What does the winner of Eurovision 2023 get? Why there is no prize money - and what the trophy is made from

Liverpool will be welcoming Europe's finest musical acts for the final of the Eurovision Song Contest this week.

It is the first time in 25 years that the UK has hosted the competition. Ukraine won the 2022 edition but due to the on-going invasion by Russia it is unable to host the event.

The UK was asked to hold it on behalf of Ukraine after Sam Ryder came in second place. It was the UK's best result at Eurovision since 1998, which was also the last time the competition was held on these shores.

Singer Mae Muller will be looking to go one better this year and become the first British act since Katrina and the Waves in 1997 to win the competition. But what will the winning act take home at the end of the night?

Does the winner of Eurovision get a trophy?

The winner of the Eurovision Song Contest in Liverpool will receive the coveted glass microphone trophy. It was first presented in 2008 and the hand-made prize has been given to the winner ever since.

According to Eurovision's website, the trophy is "made of solid transparent glass with sand-blasted and painted detailing". It was designed by Kjell Engman of Sweden's Kosta Boda and is styled after a 1950s-style microphone.

The song writers and composers of the winning entry also receive smaller versions of the trophy and there is one 'mother trophy' with a generic Eurovision Song Contest logo. Most of the time, it is displayed in the reception area at the European Broadcasting Union's headquarters.

The 2022 winner of Eurovision, Ukraine's Kalush Orchestra auctioned off the trophy the hip-hop group lifted for winning the song contest and put the money towards the war effort in their home country. It was confirmed that the trophy sold for $900,000 which equates to £712,000.

Is there prize money for winning Eurovision?

The winner of the song contest does not get a financial reward. There is no prize money for lifting the glass microphone at the end of the night.

After the winner is announced, they will get to perform their song one more time before the show ends. The lack of financial reward for the winning act is due to it being seen as a springboard for the act to be catipulted to fame.

Abba became global superstars after winning Eurovision in 1974 and Celine Dion also won the contest in 1988. In more recent years, Maneskin have performed at major festivals across the world after winning in 2021.

Despite coming second in 2022, the UK's Sam Ryder has enjoyed huge success since participating in the competition. He went on to headline the BBC’s regular New Year’s Eve concert at the end of the year.

What does the winning nation get?

The winning act walks home with the trophy and the country the act is representing gets the honour of hosting the competition the following year. For example, Maneskin won the 2021 edition of the song contest and it was then held in Turin, Italy in 2022.

The UK is hosting the competition in Liverpool in 2023 due to Ukraine being unable to put the event on due to the ongoing war with Russia. Britain's Sam Ryder finished second behind Kalush Orchestra, who stormed to victory after dominating the public votes across the continent.