Austria has won the 2014 Eurovision Song Contest which was held last night (10th May) in Copenhagen. Conchita Wurst, a drag act, won the competition with her son ‘Rise Like a Phoenix’ which received 290 points.

Conchita Wurst
Conchita Wurst won the Eurovision Song Contest representing Austria.

Austria won by a considerably number of points. The Netherlands came in second with 238 points whilst Sweden obtained third place with 218. The British act, Molly Smitten-Downes came in 17th place with her song ‘Children of the Universe’. Molly gained 40 points and came in 17th out of the 26 countries in the final.

As Conchita collected her trophy, she said: "This night is dedicated to everyone who believes in a future of peace and freedom. You know who you are - we are unity and we are unstoppable." In the press conference which followed the announcement of the winner, Conchita explained how winning felt and what it was like for her to win. She said “For me, my dream came true. But for society it showed me that people want to move on, to look to the future. We said something, we made a statement.”

Molly Smitten Downes
Molly Smitten Downes represent the UK with her song 'Children of the Universe'.

Conchita, who was born Tom Neuwirth, performed ‘Rise Like a Phoenix’ whilst wearing a glittering gold floor length dress and sporting a full beard. A number of critics took to Twitter before her performance in order to criticise her and she received a number of homophobic remarks. However, 25-year-old Conchita dealt with it impressively stating to the AP, as the Daily Mail reports: “I can only say thank you for your attention. If this is only about me and my person, I can live with it.”

As is traditional with Eurovision, the winning country hosts the following year’s festivities. Obviously, the contest will be held in Austria. The press asked Conchita what next year’s shows should be like to which she replied “Glamorous!” Congratulations to all those who participated in Eurovision and to Conchita for winning overall!

Read more: Austrian Drag Act Facing Backlash Over Eurovision Contest Entry.
Read more: ABBA Celebrate 40 Years Since Their Victorious 'Waterloo' Performance At Eurovision.

Watch Conchita Wurst's 'Rise Like a Phoenix':