The use of a Kids' Jury in the Junior Eurovision Song Contest was first introduced at the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2012, in Amsterdam, Netherlands, as part of a new voting system for the Junior Eurovision Song Contest following discussions between the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), KidsRights Foundation, and the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2012 host broadcaster Algemene Vereniging Radio Omroep (AVRO). Three of the four spokespersons who announced the jury points at each annual contest were former winners of the Junior Eurovision Song Contest. As of 2016, the results of each country's Kids' Jury have been integrated with the adult jury to give out two sets of 1–8, 10, and 12 points per country.
On 15 October 2012, it was announced by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), that for the first time in the contest's history a new "Kids' Jury" was being introduced into the voting system. The jury would consist of members aged between 10 and 15, and representing each of the participating countries competing in a contest. A spokesperson from the jury would then announce the points 1–8, 10 and the maximum 12 as decided upon by the jury members. [1]
Sietse Bakker who was the Junior Eurovision Executive Supervisor at the time, in conjunction with members of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), KidsRights Foundation, and the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2012 host broadcaster Algemene Vereniging Radio Omroep (AVRO), held a press conference on 30 November 2012, in which further details were released in regards to the newly implemented "Kids' Jury". The spokesperson from the jury was the first to reveal the votes during the interval act of the live show. This gave a new dimension to the voting procedure, since the contest first began in 2003. [2]
In 2016, each country was represented by an adult jury and a kids jury. These results were combined to form the scores from each country.
The table below lists each of the spokespersons who announced the Kids' Jury points at each annual contest.
Year(s) | Host city | Spokesperson | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2012 | Amsterdam | Ralf Mackenbach | Winner of the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2009 for the Netherlands. [3] |
2013 | Kyiv | Anastasiya Petryk | Winner of the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2012 for Ukraine. [4] [ better source needed ] |
2014 | Malta 1 | Gaia Cauchi | Winner of the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2013 for Malta. [5] |
2015 | Sofia | Krisia Todorova | Runner-up at the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2014 for Bulgaria. [6] |
The Junior Eurovision Song Contest is an international song competition which has been organised by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) annually since 2003. It is held in a different European city each year, however the same city can host the contest more than once.
The winner of the Eurovision Song Contest is selected by a positional voting system. The most recent system was implemented in the 2023 contest, and sees each participating country award two sets of 12, 10, 8–1 points to their ten favourite songs: one set from their professional jury and the other from televoting, with only televoting used in the semi-finals, and both jury and televoting in the final.
Belarus has participated in the Junior Eurovision Song Contest in every edition since its inception in 2003 until 2020. The Belarusian Television and Radio Company (BTRC), then a member organisation of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), has been responsible for the selection process of its participants since its debut. The country hosted the contest at the Minsk-Arena in 2010 and again in 2018.
The participation of Latvia in the Junior Eurovision Song Contest first began at the inaugural Junior Eurovision Song Contest in 2003 which took place in Copenhagen, Denmark. Latvijas Televīzija (LTV), a member of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), were responsible for the selection process of their participation. Latvia used a national selection format, broadcasting shows entitled "Bērnu Eirovīzija" and later "Balss Pavēlnieks", for their participation at the contests. The first representative to participate for the nation at the 2003 contest was Dzintars Čīča with the song "Tu esi vasarā", which finished in ninth place out of sixteen participating entries, achieving a score of thirty-seven points. Latvia were originally absent from the competition from 2006 to 2009. Latvia briefly returned in 2010 and 2011 however again withdrew from competing after the contest held in Yerevan, and have yet to make their return to the contest.
The Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2007 was the fifth edition of the annual Junior Eurovision Song Contest. It was held in the Ahoy indoor sporting arena in Rotterdam, the Netherlands on 8 December. The host country was chosen by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) on 13 July 2006. The host city was announced on 11 September 2006. AVRO won the rights to host the show over Hrvatska radiotelevizija (HRT) of Croatia and the Cyprus Broadcasting Corporation (CyBC) of Cyprus. The budget for the contest was stated to be more than €2,000,000.
Armenia has participated in the Junior Eurovision Song Contest since 2007. Armenian Public Television (ARMTV), a member organisation of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), have been responsible for the selection process of their participants since their debut.
The Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2009 was the seventh edition of the annual Junior Eurovision Song Contest and took place in Kyiv, Ukraine. It was scheduled for 21 November 2009. 13 countries were confirmed by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) to compete in the contest.
The Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2010 was the eighth edition of the annual Junior Eurovision Song Contest and took place in Minsk, Belarus. It was held on 20 November 2010. The contest was won by Vladimir Arzumanyan from Armenia with the song Mama. This gave Armenia its first Junior Eurovision victory and its first victory in any Eurovision contest.
The Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2012 was the tenth edition of the annual Junior Eurovision Song Contest. It took place at the Heineken Music Hall in Amsterdam, Netherlands on 1 December 2012. Dutch broadcaster AVRO was the host broadcaster for the event. For the second time the Netherlands hosted the contest, after hosting the contest in 2007 in Rotterdam. The motto for the contest was "Break The Ice".
The Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2011 was the ninth edition of the annual Junior Eurovision Song Contest, and took place in Yerevan, Armenia at the Karen Demirchyan Sports and Concerts Complex. It was the first time in history of the Junior Eurovision Song Contest that the contest was held in the previous year's winning country. Public Television of Armenia ARMTV was the main organizer of the show, being provided financial aid from the European Broadcasting Union made of entrance fees from the participating broadcasters, while Swedish company HD Resources assisted with the technical side of the production.
The participation of Israel in the Junior Eurovision Song Contest first began in Amsterdam, Netherlands, at the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2012. The Israel Broadcasting Authority (IBA) a member organisation of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) were responsible for the selection process of their participation in 2012 and 2016, with the Israeli Public Broadcasting Corporation (IPBC) taking over participation from 2018. The first representative to participate for the nation was Kids.il with the song "Let the Music Win", which finished in eighth place out of twelve participating entries, achieving a score of 68 points. Israel did not return to the contest in 2013, and also sat out of the 2014 and 2015 contests. However, following their success at the 2015 and 2016 Eurovision Song Contests, the IBA expressed an interest in making a return to competing at Junior Eurovision. Israel returned to the contest in 2016, with their entrant being selected internally. Israel then withdrew from the contest in 2017, before returning again in 2018, and withdrawing again in 2019.
Albania debuted in the Junior Eurovision Song Contest in 2012. Radio Televizioni Shqiptar (RTSH), a member organisation of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), has been responsible for the selection process of their participants since their debut.
The Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2013 was the 11th edition of the annual Junior Eurovision Song Contest. It took place in Kyiv, Ukraine on 30 November 2013. The venue for the contest was announced on 10 April 2013, as the Palace "Ukraine". Ukrainian broadcaster National Television Company of Ukraine (NTU) was the host broadcaster for the event. It was the second time the contest was held in Kyiv, the first being the 2009 contest. It was also the second time in the history of the Junior Eurovision Song Contest that the event took place in last year's winning country, as well as the first time that the event was held in the same city twice. A total of twelve countries participated, with Macedonia and Malta making a return, and Albania, Belgium and Israel choosing to withdraw. San Marino made their debut in the contest. Cyprus was originally the thirteenth country to take part but pulled out the last minute.
The Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2014 was the 12th edition of the annual Junior Eurovision Song Contest, and took place, for the first time, in Malta. This was the third time that the contest was hosted by the previous year's winning country. Maltese national broadcaster PBS was the host broadcaster for the event. The final took place on 15 November 2014 and was in the Malta Shipbuilding in Marsa, near Valletta. Moira Delia, a Maltese television personality, hosted the show, marking the first time in Junior Eurovision history that there was only one presenter of the show.
The Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2015 was the thirteenth edition of the annual Junior Eurovision Song Contest, and took place, for the first time, in Bulgaria. The Bulgarian national broadcaster BNT was the host broadcaster for the event. The final took place on 21 November 2015 and was held at the Arena Armeec in Sofia. Poli Genova, a Bulgarian singer and former representative of Bulgaria in the Eurovision Song Contest 2011, hosted the show. A total of seventeen countries participated, with Australia and Ireland making their debuts. Albania and Macedonia returned after being absent since the 2012 and 2013 contests, respectively. Croatia and Cyprus withdrew after returning in the 2014 edition, while Sweden withdrew for the first time since 2008.
Armenia participated in the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2014 which took place on 15 November 2014, in Marsa, Malta. The Armenian broadcaster Armenia 1 (ARMTV) was responsible for organising their entry for the contest. The Armenian entry was selected through a national final held on 14 September 2014. Betty and her song "People of the Sun" was chosen to represent the nation in Marsa, Malta.
The Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2016 was the fourteenth edition of the annual Junior Eurovision Song Contest, which took place at the Mediterranean Conference Centre, in Valletta, Malta. This was the second time that Malta have hosted the Junior Eurovision Song Contest, their first being in 2014. Jon Ola Sand was appointed as the Executive Supervisor for the 2016 Junior Eurovision Song Contest, following the dismissal of the former supervisor, Vladislav Yakovlev.
Cyprus participated in the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2016 which took place on 20 November 2016, in Valletta, Malta. Cyprus Broadcasting Corporation (CyBC) was responsible for organising their entry for the contest. George Michaelides was internally selected to represent Cyprus with the song "Dance Floor". Cyprus placed 16th with 27 points.
The Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2017 was the fifteenth edition of the annual Junior Eurovision Song Contest, organised by the Georgian Public Broadcaster (GPB) and the European Broadcasting Union (EBU). It took place on 26 November 2017 at the Olympic Palace, in the Georgian capital, Tbilisi. This was the fifth time that the contest was hosted by the previous year's winning country. The visual design and contest slogan, "Shine Bright", were revealed in May 2017.
Junior Eurovision 2014 will be unique in that there will not be a designated ‘host city’ for the event. Instead, it has been decided that the entire island of Malta will the host of Junior Eurovision 2014!