Malta confirmed host for Junior Eurovision Song Contest 04

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Maltese broadcaster and EBU Member Public Broadcasting Services (PBS) will host the 2014 Junior Eurovision Song Contest (JESC).

PBS returned to the contest after a two year break, selecting Gaia Cauchi to represent the island nation on 30 November in the Ukraine. The eleven-year old went on to win with her self-penned composition The Start.

Unlike at the Eurovision Song Contest, winning the contest does not automatically bestow hosting rights to the following event. Instead, the honour is awarded after an intense bidding process overseen by the JESC Steering Group, which includes representatives of the European Broadcasting Union community.

PBS Chairman Tonio Portughese says the announcement caps off a year of musical celebration for Malta, which plans to engage thousands of school children in activities connected to next years event.

"The JESC is a competition, but it is also a celebration of youth achievement," said Mr Portughese. "As a public service broadcaster and also a small island, our vision is to unite Europe in a musical feast."

Twelve contestants, aged between ten and fifteen years, took part in the two hour contest hosted by Ukrainian public broadcaster and EBU Member NTU. Sofia Tarasova from Ukraine was second with her song "We are One". Ilya Volkov from Belarus snatched third place from Russia with "Poy so Mnoy (Dance with me)".

Now entering its second decade, the JESC underwent a number of format changes this year. Contestants conducted their own draw to determine the order of their performance; additional prizes were offered, including the opportunity for the winner to attend the 2014 Eurovision Song Contest in Copenhagen and Eurovision Song Contest 2013 winner Emmelie de Forest performed on stage.

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LINK:	http://www3.ebu.ch/cms/en/sites/ebu/contents/news/2013/12/malta-confir...
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