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Junior Eurovision 2013: We Have a Winner! Written by on November 30, 2013

Twelve participants gave it their all in Kiev tonight, but only one could claim the title!

After a nailbiter of a vote, incorporating national juries, public televotes, and an extra jury made up of kids (including a number of former JESC participants), the 2013 Junior Eurovision Champion is 11-year-old Gaia Cauchi from Malta with “The Start”, bringing a first Eurovision (either Adult or Junior) win home to the island.  The champagne must be popping in Valletta tonight!

“The Start” marks the first all-English language song to win in JESC history (and the first in the contest since 2009).  This also marks only the second mid-to-low-tempo entry to claim the victory, following last year’s “Nebo”.

This year, awards were also presented to the second- and third-place finishers.  Rounding out this year’s medal podium are Ukraine’s Sofia Tarasova with the silver (the highest-placed home entry in JESC history) and Ilya Volkov from Belarus with the Bronze.

There are more facts, figures, and punditry to come, but for now, let’s just sit back and tip our hats to the little pride of Malta, Gaia!

About The Author: Samantha Ross

Vaguely aware of the Contest since childhood, a fanatic since 2008, and an ESC blogger since 2009, Samantha Ross made her first sojourn to Eurovision in 2011, and was quickly welcomed into the fold at ESC Insight. Over the years, she's been interviewed by BBC World News, SVT, LBC Radio, and many others. She was a semi-regular contributor to Oystermouth Radio's weekly dedicated Eurovision program, "Wales 12 Points". Furthermore, Samantha contributed to BBC Radio 2's coverage of the Copenhagen contest, and was a member of the official JuniorEurovision.tv web team in 2014 and 2015. She also worked as a member of the Bulgarian Delegation, serving as Assistant Head of Press in Kyiv and Lisbon. She is also the creator of the podcast "12 Points from America", an irreverent look at Eurovision from a US point of view. When not at Eurovision, Samantha is a regular on the Twin Cities pub quiz circuit, and has volunteered as a moderator for the local high school quiz bowl for over ten years. She lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota, but is wistfully looking for opportunities to get geographically closer to the heart of the Eurovision action. You can follow Samantha on Twitter (@escinsider).

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