The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and the National Television Company of Ukraine (NTU), a Member broadcaster, are pleased to announce the twelve countries participating at the 2013 Junior Eurovision Song Contest (JESC), to be held at the National Palace of Arts Ukraine in Kyiv on 30 November.

Contestants aged between 10 and 15 years old from Armenia; Azerbaijan; Belarus; the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM); Georgia; Malta; Moldova; the Netherlands; Russia; San Marino; Sweden and Ukraine will perform live, singing original songs.

The winners will be decided by a jury and public televoting.

EBU Head of TV Bettina Brinkmann said that millions of fans across Europe and beyond will watch the JESC, a coproduction between the EBU and Ukrainian public broadcaster NTU.

“The level of interest has been unprecedentedly high this year, and we are extremely proud to provide a stage for top young singers from the 12 countries to show their talent,” she said.

Junior Eurovision Song Contest Executive Supervisor Vladislav Yakovlev added: “We also thank NTU and Ukraine for their incredible efforts and for fully living up to their ‘Be Creative’ theme.”

New format elements have been introduced this year in celebration of the competition’s 10th anniversary. These include first, second and third prizes being introduced and having the children conduct their own draw for the order of performances. Additionally, jury members will be invited to appear live on stage in Kyiv, when announcing the results, and the winner will be given the opportunity to appear at the 2014 Eurovision Song Contest, in Copenhagen.

The contest will feature performances by last year’s JESC winner Anastasiya Petryk, and will be co-hosted by the 2013 Eurovision Song Contest third-place runner-up, Zlata Ognevich.

“Our team has been working hard on bringing all of our ideas to life so that it will create a fairytale atmosphere that will not only be a wonderful experience for the children in the show, but for everyone watching,” said, NTU Director General Oleksandr Panteleimonov. “This will be the biggest event that the National Palace of Arts Ukraine has ever staged.”

The two-hour show is geared towards audiences of all ages. Millions of television viewers and online users from across Europe are expected to watch the live broadcast on 30 November.

About the Junior Eurovision Song Contest

The Junior Eurovision Song Contest is regarded as one of the world’s most prestigious talent events for children aged between ten and fifteen years old. Founded in 2003, and first contest was hosted by Denmark. The annual competition promotes outstanding young singers in the field of popular music by encouraging them to represent their country and compete for the ultimate first prize. 

Thirty countries have either hosted or participated in the Junior Eurovision Song Contest - including Albania, Armenia, Belarus, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, France, Georgia, Latvia Lithuania, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Sweden and the United Kingdom - with the broadcast being shown in countries as far afield as Australia.

Since its inception, the Junior Eurovision Song Contest has allied itself with the universally-recognised Eurovision Song Contest as a training ground for nurturing and rewarding emerging talent. Embracing the four values of Connection, Diversity, Creativity and Respect, the Junior Eurovision Song Contest also sets the standard for entertainment television.