Destiny won her Eurovision Song Contest semi-final last Tuesday, scoring almost 60 more points than her closest rival, official results released early on Sunday morning have shown.
The official Eurovision scoreboard showed that Malta’s entry scored 325 points, ahead of Ukraine with 267 and Russia with 225 points.
Destiny followed up her romping semi-final performance with a strong showing among Eurovision juries, with Norway, Romania, Australia and Sweden each giving Malta 12 points.
Malta received 208 points in total from national juries - the third-highest total overall.
But audiences across the continent were less enthused by Malta’s entry, which scored just 47 points during the competition’s ensuing televoting round.
No country's audience gave Malta maximum points, with its highest televoting score coming from Australia (eight points), followed by the UK (six points), Israel (five points) and Ireland (four points). Norway, Iceland, Spain and Greece each gave Malta three points while Sweden, Austria, Belgium, Denmark and Romania each gave Malta two points. Cyprus and the Netherlands each gave Malta a solitary point.
The combined result meant Destiny ended placing seventh overall, down from the bookmakers’ initial prediction of a third-place finish and behind Ukraine, which Malta had outranked during the semi-final.
The final placement of Eurovision Song Contest competitors is determined by combining scores achieved in voting by national juries and televoting audiences.
Televoting score for Malta (Total 47 points)
8 points – Australia
6 points – UK
5 points – Israel
4 points – Ireland
3 points – Norway, Iceland, Spain, Greece
2 points – Sweden, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Romania
1 point – Cyprus, Netherlands
Jury score for Malta (Total 208 points)
12 points – Norway, Romania, Australia, Sweden
10 points – Cyprus, Ireland
8 points – Germany, Albania, Spain
7 points - Italy, the Netherlands, Azerbaijan, Moldova, Czechia, San Marino
6 points – Greece, Switzerland
5 points – Ukraine, Israel, North Macedonia, Belgium, Bulgaria, Slovenia
North Macedonia, Belgium, Bulgaria, Slovenia
4 points – Portugal, Poland, Austria, Russia, Denmark
3 points – Croatia, Lithuania
2 points – Latvia
1 point – Finland, Estonia, Georgia, Iceland
How Malta voted
The Eurovision scoreboard also revealed how Malta’s national jury – made up of former Eurovision singers Ira Losco and Michela, as well as Kevin Abela, Annaliz Azzopardi and Sigmund Mifsud – gave Albania its maximum points.
Maltese audiences, on the other hand, voted en masse for eventual winners Italy, giving them 12 points. Albania received no points from national audiences.
Local audiences appeared to be enthused by Scandinavian entries this year, with Norway, Sweden and Finland all earning high scores from Malta's televoting.
Maltese televoting results
12 points – Italy
10 points – Norway
8 points – Sweden
7 points – Finland
6 points – Lithuania
5 points – Iceland
4 points – Serbia
3 points – France
2 points – Cyprus
1 point – Ukraine
Maltese jury results
12 points – Albania
10 points – Switzerland
8 points – Sweden
7 points – Portugal
6 points – Greece
5 points – Ukraine
4 points – Cyprus
3 points – France
2 points – Finland
1 point – San Marino