Croatian government awards Baby Lasagna cash award

Baby Lasagna

Prime Minister Andrej Plenković has announced this morning that  the Croatian government will financially reward Marko Purišić, better known as Baby Lasagna, following his success and second place finish at this year’s Eurovision Song Contest.

Baby Lasagna made history in Sweden as Croatia’s highest-ranking finish at Eurovision, and the government has decided  to award him a prize of 50,000 euros for the “tremendous promotion” of Croatia.

“Congratulations on the impressive success, Marko Purišić. He came in second overall, which is the greatest achievement of independent Croatia. This is a remarkable success, and we thank the City of Zagreb for the wonderful reception. And, of course, his hometown of Umag… We wish him much success in his future career,” said Plenković.

Baby Lasagna thanked the government for the gesture but said he is unable to accept the cash and asked for it to be donated to those who need help more instead.

“I hereby ask Mr. Plenković, on my behalf and on behalf of the Croatian Government, to donate 25,000 euros to the Department of Pediatric Oncology and Hematology with the daily clinic ‘Mladen Ćepulić’. Furthermore, I would like to donate the remaining 25,000 euros to the Department of Pediatric Hematology, Oncology, and Stem Cell Transplantation at the University Hospital Centre Zagreb. Thank you,” he wrote on social media.

Thousands of fans welcomed back the singer on Sunday in the capital after his hit “Rim Tim Tagi Dim” won over the public from all over the world. 

(Photo: Grad Zagreb)

Following its inclusion in Spotify’s top 50 most listened-to songs, the single currently holds the fifth position on the viral chart of 50 global hits.

The winners of Eurovision from the EBU do not receive money for their success. There is no cash prize and there never has been. 

The winning performer at Eurovision continues to use their victory for commercial purposes, increasing their performance fees and popularity worldwide, but they don’t receive any money from the EBU. 

(Screenshot/Instagram)

Baby Lasagna announced this week he will perform his first solo concert in Zagreb in September and the concert sold out within minutes. 

From Umag in Istria, Marko started his musical career as a guitarist for the Croatian rock band Manntra. 

His solo career took flight in 2023 with the release of “IG Boi” under Molly Studios, followed by the success of “Don’t Hate Yourself, But Don’t Love Yourself too Much” towards the end of last year.