displayed in the reception area at the European Broadcasting Union’s headquarters.
Nemo used their childhood opera experience to create an impressive performance mixing rap, rock, drum ‘n bass and classical opera, as well as balancing on a revolving disc spinning at speed as they belted a tune.
After being announced as the winner, a tearful Nemo said: ‘I want to say thank you so much.
‘I hope this contest can live up to its promise and continue to stand for peace and dignity for every person in this world.’
Croatia finished in second place with Rim Tim Tagi Dim by Baby Lasagna after they were scored 547 points.
And Ukraine ended up in third place thanks to alyona alyona & Jerry Heil with their song Teresa & Maria which was awarded 453 points.
Ahead of the final, Nemo was set as the favourite with 5-2 odds to win after a successful performance on Swiss TV.
Nemo said the song is about them realising their own non-binary identity and they hope they can stand up for ‘the entire LGBTQIA+ community’ by enterting the contest.
The artist, whose full name is Nemo Mettler, added that when accepting they didn’t ‘feel like a man or a woman… I had to break a few codes.’
Nemo used their childhood opera experience to create an impressive performance mixing rap, rock, drum ‘n bass and classical opera, as well as balancing on a revolving disc spinning at speed as they belted a tune
Nemo said the song is about them realising their own non-binary identity and they hope they can stand up for ‘the entire LGBTQIA+ community’ by enterting the contest
Non-binary is an umbrella term used to describe people who feel their gender cannot be defined within the margins of gender binary.
Instead, they understand their gender in a way that goes beyond simply identifying as either a man or woman, according to the LGBT Foundation.
According to The Mirror, one Eurovision expert said: ‘The thinking is, if Nemo delivers on all those high notes and showcases all those different styles it will score very highly with the juries – but it’s hard to know what voters at home will make of it as there is no real precedent. It’s a very unique song which sits way outside the box.’
Croatia, Ukraine, Italy Ukraine and the Netherlands round out the top five countries in the odds.