Junior Eurovision 2023: Here's all you need to know ahead of the big day
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Watch Nina's interview with UK Junior Eurovision entry STAND UNIQU3 in Nice
Get ready for super songs and sparkles - the Junior Eurovision Song Contest takes place today in the French city of Nice.
Sixteen talented acts will be gracing the big stage, including UK girl group STAND UNIQU3.
The running order for this afternoon's show has already been drawn, with the UK act the fifth to perform.
Public voting has now opened and fans have two windows to cast their votes. Unlike the main Eurovision contest, the public can vote for their own country.
So what can we expect from this year's contest and what's Junior Eurovision all about? Read on to find out more!
Where is the competition being held?
Junior Eurovision 2023 will be taking place at the Palais Nikaïa in Nice, France.
It's the home country of last year's winner Lissandro who won the competition with his song, Oh, Maman!
The official order in which the acts will perform has also been released, with Spain kicking things off and the Netherlands closing the event.
This year's competition will also see Estonia competing for the very first time, while Germany will be making a return to the contest after a year away.
The most successful Junior Eurovision nation is Georgia, which has won the contest three times
Poland has won twice, and is the only nation to have won back-to-back contests
11 Junior Eurovision acts have gone on to sing in the grown up version
The UK has never won... so far.
When is Junior Eurovision on and how can I watch it?
The singing contest will air at 3pm on Sunday 26 November 2023 - and the public vote opens on 24 November.
Fans will be able to watch the competition on the CBBC channel and BBC Two, and can catch up if they miss it on BBC iPlayer.
Who is representing the United Kingdom at Junior Eurovision?
Junior Eurovision 2023: STAND UNIQU3's Maisie takes us behind the scenes
Singers Hayla, Maisie and Yazmin were chosen to represent the UK in the international singing competition.
They've teamed up as part of a new girl group called STAND UNIQU3, following a tough audition process.
The song they will be singing in the competition is called Back to Life and was created by songwriters Sky Adams, Jakke Erixson and Jack Hawitt.
That team have also written for artists like Jason Derulo, Lauren Spencer Smith, Kylie Minogue and Ava Max.
Meet the members of STAND UNIQU3
Hayla is a football fan and loves chocolate and films
Hayla
Hayla, 12, from Liverpool is a big fan of Rihanna, who she describes as being her biggest inspiration.
Hayla's grandfather was a backing dancer for the 1987 UK Eurovision Song Contest entry.
As well as music, Hayla enjoys football and plays as a striker on her football team.
She says her ideal day would involve eating chocolate, watching movies and spending time with her brothers.
Maisie
Maisie has excellent aim and likes collecting crystals
Maisie, 13, from Essex loves to sing, dance and act on stage.
She also enjoys going clay pigeon shooting with her grandad.
Maisie is a big fan of collecting crystals and relaxing.
Yazmin
Yazmin is a big fan of dogs and enjoys writing stories
Yazmin, 12, from Newcastle is no stranger to performing in front of crowds, she enjoys Latin and Ballroom dancing.
Yazmin has a pet chihuahua called Tinkerbell who she loves to cuddle up with.
She also enjoys writing stories and going shopping.
The three singers found out they had been chosen to represent the UK when they were surprised by BBC Radio 1's Dean McCullough.
They went to a central London dance studio thinking they were going to do one more audition when Dean broke the news that all three of them had been selected to go to France in November.
What is Junior Eurovision and how can I vote?
The Junior Eurovision Song Contest first began in 2003 and was based on a Scandinavian song festival for children, called the Melodi Grand Prix Nordic.
Competitors are aged between nine and 14 years old and, like the adult version of the competition, each country taking part enters a song to represent their country.
The winner is then decided by a panel of judges and votes cast online from people all over the world.
Over the years, 40 countries have competed in the competition and 14 countries have hosted the contest.
Public voting opens two days before the competition airs and everyone can vote for three countries.
What was the 2022 competition in Armenia like? Nina found out.
Unlike the main Eurovision Song Contest, people will be able to vote for their own country. There are two voting windows so you can vote twice if you want. In the UK, you need a BBC account to vote at JESC.TV
Last year Freya Skye represented the United Kingdom with the song Lose My Head, winning the public vote and coming fifth overall in the contest.
Presenters Lauren Layfield and HRVY will once again act as the UK commentators.
- Published11 February 2019
- Published13 May 2023
