Eurovision Trophy: Is It Time for a Redesign?

Is it time for a change in the Eurovision Song Contest trophy? It certainly seems so. After Nemo’s trophy broke into two pieces just after their victory in Malmö in May 2024, now it’s the turn of Austria’s JJ  to face a similar fate.

“Everyone told me: ‘Nemo broke the ESC trophy, so be careful with yours!’” writes JJ on TikTok, showing off his trophy in two parts. “People, my suitcase came back broken. So, everything inside was broken,” he adds. “But don’t worry, the trophy will be repaired.”

Four Broken Trophies: The Curse of the Glass Microphone

JJ isn’t the first (and certainly not the last) to fall victim to the infamous Eurovision glass microphone. This marks the fourth time the prestigious trophy has been damaged. It all started last year during Nemo’s victory performance of “The Code” in 2024. “I wanted to hold the trophy up at the end, and when I went to set it down, it just snapped,” Nemo recalled, adding, “I also ended up with a cut later on.”

But Nemo wasn’t alone in this trophy tragedy. Norwegian winner Alexander Rybak , who triumphed with «Fairytale» in Moscow in 2009, also made headlines when he arrived at his winner’s press conference holding a broken trophy. Since then, the Eurovision trophy has been reinforced with a metal ring—but with only mild success, it seems.

Even Emmelie de Forest , the Danish winner from 2012, couldn’t escape the curse. After lending her trophy to the Danish National Museum, it too was found in pieces.

New Trophy Rumours Circulating for Eurovision’s 70th Edition

Amidst all the breakage, there are whispers that the 70th edition of Eurovision may be the perfect time for a redesign. New trophy designs and even a new logo could be in the works, though organisers from the EBU declined to comment on the rumours when approached by the Swiss newspaper Blick. Looks like we’ll just have to wait and see.

Source: Blick