Junior Eurovision: Croatia plans to return in 2025!
After a decade-long hiatus from the Junior Eurovision Song Contest, Croatia is set to make a significant move. The Croatian broadcaster, HRT, will broadcast the 22nd edition of the contest live on November 16, even though the country will not be participating. This marks an interesting shift, raising the possibility that Croatia may be considering a return to the contest in the near future.
Croatia’s potential return in 2025
Tomislav Štengl, the Head of Croatia’s Eurovision Delegation, shared some exciting news in an interview, revealing the country’s interest in returning to Junior Eurovision, potentially as soon as 2025. According to Štengl, the Croatian broadcaster hopes to send the winner of The Voice Kids Hrvatska to the competition in the following year, provided certain criteria are met.
We would like to return next year. For example, the winner of The Voice Kids Hrvatska could represent us at Junior Eurovision.
He also highlighted that the song chosen for the contest must be an original work, ideally written by a child with the help of adults, emphasizing the importance of creativity in the process.
Croatia’s Junior Eurovision history
Croatia has a rich history in Junior Eurovision, being one of the founding members of the contest back in 2003. The country made an unforgettable debut by winning the inaugural competition with Dino Jelusićk’s “Ti si moja prva ljubav.” However, after a string of less favorable results, Croatia withdrew from the contest in 2007, returning again in 2014. Unfortunately, the return saw a disappointing last-place finish, and Croatia subsequently withdrew once again, citing a decline in public interest.
Despite the setbacks, the recent move by HRT to broadcast the event may signal that Croatia is reevaluating its approach to the contest and could be looking to return in the coming years.
More countries engaging with Junior Eurovision
Croatia is not alone in considering its future involvement in Junior Eurovision. Lithuania and Montenegro, both absent from the competition for several years, have also confirmed that they will broadcast the 2024 edition. Meanwhile, Luxembourg, which has never participated in the event, will air Junior Eurovision for the first time.
This increasing number of non-participating countries choosing to broadcast the contest suggests a growing interest in Junior Eurovision across Europe. These countries may be using the broadcast as a way to gauge public interest and potentially reintroduce their audiences to the format, with an eye toward rejoining the competition in the future.
It’s worth noting that countries like Cyprus and San Marino have also returned to the competition after several years away, indicating a growing interest in the Junior Eurovision format across Europe.
Junior Eurovision 2024
Seventeen countries will take part in the 22nd edition of the Junior Eurovision Song Contest:
- Italy: Simone Grande – “Pigiama Party”
- Estonia: Annabelle – “Tänavad”
- Albania: Nikol Çabeli – “Vallëzoj”
- Armenia: Leo – “Cosmic Friend”
- Cyprus: Maria Pissarides – “Crystal Waters”
- France: Titouan – “Comme ci, comme ça”
- North Macedonia: Ana and Aleksej – “Marathon”
- Poland: Dominik Arim – “All Together”
- Georgia: Andria Putkaradze – “To My Mom”
- Spain: Chloe DelaRosa – “Como la Lola”
- Germany: Bjarne – “Save the Best For Us”
- Netherlands: Stay Tuned – “Music”
- San Marino: Idols SM – “Come noi”
- Ukraine: Artem Kotenko – “Hear Me Now”
- Portugal: Victoria Nicole – “Esperança”
- Ireland – Enya Cox Dempsey – “Le Chéile”
- Malta: Ramires Sciberras – “Stilla ċkejkna”
The 22nd edition of the Junior Eurovision Song Contest will be held on November 16 in Madrid, Spain, following the country’s second-place finish last year and the refusal of the winning country, France, to host for the second year in a row. The slogan for this year’s contest is “Let’s Bloom!”, while Ruth Lorenzo, Marc Clotet and Melani Garcia will serve as this year’s hosts.
Stay tuned to EurovisionFun for all the news!
