Of the eight, the only other Kiwi was Taupo's Chelsea Dolman
"It was quite nerve-wracking," Dams said.
"I was competing against people who I had not met before and had no knowledge of their singing ability.
"The final round of the competition was intense," Dams said.
"All of the finalists are hugely talented and their performances were of an incredibly high standard."
Dams described the Eisteddfod experience are awesome and said the competition adjudicators had been inspirational.
"The advice and encouragement they passed on to all contestants was valuable.
He said he approaches every performance with the same attitude – just do your absolute best because that's ultimately all you can do. "After that it's just a matter of seeing what eventuates.
"But hearing your name being announced as a winner is something I'll ever get used to so, when I heard it, on the night of the Eisteddfod, I was absolutely taken aback."
Dams performed Mein Sehnen mein Wahnen from Korngold's Die Tote Stadt and Questo amor from Pucci's Edgar.
Competition adjudicators said he "demonstrated an incredibly high level of vocal technique and took audiences on a journey into the world of the character".
In winning the competition, Dams was awarded a $35,000 scholarship, $5000 cash plus a return economy airfare up to the value of $3000 allowing him the opportunity to engage in advanced studies abroad.
Dams said he would be relocating overseas at some stage although he wasn't too sure when that would be.
