You may remember our original Best of the Bunch series, which aimed to find the best Eurovision entry from each nation from the years 2006 to 2015. From that series, we created the ‘Ultimate Eurovision’ which featured the winners of each of the poll, which you can read here. Over the past year, we aimed to find your Best of the Bunch from the last three years, 2016 through to 2018 so now it’s time to create another Ultimate Eurovision!
If you are still interested in voting, the polls will remain open, and for each nation a link will be added!
Germany
Germany certainly haven’t had the best run at Eurovision lately, and looking specifically at the most recent years, the nation finished in last back in 2016 with Jamie-Lee, and the following year finished second last with Levina. It was time for a stand out performance from Germany, and it was Michael Schulte who brought Germany off the bottom of the table and into the Top 5. Despite that, the votes in our poll have decided differently from the actual Eurovision votes, and it’s Jamie-Lee who is your Best of the Bunch!
If you haven’t yet had your say in our Best of the Bunch Germany poll, you can vote here.
Georgia
A once powerful Eurovision nation, Georgia’s success has seemed to have run out over the last few years. We start our trial years in 2016, where Nika Kocharov and Young Georgian Lolitaz took to the stage with their alternative track, Midnight Gold. It was a surprise qualification, but a qualification nonetheless and in fact, their most recent qualification. A strong ballad from Tamara Gachechiladze almost took Georgia to the final, but Ethno-Jazz Band Iriao found themselves at the bottom of the semi-final results table. Which is your Best of the Bunch? It was an extremely close result, but it’s Group Iriao with their traditionally inspired song, For You.
If you haven’t yet had your say in our Best of the Bunch Georgia poll, you can vote here.
Bulgaria
If loving Bulgaria at Eurovision was a crime, we’d certainly be criminals! We definitely missed Bulgaria at Eurovision 2019, but their previous three years marked one of the biggest Eurovision turnarounds of recent years. Coming 4th in 2016 with returning artist Poli Genova was a huge achievement for Bulgaria, but then in 2017 coming 2nd was a real highlight. The nation finished in 14th place in 2018 but with another stand out song by Equinox. A tough choice, but you voted and it’s Kristian Kostov as your Best of the Bunch, only by the smallest percentage!
If you haven’t yet had your say in our Best of the Bunch Bulgaria poll, you can vote here.
Poland
Since their return to the contest in 2014, Poland has been a fairly strong competitor at the contest, with more often than not qualifying for the final. The nation has been a favourite in the televote, with that being particularly true back in 2016 where Michał Szpak skyrocketed into 8th place with a strong televote. The nation qualifying again in 2017 with the song Flashlight, however failed to qualify in 2018 with Gromee and Lukas Meijer. Three diverse options, but it is Michał Szpak who is your Best of the Bunch with just over 50% of the vote.
If you haven’t yet had your say in our Best of the Bunch Poland poll, you can vote here.
Slovenia
Slovenia is one of those countries that is just so hit or miss at the contest, and at times you think they may qualify, they don’t and vice versa. They haven’t had the strongest few years, specifically in the Best of the Bunch years, with a non-qualification in both 2016 and 2017 with ManuElla and Omar Naber respectively. Their luck changed in 2018 with Lea Sirk and her song Hvala, Ne, which at the time marked the first qualification for Slovenia since 2015. With all three performances in mind, it was clear that the votes aligned with the Eurovision results, as Lea Sirk is your Best of the Bunch with a huge margin!
If you haven’t yet had your say in our Best of the Bunch Slovenia poll, you can vote here.
Moldova
Again, not always a successful nation, but Moldova aren’t scared to give it a red hot go. Despite a strong vocal performance, Lidia Isac fell short in 2016, however that was put aside when Moldova delivered their best performance yet in 2017. Former participants Sunstroke Project returned to the contest and achieved 3rd place with their catchy entry, Hey Mamma. Moldova stayed in the Top 10 in 2018, finishing 10th with the eye-catching performance of the song My Lucky Day. A close vote, however it’s DoReDos as your Best of the Bunch!
If you haven’t yet had your say in our Best of the Bunch Moldova poll, you can vote here.
Norway
Norway is a fierce competitor when it comes to Eurovision, however had an uncharacteristic mixed few years at the contest. Their entry in 2016 had mixed reviews, and with three consecutive Top 10 positions prior, the pressure was on for Agnete. Unfortunately she failed to qualify to the final, however in the following year all was redeemed when JOWST and Aleksander Walmann brought Norway back into the Top 10. We saw former winner Alexander Rybak return to the Eurovision stage in 2018 with the song That’s How You Write a Song, which at one point was picked as a favourite, however finished in 15th place overall. It was a close vote, but it’s JOWST and Aleksander Walmann who currently hold the top spot!
If you haven’t yet had your say in our Best of the Bunch Norway poll, you can vote here.
Ireland
If you told a new fan of Eurovision that Ireland were the most successful Eurovision nation, they wouldn’t believe you as the nation has had a questionable few years at the contest. They started off in our Best of the Bunch years with former Westlife member Nicky Byrne, however their non-qualification streak continued. Brendan Murray represented Ireland in 2017, and once again the nation failed to make it to the final. It wasn’t until 2018 where Ryan O’Shaughnessy broke the streak and finally qualified on behalf of Ireland, and finished in 16th place overall. You voted for your Best of the Bunch, and it’s Nicky Byrne with the song Sunlight!
If you haven’t yet had your say in our Best of the Bunch Ireland poll, you can vote here.
Stay tuned for our upcoming posts featuring more of the artists in our Ultimate Eurovision!
Read Part 1 here.
Are your favourites in this list? Tell us who would make it to your Ultimate Eurovision in the comments below!