Barbara Dex Award is an annually awarded , fan-voted accolade for the " worst dressed " artists in the Eurovision Song Contest . It was created by Edwin van Thillo and Rob Paardekam , the founders of Dutch Eurovision fansite The House of Eurovision , in 1997 . It was named after Belgian singer Barbara Dex , who represented Belgium in the Eurovision Song Contest 1993 wearing a self-made , semi-transparent dress . According to William Lee Adams of Wiwibloggs , Dex wearing her own costume had her ending up " looking like a lampshade " , a feature that eventually led to the award 's inception . Debbie Scerri , representing Malta in the 1997 edition of the contest , was the first artist to receive the Barbara Dex Award . For the third edition of the award in 1999 , The House of Eurovision opted to open to up for a public user vote , unlike the internal selection from the previous two years
1997 edition of the contest
Eurovision Song Contest 1997
Barbara Dex Award