After a suspenseful round of voting in Stockholm, Jamala's "1944" was the clear favorite. The song had provoked controversy at the supposedly apolitical event. Australia came second, followed by Russia.
Image: Getty Images/M. Campanella
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534 points were awarded to singer Jamala, giving a clear victory to her song decrying war, persecution and ethnic cleansing.
Second place went to Australia. It had been the national juries' favorite but was knocked off the top position when the audience votes came in. Nonetheless, a respectable 511 points went to that country and to Dami Im's "Sound of Silence."
Third place, with 491 points, went to Russia and to the country's elaborately produced entry "You Are the Only One," sung by Sergey Lazarov.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/B. Pedersen
Bulgaria and Sweden followed in fourth and fifth places, respectively.
The last place went to Germany, whose song "Ghost," rendered by Jamie-Lee Kriewitz, earned only 11 points. The other four countries in the bottom five were the Czech Republic, Great Britain, Croatia and Spain.
In the voting system introduced at the Eurovision Song Contest this year, the jury votes were first announced country-by-country. That was followed by the announcement of the television audience vote, revealed in order of succession from the lowest number of points to the highest.
Image: picture-alliance/IBL/K. Törnblom
During the jury voting round, Australia had emerged as the favorite with a seemingly unbeatable margin. In the subsequent popular vote, the table favorites gyrated wildly, keeping the result suspenseful until the very end.
After winning the contest and before singing her song again, a visibly elated Jamala said, "I really love peace and love to everyone!"
A clearly elated winner: JamalaImage: picture-alliance/dpa/B. Pedersen
After the songs and before the announcement of the winners, show hosts Måns Zelmerlöw and Petra Mede had asked the rhetorical question: "Is there a formula for winning the Eurovision Song Contest?" That was followed by a hilarious recapitulation of the tried-and-true tactics: a dramatic beginning, a chorus, sexy male drummers, ethnic folk instruments and the like.
The show's winning country, Ukraine, demonstrated that another quality tipped the balance this time: lyrics, coupled with a strong vocal quality and an authentic story.
The final results at the 2016 Eurovision Song Contest
It was an extremely suspenseful evening. Although Australia was a clear favorite for the national juries, Ukraine won - and Russia came in third. Germany finished last.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/B. Pedersen
The winner: Ukraine
Australia was the clear favorite according to the 42 national juries and ranked first until the top two public vote-getters were finally revealed to be Ukraine and Russia. Ultimately, the Ukrainian singer Jamala won with "1944," a gripping song about murder and persecution.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/B. Pedersen
Australia's surprising second
The South Korea-born Australian singer Dami Im took the stage in a glittering white gown. Her performance of the song "Sound of Silence" convinced several national juries, earning her 320 points - way more than any other performer. Though everyone was worried about having the next Eurovision Song Contest held Down Under, that problem was finally solved by the public's votes.
Image: EBU/Andres Putting
Third (and first): Russia
The special effects accompanying the performance of Russia's Sergey Lazarev were so high-tech that he appeared to be defying gravity while singing "You Are the Only One." Betting odds placed him as a clear favorite: In the end, even though he finished third, he did in fact receive the most votes from the public - a fact that Russia's state television was quick to point out.
Image: DW/S. Wünsch
Rocking fourth: Bulgaria
Poli Genova rocked the night with her song "If Love Was a Crime." She was representing Bulgaria at the Eurovision Song Contest for the second time. Genova's 2011 entry hadn't managed to get past the semifinals, but this year she established a new high for her country by reaching fourth place.
Image: EBU/Andres Putting
Refreshing fifth: Sweden
The 17-year-old Frans Jeppsson Wall, better known as Frans, forgot that the Eurovision Song Contest was all about glitter and kitsch. Dressed in a simple normcore style, he offered a refreshing break from the melodramatic acts with his song "If I Were Sorry." It secured Sweden the fifth spot.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/B. Pedersen
Unfortunately last: Germany
The 18-year-old German candidate, Jamie-Lee, performed "Ghost" in an outfit inspired by Asian mangas. Apparently this unusual style was too daring for both the juries and the public: She received a total 11 points - putting her dead last.
