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A Beginners Guide to the Junior Eurovision Song Contest Written by on November 11, 2011

What is it about the Junior Eurovision Song Contest that makes some Eurovision fans go urgh? To be honest I’m not quite sure – since going all-in with all things Eurovision many years ago, JESC (yes, it has the fun and obvious abbreviation as well) has been something to look forward to, a little chocolate on the pillow to get you through the long year until May.

If you’re like the ESC Insight team, then there’s no need for introductions, you all know the time, and the place. For everyone else, a quick primer on JESC might be in order.

This years Junior Eurovision Song Contest in a nutshell

Let’s get this out the way first. JESC starts slightly earlier than the adult version, at 1930 CET (we’re guessing some of the singers have a curfew on them), and this year’s contest is on Saturday 3rd December.

The host country is not determined by the winning song from previous years – a bidding process to hold the final is held and the 2011 Contest rights went to Armenia (it’s already decided that we’ll be in the Netherlands in 2012). That said, Armenia won Junior Eurovision 2010, making this the first time that the winning country will be hosting the next contest. Given their neighbours Azerbaijan will be hosting ESC in May, we’re expecting a spectacular show to come out of Yerevan.

If your country is not broadcasting the contest, the EBU’s official site –junioreurovision.tv – will be streaming the contest live.

Vladimir Arzumanyan, Armenia 2010

Vladimir Arzumanyan wins for Armenia

A very quick history of Junior Eurovision

Started in 2003, JESC didn’t arrive out of nowhere. The Nordic countries had been working on a similar idea since a Danish Children’s Song Contest grew into MGP Nordic with Norway and Sweden joining Denmark in 2002. The EBU spotted the idea, and JESC was born.

MGP Nordic went on hiatus while the countries entered JESC, but in 2007 it was back (along with Finland) for the next three years, before fracturing again. Sweden now enters JESC, while the other Scandanavians look on from the sidelines.

The rules and eligibility have been both tightened up and relaxed since the first contest in 2003. Then the age range was between 8 and 15, with the songwriters having to be in the same age range. For various reasons (including concerns about the singers), the age range has been lifted to a minimum of ten years.

Previously the songs also had to be the work of young people in the same age range as the performers, but that has been opened up slightly and now adult help can officially be sought for the song-writing duties.

What about the songs?

As well as the composer assistance, there are some other tweaks to songs entering Junior Eurovision. The songs aren’t as long, having to be between 2 minutes 30 seconds and 2 minutes 45 seconds. More importantly, especially to purists, the language rule is still in effect. Songs must be written and performed in one of the national languages of each country.

While the lead vocals must be live, as you would expect at Eurovision, the backing track can feature backing vocals.

Some scores on the doors

One of the other big differences in JESC to ESC is Belarus. They’ve entered ESC eight times, reached the final on only two occasions, with a second-last and a sixth place to their credit. But in Junior… wowsers.

They’re the only country to win it more than once. They hosted the contest last year, and they very nearly did an Ireland (gold in 2005, silver in 2006, gold in 2007). Watch out for them this year.

The Junior Eurovision powerhouse of Belarus

The Junior Eurovision powerhouse of Belarus

There has never been a nul points in the history of JESC. Not because of the impeccable quality of the songs, but because each of the Junior Singers is awarded “douze points” for turning up. Yes it’s a fudge (technical term) on the scores, but we can’t forget that these are children, and a nul on the international stage could haunt them forever. Being a parent myself, this is actually a pretty important rule.

Voting will only commence after all the songs have sung – a method that ESC is also returning to. It’s interesting to see JESC used as a test-bed for many of the voting and organisational issues that will come round to ESC in time. And to set your hearts a flutter, all the votes are read out, from the single point right up to the douze.

JESC at ESC Insight and beyond

We’ll be covering JESC here at ESC Insight, both on the podcast, and from backstage at Yerevan.

Junior Juke Box Jury will be returning! From next week the kids from Duncan Place will join the regular podcast as we preview all the songs from the 2011 Contest, rating them Hit, Miss, or Maybe.

The editorial team from ESC Insight will be heading out to Yerevan for “Junior Eurovision Week” to bring you all the news and opinion from the rehearsals, interviews, and backstage.

And we’ll be providing another of our Twitter commentaries on the night of the contest through @ESCInsight.

Pictures by Giel Domen / EBU.

About The Author: Ewan Spence

British Academy (BAFTA) nominated broadcaster and writer Ewan Spence is the voice behind The Unofficial Eurovision Song Contest Podcast and one of the driving forces behind ESC Insight. Having had an online presence since 1994, he is a noted commentator around the intersection of the media, internet, technology, mobility and how it affects us all. Based in Edinburgh, Scotland, his work has appeared on the BBC, The Stage, STV, and The Times. You can follow Ewan on Twitter (@ewan) and Facebook (facebook.com/ewanspence).

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