2024 Eurovision winner Nemo has decided to hand back their trophy as a result of the continued participation of Israel in the song contest. 

Nemo, who represented Switzerland in the competition and was the first openly non-binary contestant to win Eurovision, took to Instagram to share the reasons why they are sending their trophy back to the European Broadcasting Union.

“I no longer feel this trophy belongs on my shelf,” they said.

Nemo noted that “Eurovision says it stands for unity, inclusion, and dignity for all […] But Israel’s continued participation, during what the UN’s Independent International Commission of Inquiry has concluded to be a genocide, shows a clear conflict between those ideals and the decisions made by the EBU.”

This action comes days after Iceland became the fifth country to pull out of the 2026 competition as a result of the EBU’s decision to continue to allow Israel to compete. Ireland, Spain, the Netherlands, and Slovenia had already announced their broadcasters’ decisions to withdraw from the competition, sending a strong statement to the organisers. 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Nemo (@nemothings)

For the 2025 competition, performers were banned from bringing flags on stage other than those of the country they were representing. This followed on from a 2024 ban on Palestinian flags for spectators, which has subsequently been lifted and replaced with the performer ban, which extends to Pride flags and flags of solidarity. 

During Nemo’s time on the competition in 2024, they had to smuggle in a non-binary flag, having been told by organisers it would not be permitted on stage. 

In Nemo’s recent post regarding their decision to return their trophy, they remarked that the Eurovision contest “was repeatedly used to soften the image of a state accused of severe wrongdoing, all while the EBU insisted Eurovision is ‘non political.’”

The singer hands back their trophy “with gratitude and with a clear message”, sharing their thanks to the fans, artists, and Eurovision community. 

“This decision comes from comes from care for the values Eurovision promises, not from rejection of the people who make it special.”

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