Overview
- Nemo, Switzerland’s 2024 champion and the contest’s first openly non-binary winner, announced on Dec. 11 that they are returning their glass‑microphone trophy.
- Citing a UN inquiry’s conclusion of genocide, Nemo said Israel’s participation conflicts with Eurovision’s stated values and stressed the action targets institutions rather than individual artists.
- A video posted by Nemo showed the trophy being packed to send to the European Broadcasting Union’s headquarters in Geneva.
- Iceland, Ireland, the Netherlands, Slovenia and Spain have declared they will not take part in the 2026 contest in response to Israel remaining in the field.
- Eurovision director Martin Green released an open letter defending Israel’s inclusion and pledging to enforce contest rules, and the EBU says Eurovision 2026 will proceed as planned in Vienna in May.