The stage is set - it's nearly time for Junior Eurovision 2016!

19 November 2016 at 19:00 CET
The second dress rehearsal of the 2016 Junior Eurovision Song Contest has taken place in Valletta's Mediterranean Conference Centre. All 17 acts rehearsed with full costumes and make-up and the juries have now voted. Tomorrow night during the live final, the expert panel will cast their votes so it's all to play for. Let the 2016 Junior Eurovision Song Contest begin!

Brand new for 2016 - the expert panel

This year, for the first time ever, each entry in the Junior Eurovision Song Contest will be judged by an expert panel in addition to the juries. Panel members will award 1-8 points, then 10 and 12 to their favourite acts. The first ever expert judges panel will comprise of Jedward, who participated in the Eurovision Song Contest twice, Mads Grimstad of Universal Music, and expert show producer, Christer Bjorkman. 

Star-studded show

Providing additional entertainment for the live final will be last year's winner Destiny Chukunyere, who will not only perform her winning track Not My Soul but also her brand new single La Di Da at the event. Poli Genova, who represented Bulgaria in the Eurovision Song Contest in 2011 and 2016, will add to the star-studded line-up, performing in the interval act. Poli is no stranger to Junior Eurovision and presented the show last year when it was held in Sofia, Bulgaria. Earlier this year she scored Bulgaria's best ever placing in the Eurovision Song Contest with her song If Love Was A Crime. Jedward who are also part of the expert panel, will perform their new song Hologram.

The stage is ready

JuniorEurovision.tv will be bringing you exclusive coverage of the 2016 Junior Eurovision Song Contest and you can also watch the show online via the official Junior Eurovision channel on YouTube. On behalf of the Junior Eurovision family, we would like to wish each and every one of the participants the very best of luck. Regardless of the result, all the performers have been amazing ambassadors for their countries and they should be rightly proud.