Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2008 — 6th annual Junior Eurovision Song Contest
The 2008 Junior Eurovision Song Contest introduced jury voting alongside televoting, marking a structural shift in how winners are determined at the contest.
Key Facts
- Edition
- 6th Junior Eurovision Song Contest
- Date
- 22 November 2008
- Winning country
- Georgia
- Winning song
- "Bzz.." by Bzikebi
- Participating countries
- 15
- Venue
- Spyros Kyprianou Athletic Centre, Lemesos
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
The European Broadcasting Union and host broadcaster CyBC organised the sixth edition of the Junior Eurovision Song Contest in Cyprus under the theme 'Fun in the Sun'. Rule changes were introduced, including allowing adult co-writers for songs, reducing on-stage performers from eight to six, and splitting the vote equally between televoting and a mixed adult-and-children jury.
The Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2008 took place on 22 November 2008 at the Spyros Kyprianou Athletic Centre in Lemesos, Cyprus, hosted by Alex Michael and Sophia Paraskeva. Fifteen countries competed, with Georgia's trio Bzikebi winning with the song 'Bzz..', followed by Ukraine in second place and Lithuania in third.
Georgia's Bzikebi became the first group act to win the Junior Eurovision Song Contest. The introduction of a 50/50 televote and jury split fundamentally altered the contest's voting system, setting a precedent for future editions and bringing the format closer to the adult Eurovision Song Contest's judging structure.
Work
Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2008
Introduced a 50/50 jury and televote split and allowed adult co-writers, reshaping competition rules; Bzikebi became the first group act to win the contest.