What type of performer usually wins Junior Eurovision?

In Junior Eurovision’s 17-year history, 11 different countries have taken the crown with a variety of songs and performers. But is there a formula that has delivered more winners than others? Let’s take a look at the numbers and find out.

Solo or group?

Of the 17 winners, 82% of them have been soloists. There have been 14 solo winners (9 female and 5 male) as compared to only three non soloists (one duo and two groups) that have taken the crown.

The last ten years have been particularly dominant for solo winners. Since 2010, only 2011 winners CANDY took out the crown as a non-solo performer.

Gender?

In terms of gender, females dominate the winners list, much like the adult contest. If you add the artists from the duo and group to the tally as individuals, there have been 18 female winners and only six male winners. That equates to three quarters (75%) of Junior Eurovision champions being female, with only one quarter (25%) of the winners being male.

Even if you look at soloists and duos/groups as separate lists, females still dominate. Among the solo winners, there have been nine girls, as compared to only five boys. That equates to 64% of solo winners being girls, compared to only 35% of solo winners being boys. The numbers for duos/groups is even more lopsided. Combining the one duo and two groups that have taken the crown, there are nine girls and only one boy (90%).

Age?

Let’s also take a look at the age of the winners, and see if older is better when it comes to the age of the performer.

For those who are unaware, there is an age limit at Junior Eurovision, and although the specific minimum and maximum ages for the competition have changed over the years, the age of competitors has always been between eight or nine and 14 or 15.

The average age of a Junior Eurovision winner is 11.62, but the most common ages (if the groups and duo are split up into individuals) are 10 and 14. There were six winner that were 10 the day they won the competition, and six winners that were 14 the day they won the competition. The youngest winners were nine years old, and the oldest winner was 15. Spain’s Maria Isabel and Russia’s Tolmachevy Twins were all nine years old when they won the competition in 2004 and 2006 respectively, while Georgia’s Ann Khanchaliani was 15 years old when she won as part of the group CANDY in 2011.

The winners over the last decade have started to, on average, be older. The average age of the winners between 2003 and 2009 was 10.3, while the average age of the 2010 to 2019 winners was 12.6.

So overall, if you take these stats, the most common type of winner is a female soloist that is either 10 or 14 years old. Will this year’s winner fit that mould? We will find out in a few weeks time.