Australia: No decision yet for Junior Eurovision 2021 participation

Australia: No decision yet for Junior Eurovision 2021 participation
Monday, 09 August 2021

  • Australia's Junior Eurovision 2021 participation is still uncertain as SBS releases a statement regarding the country's presence in Paris. 

    Four months ahead of the next edition of the Junior Eurovision Song Contest in Paris, Australia still hasn't cleared out whether it will be taking part in the competition next December. 

    However, responding to ESCPlus the Australian broadcaster, SBS released the following statement regarding the nation's participation in the next contest: 

    “SBS is always exploring all possible ways to bring more Eurovision to the Australian public. At the moment we cannot tell more”

    With this rather neutral statement SBS and ABC seem not confirm or deny the country's six participation in the children's competition. Last year, the Aussies decided not to participate in Junior Eurovision 2020, a decision taken due to the covid-19 pandemic and the travel restrictions implemented in the country,as the Australian Goverment had enforced a ban on all international flights from and to the country.

    With the covid-19 pandemic still around and the vaccination rate still low in several countries, it won't be a surprise if we see the competition taking part like last year's contest, remotely with the countries sending in their respective video performances or like this year's Eurovision Song Contest format, accroding to which delegates will be able to perform live in Paris or send a back up video in case they can't travel to France. 

    The 19th edition of Junior Eurovision is set to take place in Paris on December 19 at the La Seine Musicale with 13 nation having confirmed their participation.

     

    Australia in Junior Eurovision 

    The participation of Australia in the Junior Eurovision Song Contest first began in Sofia, Bulgaria, at the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2015. Special Broadcasting Service (SBS) an associate member of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) was responsible for the selection process of their participants at the 2015 and 2016 contests, with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) taking over the country's participation from the 2017 contest.

    The first representative to participate for the nation at the 2015 contest was Bella Paige with the song "My Girls", which finished in 8th place out of 17 participating entries, achieving a score of 64 points. Australia continued their participation at the 2016 contest, having internally selected Alexa Curtis with her song "We Are", which finished in 5th place, scoring 202 points. Isabella Clarke in 2017 and Jael Wena in 2018 both placed 3rd, Australia's best results to date.

    In 2019 Jordan Antony represented the nation with his entry 'We will rise" that finished in 8th place receiving a total of 121 points. Last year the country decided to withdraw as the covid-19 pandemic and the travel restriction made it impossible for them to take part in Warsaw. 

     

     

    News Source: ESCPlus

    Image: JuniorEurovision.tv/  THOMAS HANSES