Bulgaria’s Poli Genova resembled an extra from The Matrix. Germany’s Jamie-Lee looked like she’d woken up from a punch-up after a Halloween party. And Switzerland’s Rykka wore a translucent dress while smoke emanated from her bra. But in the end one woman made Europe shriek the loudest with her fashion faux pas at Eurovision 2016. Ladies and gentleman, Croatia’s Nina Kraljic is the winner of the Barbara Dex Award 2016.

The Croatian beauty — who is one of our favourite personalities and singers of Eurovision 2016 — nailed her performance vocally. But she came up short visually, wearing not one, but two outfits that had Eurovision fans saying, “WTF?”

The first resembled a Japanese kimono, albeit one on steroids. It featured a lovely tree branch design — inspired by a tattoo on Nina’s back — and militaristic flourishes at the collar.

Halfway through her performance dancers ripped it off to reveal a Las Vegas showgirl number — it was all feathers and silver sequins and metal…in short, a real eye sore.

Our readers agree with the result. Ahead of the announcement we gave y’all 48 hours to vote for your favourites. We counted a total of 10,432 votes and Nina came out on top. She earned 1,686 votes, or around 16% of all those cast. That put her ahead of runner-up Jamie-Lee from Germany, who earned 979 votes, or around 9% of all those cast. You can see the full results below.

Wiwibloggers William and Deban chose their worst dressed ahead of the results, and once again Nina came out on top.

During Eurovision Nina actually told us that she was a contender to win the Barbara Dex Award.

She seemed to understand that the dress wasn’t clicking and through good humor and self-awareness managed to push through the fashion pain. 

Since 1997, the Barbara Dex Award has paid homage to the fashion disasters that help make Eurovision so memorable. The winners regularly choose outfits so unflattering and unattractive that viewers are left with their jaws on the floor. From barely-there dresses that could be described as lingerie to the misuse of tin foil and leotards, these “winners” look truly heinous. The Award honours Belgium’s 1993 contestant who made the mistake of sewing her own costume.

Who should win the Barbara Dex Award 2016? (Poll Closed)

The House of Eurovision runs the Barbara Dex Award. Ahead of their announcement we staged our own poll to predict the winner. These are our results. 

  1. NINA KRALJIC — CROATIA 16.16% (1,686 votes)
  2. JAMIE-LEE — GERMANY 9.38% (979 votes)
  3. RYKKA — SWITZERLAND 8.08% (843 votes)
  4. POLI GENOVA — BULGARIA 4.67% (487 votes)
  5. DALAL & DEEN FEAT. ANA RUCNER AND JALA — BOSNIA & HERZEGOVINA 4.52% (472 votes)
  6. SANDHJA — FINLAND 4.23% (441 votes)
  7. MICHAL SZPAK — POLAND 3.14% (328 votes)
  8. KALIOPI — FYR MACEDONIA 2.97% (310 votes)
  9. ENEDA TARIFA — ALBANIA 2.93% (306 votes)
  10. SAMRA — AZERBAIJAN 2.66% (277 votes)
  11. FRANCESCA MICHIELIN — ITALY 2.37% (247 votes)
  12. JAMALA — UKRAINE 2.23% (233 votes)
  13. BAREI — SPAIN 1.98% (207 votes)
  14. LIDIA ISAC — MOLDOVA 1.7% (177 votes)
  15. HOVI STAR — ISRAEL 1.69% (176 votes)
  16. MANUELLA — SLOVENIA 1.68% (175 votes)
  17. IVAN — BELARUS 1.67% (174 votes)
  18. SERHAT — SAN MARINO 1.57% (164 votes)
  19. IVETA MUKUCHYAN — ARMENIA 1.55% (162 votes)
  20. ARGO — GREECE 1.55% (162 votes)
  21. SANJA VUCIC ZAA — SERBIA 1.53% (160 votes)
  22. GRETA SALÓME — ICELAND 1.5% (156 votes)
  23. JÜRI POOTSMANN — ESTONIA 1.44% (150 votes)
  24. FREDDIE — HUNGARY 1.42% (148 votes)
  25. DAMI IM — AUSTRALIA 1.4% (146 votes)
  26. IRA LOSCO — MALTA 1.36% (142 votes)
  27. FRANS — SWEDEN 1.29% (135 votes)
  28. NIKA KOCHAROV & YOUNG GEORGIAN LOLITAZ — GEORGIA 1.26% (131 votes)
  29. DONNY MONTELL — LITHUANIA 1.24% (129 votes)
  30. SERGEY LAZAREV — RUSSIA 1.04% (109 votes)
  31. MINUS ONE — CYPRUS 1.04% (108 votes)
  32. LAURA TESORO — BELGIUM 1.02% (106 votes)
  33. GABRIELA GUNCIKOVA — CZECH REPUBLIC 0.99% (103 votes)
  34. ZOË — AUSTRIA 0.98% (102 votes)
  35. NICKY BYRNE — IRELAND 0.96% (100 votes)
  36. JOE & JAKE — UNITED KINGDOM 0.92% (96 votes)
  37. HIGHWAY — MONTENEGRO 0.86% (90 votes)
  38. AMIR — FRANCE 0.79% (82 votes)
  39. DOUWE BOB — NETHERLANDS 0.78% (81 votes)
  40. LIGHTHOUSE X — DENMARK 0.76% (79 votes)
  41. JUSTS — LATVIA 0.69% (73 votes)

Total Votes: 10,432

47 Comments
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Danpito
Danpito
7 years ago

2016 N.K. Award!

1 Nina Kraljic
2 Jamie-Lee Kriewitz
3 Freddie
The N.K. Award is an annual award (created by Venetian artist D.S.K.) for the most experimental, avant garde and original outfit in the Eurovision Song Contest. It is named after Nina Kraljic, who represented Croatia in the 2016 contest.

Denis
Denis
7 years ago

She was the frontrunner all along so it isn’t really a surprise. It might be artistic but that doesn’t make it any good. Even artistic outfits can be good, and this wasn’t. Either the dress was to big, or Nina was to small..
A for the top 5 no surprise there either. Don’t think there are arguments there. Germany might fit personality and song but it’s still ugly. Rykka wore a plastic bag over her, really? B&H don’t get scores for looking like Game Of Thrones characters.

danpito
danpito
7 years ago

The Nina Kraljic Award is an annual fan award for the most experimental, avant garde and original outfit in the Eurovision Song Contest. It is named after Nina Kraljic, who represented Croatia in the 2016 contest.

ms
ms
7 years ago

Why not a best dressed award ?
For me the best dressed men were Netherlands ( douwe bob) and France (Amir)
and the best dressed women were Austria (Princess Zoé) and Belgium ( laura tesoro , perfectly dressed for her specific song).

ms
ms
7 years ago

It’s the only poll that all countries want to be in the bottom !
Well I hesitated between Croatia and Germany , and finally I voted for Croatia.

danpito
danpito
7 years ago

… of course pop music represents different forms of art, mainstream, underground culture, street culture etc… how could it be anything else?
Jamie Lee: she’s got an insight into popular street art culture, ironic as Grayson Perry’s art, it’s a great error to consider this bad taste.
http://sites.psu.edu/contemporarywomenartists/2015/09/20/grayson-perry/
Nina has a more extravagant outfit, putting one in mind of a glamour fairy >>> details are carefully orchestrated to create a fashion masterpiece!

Skandar
Skandar
7 years ago

Nina, Jamie-Lee, Rykka, Poli and Michal were the best for this award. (2 of them on my top 10 list) Freddie’s 4th place from Wiwigays is not a surprise for me. William and Co. hated everything related to him.

Light Star (Mario) = Legend
Light Star (Mario) = Legend
7 years ago

Poor Nina. 🙁 She did not deserve this over the German girl!

danpito
danpito
7 years ago

Considering that the ironic and fresh mood of Jamie Lee’s costume is intentional, well, it seems wrong to consider it as a result of bad taste. Her idea is based on a sophisticated art-pop in connection with Japanese street culture. This is originality at its best! The ignorant public sometimes misunderstands street art culture…

Stan
Stan
7 years ago

@Charles,

I think we agree, Eurovision is not meant to be art… It really is entertainment and much closer to Britney Spears in Las Vegas than Marina Abramovic in New York!

I wasn’t entertained by Nina… The interview where she states that ‘Barbara Dex will probably be mine’ has a distinct sadness. I feel sorry for her (and I didn’t vote for her, either). But the Barbara Dex award is all good fun. There’s no mocking intended, I’m sure. Barbara Dex herself has never been insulted by the award that made her immortal in Eurovision land.

Ern
Ern
7 years ago

Poli Genova would have overtook Russia for the 3rd place had she worn something better. That dress cost her points.

Charles
Charles
7 years ago

@Stan: You are comparing Eurovision to Britney Spears Las Vegas show if you really believe that the contest is pure entertainment … nobody feels entertained by bad taste, unless you ene up drinking a bit more than usual. Eurovision is not meant to be ART much less a load of circus-rubbish-easy-to-be-mocked-losing-any-credibility.

Criticca
Criticca
7 years ago

Nah it would be more fitting if Germany’s Jamie Lee won it.

Vogzal Odessa
Vogzal Odessa
7 years ago

Nina’s costume definitely looks elaborate but in a wrong way, at least for this very song and this very occasion. When I first saw it, I thought someone was playing deliberately against her, which is also my general perception of Nina’s this year’s participation. As for te rest, as I said in a previous post, if this award was to be handed out to the most bland and boring outfit of the contest (which B Dex’s outfit was back in 1993), it should definitely go to Frans (Sweden) this year. His clothes looked liked the ones you find in a… Read more »

Laburnum
Laburnum
7 years ago

My mum and step dad thought that Nina was a terrible singer, which is sad for them to think because she is wonderful to listen to. They also hated her even more with her dress so yeah, well deserved winner. Eneda should be higher imo, that dress was hiddeous.

Vladimir P.
Vladimir P.
7 years ago

No one voted for Norway. No wonder, Agnete looked great.

Elias
Elias
7 years ago

Everything about Nina’s outfits is so different and interesting. The dresses are stunning and elaborate, the boldest in the competition. This is a joke. Bulgaria the worst. The idea behind the Lighthouse dress:
https://www.instagram.com/p/BFOjknnoc8S/?taken-by=zigman_official&hl=hr

Bronson
Bronson
7 years ago

‘The Croatian beauty — who is one of our favourite personalities and singers of Eurovision 2016 — nailed her performance vocally.’

I seriously hope this is a joke. Nina’s vocal performance in the final was terrible and hard to listen to.

MTD
MTD
7 years ago

So Justs, Lighthouse X and Douwe were the best. Nice. 🙂

It’s interesting to know that the top 10 have only 2 guys (Deen sharing the spot tho).

sonic0201
sonic0201
7 years ago

@Red
Well, I remember a video after the 1st Semi where they addressed Freddie as “the entry they don’t like”, or something like that, also predicting him to not qualify, so don’t be surprised…

Stan
Stan
7 years ago

Eurovision is entertainment, not art!

The award will next year be organized by songfestival.be

https://songfestival.be/en/barbara-dex/songfestival-be-neemt-met-trots-de-barbara-dex-award-over/

Jonas
Jonas
7 years ago

Well, I think the Barbara Dex Award is more of a good-humored bit of fun. It’s not about mocking people, or at least I would hope.

Charles
Charles
7 years ago

It’s something I shall always ask myself “What’s the point of mocking someone’s look and image within the context of a televised song contest?” .. if only this was the Project Runway or the Fashion Police shows I’d get it … still no matter how übergay this can be … is it any worth? Is someone’s life gone bad so miserably to point where you have to make fun of somebody else?

Sunny
Sunny
7 years ago

I think she looked stunning! And this is a perfect example why this show is so generic. Nina is too good and too different for Eurovision. :/

Jonas
Jonas
7 years ago

No way should Nina be considered for the Barbara Dex.

It’s not a “fashion faux pas”, it’s a costume! Okay, so it might hurt the eyes a little, but that’s what’s makes it great. Don’t worry, Nina, some people just have no taste or artistic senses at all. Philistines! 🙂

Thiefo
7 years ago

I second everything Robyn said. I believe her dress was different and that’s why people voted for it, at least people remembered it. There were others with far worse outfits.

danpito
danpito
7 years ago

Nina’s glittery dress is a piece of art, a masterpiece of fashion design… like Jamie- Lee, 2 artists too much avant-garde and artsy for a generic mainstream tv show…

Red
Red
7 years ago

@ Jesper

Thanks for pointing that out. I’m sorry if I didn’t make it clear/wrote something wrong. I was referring to the video uploaded on Youtube where they discussed their 5 worst. The fact that readers ranked him 24th shows many people agreed that there wasn’t anything wrong with his outfit. I just wanted to highlight my problem with the editors viewpoint that ‘simple’ isn’t good enough. I won’t repeat myself again, but my critique remains the same as written below.

Jesper
Jesper
7 years ago

@ Red

The poll results that are shown are the results of the poll that Wiwibloggs held, not the results of the official Barbara Dex. So Freddie is 24th according to the visitors of wiwibloggs.
The top 5 of wiwibloggs’ poll is similar to the top 5 of the official Barbara Dex poll, making Freddie neither in wiwibloggs’ nor the official poll on the 4th place..

Red
Red
7 years ago

Sorry, I forgot to add something. I just wanted to state that regarding Freddie’s critique, it is these sorts of attitudes that give Eurovision a bad name. It’s looked down upon for being ‘camp’ and ‘kitsch and tasteless’. I would completely disagree with the contests since 2009; I mean look at Ukraine and Australia this year. The very fact they did well indicates this contest is once again about quality music and performers. We don’t need over-the-top costumes that would never be worn in the real world, so I don’t see the point in critiquing artists like Freddie or Kaliopi… Read more »

Red
Red
7 years ago

‘Freddie was 4th worst dressed’ according to Wiwibloggs, yet ends up 24th on the Barbara Dex votes. Clearly, you both didn’t pay attention to Freddie’s interviews where he stated he didn’t want to focus on clothing and wanted to stay natural on stage. I can’t claim to be a fashion expert, but as a guy I saw no fault in what he wore; I quite liked it to be honest. Certain fans in the ESC bubble need to realize that over-the-top costumes aren’t always required to stand out. Don’t get me wrong, I love Poli but her outfit was clearly… Read more »

Huh
Huh
7 years ago

This award portion is a bit disappointing for me as how this year’s contest is disappointing for lots of people. Nina’s costume fits to her performance and it’s very serious in an acceptable way for plenty of fans. If you compare it among the previous Barbara Dex Awards winner, Nina’s victory is meh. It’s campy as it’s overdressed, true, but it’s not that very extreme and disastrous as the last ones. God, what is with the 2016 contest?

Maru fr
Maru fr
7 years ago

And what about guys? Why they`re nominated too?
Probably only because they`re too much dressed! Lol

The Brightest Falling Star
The Brightest Falling Star
7 years ago

@Cai

I don’t understand why but Norway was not included at all.

Paul D.
Paul D.
7 years ago

My only problem was with the kimono, not flattering. But the actual dress was very beautiful imo but whatever

ESCFAN
ESCFAN
7 years ago

I thought Macedonia’s singer was far worse dressed than Croatia’s Nina. At least Nina’s was a bold statement. Kaliopi robbed again 😛

Frysk
Frysk
7 years ago

For me it Juri Pootsmann. Nice song, good voice but this poor boy was put in an oversized blazer from the sixties. ABsolutely horrific. That’s why het lost!

niko
niko
7 years ago

Probably the most deserved Barbara Dex award ever!

DenizNL
DenizNL
7 years ago

How are Eneda and Samra that close? They looked amazing.

Darren
Darren
7 years ago

That dress was horrible! And for me, ruined what would otherwise have been a flawless performance. She turned her classy song into a novelty act just because of that dress. If she had a more normal, eye-pleasing outfit, she probably would have got a higher result.

Alex
Alex
7 years ago

She didn’t nail it, she didn’t do a great job singing in tune.

Plus, the dress was awful, couldn’t she go to the local H&M and buy a decent dress if they didn’t have any sponsors?

Cai
Cai
7 years ago

so Norway is the only one not to get any votes ? does that make her best dressed haha personally I’m shocked Azerbaijan is so high and Australia’s dress was amazing !

esc84
esc84
7 years ago

The only utfit doesn’t shadow her beauty… I appreciated she arrange the outfit with her team

Uroš
Uroš
7 years ago

Finally, Serbia isn’t in top 2 for Barbara Dex 🙂

Aleksi
Aleksi
7 years ago

I voted Rykka.

Croat
Croat
7 years ago

We’re proud! Such an honor!
At least we won something <3

Ben Rafter
Ben Rafter
7 years ago

Well done, much deserved!