Competing countries Countries that participated in the past but not in 2019
Vote
Voting system
The professional jury of each country awards a set of 12, 10, 8-1 points to 10 songs. Viewers around the world vote for 3-5 songs, and their votes are distributed proportionally. The votes of the jury and the audience make up 50% of all votes.
The Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2019 was the seventeenth edition of the annual Junior Eurovision Song Contest, organised by Telewizja Polska (TVP) and the European Broadcasting Union (EBU). It was held on 24 November 2019, at the Gliwice Arena in Gliwice, Poland, following the country's victory at the 2018 contest in Minsk, Belarus, with the song "Anyone I Want to Be", performed by Roksana Węgiel. It was the first time Poland had hosted the contest, as well as the first Eurovision event to be held in the country since the Eurovision Young Dancers 2013.
Nineteen countries participated in the contest, with Spain taking part for the first time since 2006,[1] while Azerbaijan and Israel did not return to the contest after having participated in 2018.
Poland's Viki Gabor with the song "Superhero" was the winner of the contest, making Poland the first country to win the Junior Eurovision Song Contest two years in a row and the first country to win on home soil. Kazakhstan placed second, their best result. Returning country Spain placed third. The Netherlands and France completed the top five. Wales also earned their best result, 18th.
Location
Gliwice Arena in Gliwice, venue of 2019 Junior Eurovision.
The 2019 contest took place in Poland for the first time, following the country's victory at the 2018 edition with the song "Anyone I Want to Be", performed by Roksana Węgiel. It was the sixth time that the contest had been hosted by the previous year's winning country. The contest took place in Gliwice Arena, a sport and entertainment hall with a capacity of 17,178 in the main arena. It is considered one of the mixed uses venue in Poland.
Location of the host city (blue), shortlisted cities (green) and other bidding cities (red)
Prior to Poland's confirmation two other countries had announced their intentions to host the event. These bids were from Armenia and Kazakhstan.[2] Had the Kazakh proposal been accepted, it would've marked the first time an associate member was chosen to host an EBU flagship event.[3] Kazakh broadcaster Khabar Agency said they would have moved the contest to October due to possible adverse weather conditions in the country's capital Astana, which was proposed as the host city. However, for this to happen, the general rules of the competition would have to be changed, because as in the adult competition, the competition cannot be held in a non-full member state of the EBU, even if the country in question is an effective participant of the contest.[4]
After Poland's victory in the 2018 contest, the director-general of Polish broadcaster Telewizja Polska (TVP), Jacek Kurski, stated that the country would apply to host the event in 2019,[5] and on 10 December 2018, it was confirmed by the EBU that Poland would host the 2019 contest.[6]
Immediately following the final, Kurski stated that Warsaw would not host as it does not have a suitable venue to host an event of this size, marking the first time since the 2014 contest that the event is not hosted in the host country's capital.[7] On 18 January 2019, in an interview for TVP Info, Director-General of the EBU Noel Curran stated that the contest would be held in Kraków,[8] however the same day TVP issued a statement that the city had not yet been chosen.[9] In February 2019 it was revealed that three cities remained in the race: Gliwice, Szczecin and Toruń, and that all of the bids were approved by the EBU, meaning that the final decision regarding the host was exclusively up to the host broadcaster.[10][11] On 6 March 2019, during a press conference held by TVP and the EBU, it was confirmed that the contest would be held in Gliwice in cooperation with the Silesian Voivodeship.[12]
The venue can hold around 11,500 spectators, although in practice this number is limited to between 8 and 10 thousand due to stage set-up obscuring the view.
[13]
International Congress Centre
Consists of multiple halls, with the capacity ranging from 100 to 10,000.
On 18 July 2019, 19 countries were confirmed to be participating in the contest.[20]Spain returned to the contest, marking their first appearance since 2006.[21]Azerbaijan and Israel both withdrew after returning to the contest for a one-off appearance in 2018.
Prior to the event, a digital compilation album featuring all the songs from the 2019 contest was put together by the European Broadcasting Union and released by Universal Music Group on 8 November 2019.[22]
Participants of the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2019[20][23]
The stage of the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2019
The theme for the contest, Share the Joy, was revealed on 13 May 2019 during a press conference prior to the Eurovision Song Contest 2019 in Tel Aviv, Israel. The press conference included Gert Kark (Project Manager), Konrad Smuga (Creative Director), Marta Piekarska (Project Coordinator) and Roksana Węgiel, the winner of the 2018 contest.[24] The logo features a brightly coloured kite to symbolize "freedom, light and shared joyous moments." The creative concept represents "how working together makes us better, stronger and can bring joy and happiness as we celebrate the beautiful things in life."[24]
The trophy was designed by Kjell Engman of the Swedish glass company Kosta Boda, using the same design as was first introduced in the 2017 contest.[25] The main trophy is a glass microphone with colored lines inside the upper part, which symbolize the flow of sound.[26]
Postcards
Each postcard took place in a different location in Poland. They all began with a short clip of the upcoming performer looking through a telescope at their postcard's location. A group of people performing an activity in said location was then shown. This activity was also included as a hashtag at the bottom of the screen. At completion of the activity, the upcoming performer is shown moving a digital kite (the logo of the contest) decorated with their country's flag, signalling the commencement of their performance.[27]
On 22 August 2019, it was announced that Ida Nowakowska, Aleksander Sikora [pl] and the previous year's winner Roksana Węgiel would host the 2019 contest.[28] Węgiel is the first former winner to host an edition of the contest as well as the fifth person under the age of 16 to do so. Nowakowska is a Polish-American digital influencer, while Sikora is a breakfast television host.
Additionally, on 24 September 2019, journalists and TV hosts Agata Konarska and Mateusz Szymkowiak were confirmed as the hosts for the Opening Ceremony, which took place on 18 November in Silesian Theatre in Katowice, the capital city of the host region of Silesia.[29] Konarska previously hosted the Eurovision Young Dancers 2005 in Warsaw.
The event took place on 24 November 2019 at 16:00 CET. Nineteen countries participated, with the running order published on 18 November 2019.[30] All the countries competing were eligible to vote with the jury vote, as well as participating and non-participating countries under an aggregated international online vote, eligible to vote.[31] Poland won with 278 points, also winning the online vote. Kazakhstan came second with 227 points and won the jury vote, with Spain, the Netherlands and France completing the top five. Ukraine, Portugal, Albania, Wales and Malta occupied the bottom five positions.
The opening of the show featured the traditional flag parade, accompanied by theme music created by Polish DJ Gromee, who represented the country in the Eurovision Song Contest 2018.[32] During the interval, Roksana Węgiel performed her winning song "Anyone I Want to Be". All participants then joined on stage for a rendition of the common song, "Share the Joy", which was followed by a dance routine by host Ida Nowakowska inspired by the competition's slogan.
For a country to be eligible for potential participation in the Junior Eurovision Song Contest, it needs to be an active member of the EBU.[36] It is currently unknown whether the EBU issued invitations of participation to all 56 active members like they do for the Eurovision Song Contest.
Active EBU members
Bulgaria – On 11 September 2018, Bulgarian National Television (BNT) announced that at the time being they were not planning a return to the 2019 contest.[37] On 6 January 2019, BNT reiterated that they did not have plans to return to the contest in 2019 via their official Eurovision Twitter account.[38] It was later revealed on 8 June 2019 that BNT had amassed massive debts, and were declared bankrupt.[39] Bulgaria did not appear on the final list of participants published on 18 July 2019.
Czech Republic – On 10 June 2019, it was revealed that Česká televize (ČT) had not made a full decision about participation, but were not expecting to be a participant, stating that their focus was on the Eurovision Song Contest 2020.[40]
Montenegro – On 2 June 2019, Radio Televizija Crne Gore (RTCG) confirmed that they would not return to the contest in 2019 due to budget issues.[41]
Scotland – On 29 June 2019, BBC Alba confirmed that they would not debut in 2019 due to their participation in the Eurovision Choir that year, however they confirmed that talks had taken place that could enable participation in 2020.[42]
Slovakia – According to Eurovision blog Eurofestivales, press spokesperson Erika Rusnáková for Slovak broadcaster Radio and Television of Slovakia (RTVS) stated that they were evaluating and supervising the possibility of debuting in the contest.[43] However, on 10 June 2019, RTVS confirmed that they would not debut in the 2019 contest.[44]
Slovenia – On 3 June 2019, Radiotelevizija Slovenija (RTV Slovenija) confirmed that they would not participate in the 2019 contest due to the cost of participation.[45]
Broadcasts
Broadcasters and commentators in participating countries
^"Spain: Junior Eurovision 2019 Participation Confirmed". Eurovoix. 25 June 2019.
^"Armenia: Only nation considering to host Junior Eurovision 2019?". eurovoix.com. Eurovoix. 22 November 2018. Retrieved 25 November 2018.
^"Kazakhstan: Khabar Agency interested in hosting Junior Eurovision 2019". 23 November 2018. Retrieved 25 November 2018.
^Granger, Anthony (13 May 2017). "What happens if Australia wins the Eurovision Song Contest?". eurovoix.com. Eurovoix. Retrieved 13 May 2017.
^S.A, Telewizja Polska. "Wielki sukces Polski. Roksana Węgiel wygrała Eurowizję Junior 2018!". eurowizja.tvp.pl (in Polish). Retrieved 7 October 2023.
^Brown, Alistair (10 December 2018). "Junior Eurovision 2019: Poland Confirmed as Host Country". eurovoix.com. Eurovoix. Retrieved 10 December 2018.
^"Poland: Warsaw unlikely to host Junior Eurovision 2019". eurovoix.com. Eurovoix. 25 November 2018. Retrieved 25 November 2018.
^Granger, Anthony (18 January 2019). "Krakow will Host The Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2019". Eurovoix.
^"TVP announcement about the host city of the Eurovision Junior competition". centruminformacji.tvp.pl. Telewizja Polska. 18 January 2019.
^Blazewicz, Maciej (6 March 2019). "Gliwice-Śląsk organizatorem Eurowizji! Co już wiemy? Premiera utworu „Better Love" z Grecji! Co nas czeka w czwartek?". DZIENNIK-EUROWIZYJNY.pl (in Polish). Retrieved 7 October 2023.
^Blazewicz, Maciej (24 February 2019). "Szczecin albo Gliwice – tam trafi Eurowizja Junior 2019! TVP wkrótce ogłosi decyzję!". DZIENNIK-EUROWIZYJNY.pl (in Polish). Retrieved 23 May 2022.
^Herbert, Emily (6 March 2019). "Junior Eurovision 2019 to Be Held in Gliwice-Silesia". Eurovoix.
^ abcdefg"Polska zorganizuje Eurowizję Junior!". dziennik-eurowizyjny.pl (in Polish). 10 December 2018. Retrieved 11 December 2018.
^Blazewicz, Maciej (28 December 2018). "Kiedy rozpoczną się próby w Tel Awiwie? Gdańsk odpada z walki o Eurowizję Junior 2019?". DZIENNIK-EUROWIZYJNY.pl (in Polish). Retrieved 23 May 2022.
^Granger, Anthony (8 December 2018). "Poland: MP Proposes Junior Eurovision 2019 Be Held in Gliwice". eurovoix.com. Eurovoix. Retrieved 10 December 2018.
^Wojsa, Bartosz (25 November 2019). "Eurowizja Junior 2019: Gliwice kontra Katowice. Widowiskowe show jednak w Arenie Gliwice". Dziennik Zachodni (in Polish). Retrieved 23 May 2022.
^"Podstawowe informacje o projekcie – Międzynarodowe Centrum Kongresowe w Katowicach". 10 February 2016. Archived from the original on 10 February 2016. Retrieved 23 May 2022.
^"Duże hale sportowo-widowiskowe w Polsce. Inwentaryzacja bazy sportowej". Ministerstwo Sportu i Turystyki Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej. Retrieved 6 March 2018.
^"Finał Eurowizji dla dzieci w Szczecinie? "Miasto złożyło aplikację"". wszczecinie.pl (in Polish). Retrieved 23 May 2022.
^ ab"These are the 19 countries taking part in Junior Eurovision 2019". junioreurovision.tv. 18 July 2019. Retrieved 2 June 2023.
^"¡Bienvenido España! Spain returns to the contest after 13 years". junioreurovision.tv. 26 June 2019. Retrieved 2 June 2023.
^Zwart, Josianne (9 November 2019). "Junior Eurovision 2019 album released". junioreurovision.tv. EBU. Retrieved 9 November 2019.
^"Participants of Gliwice-Silesia 2019 – Eurovision Song Contest". junioreurovision.tv. Retrieved 2 June 2023.
^ ab"Junior Eurovision 2019: Share the Joy". junioreurovision.tv. 13 May 2019. Retrieved 13 May 2019.
^"Junior Eurovision 2017 Trophy Revealed". Eurovoix. 21 November 2017. Retrieved 2 December 2017.
^Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2019 – Live Stream, retrieved 22 October 2021
^Groot, Evert (22 August 2019). "Proud to present: The presenters of Junior Eurovision 2019!". Eurovision.tv.
^Anthony, Granger (24 September 2019). "Junior Eurovision'19: Agata Konarska and Mateusz Szymkowiak Confirmed as Opening Ceremony Hosts". Eurovoix.com.
^"This is the Junior Eurovision 2019 running order!". junioreurovision.tv. 18 November 2019. Retrieved 2 June 2023.
^"How to vote for your favourites in Junior Eurovision 2019". junioreurovision.tv. 22 November 2019. Retrieved 2 June 2023.
^Granger, Anthony (9 October 2019). "Gromee To Create The Theme Song For Junior Eurovision 2019". Eurovoix. Retrieved 2 June 2023.
^Filippidou, Ifigeneia (24 November 2019). "These are the Junior Eurovision 2019 spokespersons". ESCplus. Retrieved 24 November 2019.
^"Results of the Final of Gliwice-Silesia 2019". European Broadcasting Union. Archived from the original on 2 June 2021. Retrieved 2 June 2021.
^"Full Junior Eurovision 2019 online voting results: Poland beats Spain by 212,000 votes". ESCXTRA.com. 24 November 2019. Retrieved 24 November 2019.
^Yakovlev, Vladislav (23 January 2014). "Junior Eurovision Song Contest steering group". EBU. Archived from the original on 28 May 2014. Retrieved 26 May 2014.
^Herbert, Emily (11 September 2018). "Bulgaria: No Plans For Junior Eurovision Return in 2019". Eurovoix.
^"Bulgaria: BNT reiterates decision to remain absent from junior eurovision". twitter.com. Twitter. 6 January 2019. Retrieved 14 January 2019.
^Purcell, Owen (8 June 2019). "It's all over for Bulgarian National Television, as more than 9 million of Euro debt is stacked up and they're declared bankrupt". Eurovision Takeover. Retrieved 8 June 2019.
^Purcell, Owen (10 June 2019). "Czech Republic: "No decisions have been made, but don't consider ourselves a participant"". Eurovision Takeover. Retrieved 10 June 2019.
^Granger, Anthony (2 June 2019). "Montenegro: RTCG Will Not Be Returning to Junior Eurovision in 2019". Eurovoix. Retrieved 2 June 2019.
^Purcell, Owen (29 June 2019). "Scotland will not debut in Junior Eurovision 2019". Eurovision Takeover. Retrieved 29 June 2019.
^Purcell, Owen (7 June 2019). "Slovakia: Possible debut in Gliwice?". Retrieved 7 June 2019.
^"Slovensko se nezapojí do dětské Eurovize". EuroContest.cz (in Czech). Retrieved 10 June 2019.
^Granger, Anthony (9 June 2019). "Slovenia: RTVSLO Rules Out Junior Eurovision Return Due To Cost Of Participation". Eurovoix. Retrieved 9 June 2019.
^Granger, Anthony (15 November 2019). "Belarus: Evgeny Perlin Announced as Junior Eurovision 2019 Commentator". eurovoix.com. Retrieved 17 November 2019.
^Herbert, Emily (27 September 2019). "France: Stéphane Bern and Sandy Héribert Confirmed as Junior Eurovision 2019 Commentators". Eurovoix. Retrieved 27 September 2019.
^Granger, Anthony (12 November 2019). "Georgia: Demetre Ergemlidze and Tamar Edilashvili to Commentate on Junior Eurovision 2019". eurovoix.com.
^Granger, Anthony (16 November 2019). "Italy: Mario Acampa to Commentate on Junior Eurovision 2019". eurovoix.com.
^Granger, Anthony (21 November 2019). "The Netherlands: Buddy Vedder to Commentate on Junior Eurovision 2019". eurovoix.com.
^"Matheu vertegenwoordigt Nederland op het Junior Eurovisie Songfestival 2019 in Polen". avrotros.nl. AVROTROS. 28 September 2019. Retrieved 17 November 2019.
^Granger, Anthony (14 October 2019). "Poland: TVP Announces Broadcast Plans For Junior Eurovision 2019". Eurovoix. Retrieved 15 October 2019.
^Granger, Anthony (20 November 2019). "Portugal: Nuno Galopim Confirmed as Junior Eurovision Commentator". eurovoix.com.
^Granger, Anthony (17 November 2019). "Portugal: Junior Eurovision To Air On RTP 1 & Internationally". eurovoix.com.
^Granger, Anthony (21 November 2019). "Russia: Vadim Tekmenev & Lena Kudryavtseva to Commentate for NTV". eurovoix.com.
^"Российские зрители увидят "Детское Евровидение-2019" в прямом эфире". ria.ru (in Russian). RIA Novosti. 18 November 2019. Retrieved 21 November 2019.
^"Дечја песма Евровизије 2019". RTS. Retrieved 21 November 2019.
^David, José (22 October 2019). "TVE emitirá el Festival de Eurovisión Junior 2019 por La 1 y TVE internacional". escplus.es (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 22 October 2019. Retrieved 23 October 2019.
^Granger, Anthony (22 November 2019). "Ukraine: UA:PBC To Broadcast Junior Eurovision 2019 On All Its TV Channels". eurovoix.com. Retrieved 23 November 2019.
^Granger, Anthony (22 November 2019). "Wales: Trystan Ellis-Morris to Commentate on Junior Eurovision 2019". eurovoix.com.
^Farren, Neil (13 June 2019). "Israel: Withdraws From Junior Eurovision 2019". Eurovoix. Retrieved 8 May 2023.
^Granger, Anthony (20 November 2019). "Lithuania: TVP Wilno to Broadcast Junior Eurovision 2019". eurovoix.com.
^Granger, Anthony (21 November 2019). "United Kingdom: Fun Kids to Air Junior Eurovision 2019 Live". eurovoix.com.
External links
Media related to Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2019 at Wikimedia Commons