As preparations continue for the Junior Eurovision Song Contest in November, Malta have become the 13th country to confirm their participation. We can now rest assured that this contest won’t be as small as the 2012 or 2013 editions. More broadcasters are expected to confirm their position on the contest in the coming weeks.
PBS, the Maltese national broadcaster, have confirmed their participation in this year’s Junior Eurovision Song Contest. The confirmation came as they formally open up applications for their selection process.
The submissions will be reviewed by a panel of judges, who will shortlist applicants into 12 finalists. These finalists will perform their entries in a national final format in September. A combination of jury voting (50%) and public voting (50%) will choose the Maltese representative for Warsaw.
The rules for applications are as follows:
- All applicants must be Maltese nationals between the ages of 9 and 14.
- All applicants must submit an original song which must not have been publicly performed before May 1 2020.
- Each act can include up to six artists (as per the EBU participation rules)
- Songs must ‘suit’ the age of the performer(s) and be ‘fun’ for the artist(s) to sing.
- The lyrics of the songs must be in either English or Maltese, or a mix of both. Lyrics in any other language must not make up more than 40% of the song.
Applications close on Sunday 23 August, just over a month away. You can apply here.
Junior Eurovision 2020 – what we know so far
Junior Eurovision 2020 is to be held on November 29 in the Polish capital of Warsaw. The slogan for the show is ‘Move The World’. Following Viki Gabor’s victory on home soil in 2019, this will mark TVP’s second consecutive time hosting.
Note, unlike previous years, the show is due to be held in a TV studio, rather than an arena. The venue itself is yet to be confirmed, and will either be ATM Studio or Transcolor Studio.
To date, the following countries have confirmed participation in the contest:
Malta at the Junior Eurovision Song Contest
Malta debuted at the first contest back in 2003, and has only missed two editions of the contest in 2011 and 2012. They have won the contest on two occasions in 2013 and 2015 and since returning in 2013, Malta has placed in the top 10 six times in total.
Last year, Eliana Gomez Blanco placed 19th with “We Are More”, scoring 29 points. This ended their streak of top 10 finishes, but can they resume it this year?
Are you glad to see Malta back for another year? Let us know! Be sure to stay updated by following @ESCXTRA on Twitter, @escxtra on Instagram and liking our Facebook page for the latest updates! Also, be sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel to see our reactions to the over the coming months.