Kiev set for Junior Eurovision in November

The Eurovision Song Contest’s younger sibling will enter its second decade of showcasing the best young singers and songwriters from Europe, in Kiev, in November.
“We have a steering group that is revamping the contest to take it into the next stage of its life,” said Eurovision Executive Supervisor, Vladislav Yakovlev. “Some new format elements will be included in this year’s event, including second and third prizes for outstanding participants as a way to acknowledge the enormous range of talent that our young performers possess.”
Ten-year-old Ukrainian songster Anastasiya Petryk, who won the competition last year with ‘Nebo,’ (‘Sky’), will return to perform at this year’s event in Kiev, at the National Palace of Arts “Ukraina”. Following Anastasiya’s victory, Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych declared 2013 the Year of Children’s Creativity.
As the host country, Ukraine, and its national broadcaster NTU have seized the opportunity to run with this theme for the contest.
“This is perfect for Junior Eurovision 2013. Creativity is one of the four key values of the event, which allows children the freedom to show off their skills and talents to fans, not only in Europe but in the rest of the world,” says Oleksandr Panteleimonov, Director General of NTU.
The two-hour contest will be broadcast live on November 30. Contestants will perform live in front of millions of viewers watching on television or via streaming, with the winner selected by juries and viewers from participating countries.
Entries and interest from broadcasters all over Europe remains high. Several have already completed the selection process while others are currently seeking a performer aged between 10 and 15 who will take on the honour of representing their country.
The contest is open exclusively to broadcasters that are members of the EBU. The closing date for submission of entries is Friday, August 16.
In all, 30 countries have either hosted or participated in the Junior Eurovision Song Contest including Norway, Belgium, Romania, the Netherlands, Cyprus, Belarus, Armenia, United Kingdom, France, Sweden, Bulgaria, Georgia, Russia, Malta, Latvia, Lithuania, Bulgaria, Albania and Serbia, with the broadcast being shown in countries as far afield as Australia.
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