There is less than 2 months until the next edition of the Junior Eurovision Song Contest takes place, and this years edition, will once again be held on Malta.
The contest will take place on the 20th of November, and the venue that will host the event, is The Mediterranean Conference Centre, in the capital city of Malta, Valletta. The EBU has today, on the 28th of September announced, that a total of 17 countries will compete in this years event.
The 17 Countries
Among the 17 countries, that has confirmed that they will take part in the contest, then there is not a single country taking part, which hasn’t taking part in the competition once before, which means that we won’t see any debuting countries this year. Rumors had it, that countries such as Germany and the Czech Republic had shown interest in the contest, but eventually decided not to take part, and still has to make their debut in the contest. Making this years competition the first since 2011, to not have a single debuting country.
On the other hand, 3 countries have decided to return the the Junior edition, while 3 countries as well, have decided to withdraw from the competition.
Withdrawals
Montenegro debuted in the contest back in 2014, when the contest first was held on Malta, and took also part last year in Sofia, Bulgaria. After finishing 2 years in a row near the bottom of the scoreboard, Montenegro has decided to withdraw.
Slovenia also made their debut at the 2014 contest, where they finished 12th. Despite the low finish on their debut year, Slovenia managed to impress at last years contest, when it was in Sofia, Bulgaria. When Lina Kuduzovic with her song “Prva Ljubezen”, finished on a impressive 3rd place. However Slovenia has stated that due to the changes at this years contest, they do not wish to attend, despite not being clear on, which rules they weren’t pleased with.
Lastly, San Marino has also decided to opt out, from the contest. They made their debut at the 2013 contest, which was held in Kyiv, Ukraine. San Marino has been struggling, and has lately as well, stated their dissatisfaction with the changes both at the Adult and the Junior version of the contest, by not giving minor states a chance to be heard.
Returns
Now on to the good news, which also include the 3 countries that has decided to come back to the contest.
After a 1 year break, Cyprus has not only confirmed their participation at this years contest, but has also already confirmed to participate in the 2017 contest. Cyprus has already selected their entrant, and the singer George Michaelides will sing the song “Dance Floor”. The song has not yet been revealed.
Israel will also make a return to the contest, after a 4 year long break from the contest. Israel made their debut 4 years ago as well, when Kids.il represented the country, when the contest was held in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. It’s expected that Israel will once again go with an internal selection.
The last returning country will be Poland, who returns after a 12 year long break. They last took part in the 2004 contest, that was held in Lillehammer, Norway, and the country made their debut in the 2003 contest, held in Copenhagen, Denmark. Sadly for Poland, their only 2 attempts to date, resulted in 2 last places, with both acts finishing with only 3 points each. Since then, many new rules had been applied to the Junior contest, which includes the rule, of giving every participants a starting 12 points. Making it a 100% guarantee, that Poland will get their best result this year. Poland will select their entrant by having a national selection, which will take place on the 15th October 2016.
Full List of Participants
- Albania (RTVSH)
- Armenia (ARMTV)
- Australia (SBS)
- Belarus (BTRC)
- Bulgaria (BNT)
- Cyprus (CyBC)
- Georgia (GPB)
- Ireland (TG4)
- Israel (IBA)
- Italy (RAI)
- Malta (PBS)
- F.Y.R. Macedonia (MKRTV)
- The Netherlands (AVROTROS)
- Poland (TVP)
- Russia (RTR)
- Serbia (RTS)
- Ukraine (NTU)
Selected Artists
At this point, over half of the countries has already selected their entrants, and are already all set to be represented on Malta.
- Albania – Klesta Qehaja – “Besoj“
- Armenia – Anahit & Mary – Song Has Not Been Selected Yet
- Belarus – Alexander Minerok – “Muzyka Moikh Pobed“
- Bulgaria – Lidia Ganeva – “Valsheben Den“
- Cyprus – George Michaelides – “Dance Floor“
- F.Y.R. Macedonia – Martija Stanojkovic – “Love Will Lead The Way“
- Malta – Christina Magrin – Song Has Not Been Selected Yet
- The Netherlands – Kisses – “Kisses and Dancin“
- Russia – Sofia Fisenko – “Zhivaya Voda“
- Ukraine – Sofia Rol – “Planet Craves For Love“
The contest will take place on the 2oth of November 2016. Unlike other years, this years competition will take place on a Sunday, and will air in the afternoon. This years winner will be decided by a 50% professional jury, and 50% young jury, removing the televotes from the show completely.
