Two days ago Georgia made Junior Eurovision Song Contest history by becoming the first participating country to score three victories in the competition. The winning song Mzeo (Sun) was performed by eleven year old Mariam Mamadashvili and won the contest with a record 239 points from the expert judges, children's juries and expert panel.
17 countries participated in the Junior Eurovision Song Contest this year, however, as always, there can only be one winner and that was Georgia. Mariam's powerful vocals were evident throughout the week of rehearsals in Valletta and so it came as no surprise to many members of the assembled press when the young singer emerged victorious.
During her winning reprise Mariam was overcome with emotion and burst into tears of joy, as a result she stopped singing her winning song. It was at that point that the camaraderie of the other contestants, which is so much part of Junior Eurovision, really showed. All the performers gathered around Mariam to share a group hug before spontaneously singing her song and helping her regain her composure. Mariam's winning reprise was the culmination of weeks and months of hard work by her as well as her creative team and Georgia's Public Broadcaster (GPB). Let's look back at her journey and her road to victory.
After the show Mariam attended the winners' press conference where she, along with Armenia's Anahit & Mary and Italy's Fiamma Boccia, described how she felt. Following the press conference an afterparty took place for all the participants and the delegations began to say goodbye to each other, the biggest week of their lives was coming to a close and the journeys home were about to begin.
Mariam was given a hero's welcome when she arrived back at Tbilisi International Airport and was met by family, friends and fans.
Earlier today a press conference was held by GBP where Mariam discussed her experiences and the delegation were given a certificate of appreciation by the public broadcaster.
Mariam will soon return to the United States where she is studying at the Broadway Method Academy. One thing is for sure, Mariam has a very bright future ahead of her.
