Representations of virtual cryptocurrencies are placed on U.S. Dollar banknotes in this illustration taken November 28, 2021.
Representations of virtual cryptocurrencies are placed on U.S. Dollar banknotes in this illustration taken November 28, 2021.

Kalush Orchestra, the winners of the Eurovision Song Contest 2022, have organized an auction of an NFT (non-fungible tokens) for charity. The auction started Wednesday and will last till Saturday on MetaHistory, the official Ukrainian charitable NFT museum.

"The symbols of the Kalush Orchestra's victory at Eurovision will now help make Ukraine's victory in the war with the Russian occupiers," the MetaHistory website read.

Bids will be accepted in both cryptocurrency and fiat currency (via Monobank), creating a friendly competition for what type of currency can bring the most donations.

The Eurovision Song Contest 2022 was held on May 14 in Turin, Italy. The event had a television audience of 161 million viewers in 34 measured markets, and 18 million viewers also watched the contest online on YouTube and TikTok.

The song Stefania, performed by Kalush Orchestra won the contest. The band is auctioning an NFT of the Eurovision Glass Microphone Trophy awarded to collect donations to help Ukraine.

With the purchase of NFT with cryptocurrency, the lucky owner will receive a 100 percent unique digital NFT file, featuring a microphone and Kalush Orchestra, along with an exclusive meeting and dinner with members of the Kalush Orchestra. It is also an opportunity to receive the physical object, the Crystal Microphone, as long as the bid is higher than the fiat currency bid.

The initiative is supported by the Ministry of Culture and Information Policy, the Ministry of Digital Transformation of Ukraine, and the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), the association of broadcasters that organizes the international Eurovision Song Contest.

The raised amount will go to the CO Charitable Foundation of Serhiy Prytula.

The Ukrainian people, and even the government, have embraced crypto donations and NFTs as a means to gather support in a way that no one could have expected before the events of the last three months.

IIlustration shows representations of virtual cryptocurrencies on U.S. Dollar banknotes

Photo: Reuters / DADO RUVIC