James Stephenson asks whether the Junior Eurovision Song Contest is doing enough to establish itself with young people, and why targeting a big audience may not lead to a big impact.

Armenia has won the 2026 Junior Eurovision Song Contest. Ben Robertson, James Stephenson and Dane Jorgensen pile through the statistics to pick out the headlines from the dramatic victory.

Junior Eurovision’s return to a 21:00 CEST primetime slot brings the spectacle of the contest back into the evening spotlight. What difference does a few hours make? Ben Robertson has the answer.

In many ways Junior Eurovision preparations for delegation are much like the real thing. Make-up, sound checks, rehearsal schedules, cultural visits in the local area. But last year one thing was removed from the package. Access to independent press. Ben Robertson investigates why this happened, and proposes another model where Junior Eurovision could re-introduce press in line with their values and to the benefit of delegations and their young artists.

Four countries - Ireland, Spain, North Macedonia and the Netherlands - are taking part in Junior Eurovision this year, but chose to sit out Eurovision in Vienna. What is it about Junior Eurovision that has kept them? Ben Robertson reports.