Helena Paparizou has won the 50th Eurovision Song Contest in the competition held in Kiev, Ukraine on May 21, 2005. Greece beat 23 nations with the song "My Number One," winning 230 points - 38 points ahead of second place Malta.

Eurovision is one of Europe's most widely watched events, with more than 150 million people tuning in to this year's edition.

Helena's personal history echoes the contest's ethos of uniting Europe's diverse people and cultures: she was born and raised in Sweden and still lives there. Nonetheless, at a post-win news conference, she jumped on a table waving the Greek flag.

"I am happy that this prize finally goes to Greece . . . I wish to welcome you to Greece next year," she said. But, she added "I think this prize is a big honour for Sweden as well."

Helena had performed at Eurovision once before, placing third with the band Antique in 2001.

Her winning performance featured her singing and swaying with four male backup dancers. At one point they joined in a line, doing intricate footwork resembling traditional Greek dancing. The accompaniment included both disco-style choppy guitar and modal violin-like figures.

We wish she achieved worldwide fame like Celine Dion did, who won as Switzerland's entry in 1988!