Now that the contest is over, we know the sole winner of Junior Eurovision 2016, however here at Eurovision Union, we want to share the love around. We’ve created six categories in which we’re awarding to the countries who have just participated in Junior Eurovision. Keep reading to find out who we’ve chosen, and make sure to comment down below who you think deserves these titles!
Best staging
This year, there was less creative staging and more simplicity, with a number of nations choosing to feature their singers alone on stage. Despite that, we’ve chosen our stand out stage performance to be Cyprus! For us, the Cypriot crew had the most energetic and entertaining stage performance which far exceeded many of the other acts. The dancing through the chorus was absolutely out of this world, and even if you didn’t like the song, the performance was still enough to captivate audiences.
Best costume
This was a tough choice between two stand out acts for me, whose outfit choices we’re absolutely on point. The two countries that stood out for me were FYR Macedonia, whose glittery pink jumpsuit was a refreshing twist on the usual dress, however our winner is Sofia Rol from Ukraine, who wore the most beautiful dress of the night, with incredible detailing on the top with a nude underlay. The soft pastel colour complemented her, and even her fresh faced makeup look all complemented the natural beauty that Sofia is.
Best live vocals
With so much vocal talent this year, it was hard to choose one act. After some consideration, it has to be Bulgaria who wins this category. Magical Day sung by Lidia Ganeva of Bulgaria was vocally perfect, and it’s hard to believe such a small performer could belt out some of the notes which she hit perfectly every time. With such a strong voice at this age, it will be magical to see her journey into adulthood if she pursues singing, and who knows, maybe we will see her at Eurovision one day!
Most Improved
For this category, we’re looking at the biggest improvement between first rehearsal and the final performance. For us, the biggest improvement goes to Russia, who had our favourite song of the year, but as we got vision of the rehearsal, it was underwhelming at best. The choreography was a bit clunky, and lacking passion or energy. At the final, even though we didn’t really think the choreography was best suited to the song, we think they dug a little bit deeper to perform a more moving performance. Additionally, seeing this on TV made more sense than the recorded rehearsal, as the angles complemented the choreography.
Most Ripped off
This award no doubt goes to Serbia, who with an incredibly catchy song ended up in last place. This is for me, more of a shock than Georgia winning, and that sure was a shock. Unfortunately, I think Serbia got lost amongst other more stand out pop entries, however even despite that, I think this was incredibly ripped off. Her vocals were great, and although her staging could have been better, I still think this deserved a way WAY higher place!
Best all-rounder (Honorary Winner)
This award goes to the country which for us exceeded all expectations regarding vocals and performance. It’s the country who for us deserved the trophy based upon the performance on the day, and that country for us is Belarus! Music is My Only Way wasn’t my favourite song pre-contest, however after rehearsals, I really thought that this song was in with a really strong chance of winning. Everything about this performance was absolutely spot on, from Alexander’s pitch perfect vocals, to the energy and flawlessness of the stage performance. The song was catchy, the backing was colourful and eye catching, and the choreography suited the songs’ energy perfectly. The choreography while on the hoverboards was well thought out and filled that break in the lyrics well, and for all these reasons, this is Eurovision Unions’ Best All-Rounder and Honorary Winner! Well done Belarus!
