Our Best of the Bunch series continues, but this time, we’re crossing over between the two main formats of Eurovision, the Eurovision Song Contest and the Junior Eurovision Song Contest. The concept is simple, we take the Eurovision and Junior Eurovision entries of a certain year and put them up against each other in a poll to find out which is your Best of the Bunch! Our focus will be between 2016 and 2018, so let’s find out who you think is the Best of the Bunch!
2016
Eurovision:
Since their return to the contest in 2014, Poland proved to be a stronger competitor having qualified in both 2014 and 2015. Michał Szpak was chosen through a national selection with his song Color of Your Life which was performed in the second semi-final. Despite some tough competition, Poland once again qualified for the final. In the final, Poland struggled in the jury voting, but well and truly made up for it in the televote, finishing 3rd with the public vote which pushed Poland up to 8th place overall.
Junior Eurovision:
Poland was returning to Junior Eurovision in 2016 after a lengthy break from the contest. Their last participation was in 2004, and the contest had changed dramatically since then, so were they up for the challenge? Through a national selection, Poland selected Olivia Wieczorek with the song Nie Zapomnij which featured both Polish and English lyrics. At the contest, Poland managed to finish in 11th place with 60 points which was their best result at that time.
Which is your Best of the Bunch? Vote below!
2017
Eurovision:
Poland once again used a national selection to decide their act and entry for the 2017 contest, and the result was that Kasia Moś would represent Poland with the song Flashlight. It was another ‘safe’ entry from Poland, but at the contest it only just made it through to the final, qualifying in 9th place. In the final, Poland finished in 22nd place overall.
Junior Eurovision:
Poland continued their participation in Junior Eurovision in 2017, and once again, a national selection was held to select the participant. Alicja Rega won the national selection with the song Mój dom. At the contest, Poland placed 7th in both the jury and online voting, and with the points combined, ended up finishing 8th overall which was an improvement on the previous year.
Which is your Best of the Bunch? Vote below!
2018
Eurovision:
With four qualifications in a row, the pressure was on for the next Polish act to continue the successful streak. With a national final, Poland selected the DJ Gromee featuring Swedish singer, Lukas Meijer. The song was titled Light Me Up, and was an upbeat number which was in contrast to their previous few entries at Eurovision. In the semi-final, Poland struggled to gain support from both the jury and the public and fell short of qualifying to the final, finishing 14th.
Junior Eurovision:
Instead of a national selection, the Polish broadcaster decided to internally select their act and entry for the 2018 contest. Roksana Węgiel was revealed as the participant with the bilingual song, Anyone I Want To Be. Roskana closed out the show, and at the end of the voting, it was clear that Poland had won the contest with a total of 215 points. This was the first time Poland had won the contest, and Roskana will go on to co-host the 2019 contest.
Which is your Best of the Bunch? Vote below!