The first Junior Eurovision Song Contest took place in Copenhagen, Denmark on Saturday 15 November 2003.
16 countries competed in total, and, for Belarus, Junior Eurovision 2003 marked the country’s debut in a Eurovision event. Contestants participating in the first Junior Eurovision Song Contest were aged between 8 and 15. Two popular UK bands performed during the interval in 2003; Busted and The Sugababes.
It was decided that the country that won the contest would not necessarily host the next contest, in order to reduce pressure on contestants. Croatia’s Dino Jelušić won with the song Ti si moja prva ljubav (You Are My First Love). Spain finished second and the United Kingdom came third.