The Junior Eurovision Song Contest is set to be hosted in Ta'Qali, Malta, on the 24th of October, 2026. I've been following Junior Eurovision since 2022 and, as usual, I'll be watching the live stream on YouTube. I've found that this edition especially has had some of the strongest vocalists that Junior Eurovision has ever had, and I am obsessed with over half of the songs competing in the contest. However, for this article, I needed to remain restricted to just my five favourites, in no particular order.

The stage for the Junior Eurovision Song Contest | Source: Junior Eurovision

01. Ukraine: Erika Kolesnichenko - Not A Lullaby

Erika Kolesnichenko holding her trophy | Source: Suspline

Ukraine is one of the five countries to use a National Selection for Junior Eurovision and is joined only by the Netherlands and Albania as the other countries to select its song using one. The others, Georgia and Ireland, select their artists. The winning singer was 11-year-old Erika Kolesnichenko. Erika has been taking singing lessons since the age of six, and she's already well-accomplished, winning a singing competition in Lithuania and other contests across Ukraine. Also, she's played several characters like Cruella De Vil and Malifecent live on stage in Ukraine.

Her song, "НЕ колискова", translates to "Not A Lullaby" and follows the theme that Ukraine has been doing in the past about their ongoing War with Russia, and the longing that children have for freedom. The song's title, being the opposite of a lullaby, in my own interpretation, is a call to action for the Ukrainian people to wake up and fight back against this war, as well as a general call to action about freedom for those who are being oppressed. Outside of the song's meaning, the song itself is quite catchy and, despite the lyrics not being intelligible for somebody who doesn't speak Ukrainian, it hasn't stopped me from loving this song and having it instantly become my favourite song of this year's contest. Randomzier's ranking: 1/16

Erika Kolesnichenko's thumbnail for the music video | Source: Suspline's YouTube channel

02. Poland:  Wiktor Sas - Gravity

Wiktor Sas holding The Voice Kids Poland trophy | Source: Eurovisionfun

Wiktor Sas has won The Voice Kids Poland and, as a result, won the right to represent Poland at the Junior Eurovision Song Contest. If anybody remembers Denmark's Eurovision 2025 song, "Hallucination", his song, "Gravity", is reminiscent of that, in the best way possible. At 14 years old, Wiktor is one of the oldest Junior Eurovision representatives this year, and this is evident in the way he sings his song. Wiktor has been singing since the age of one and a half, and it seems that there isn't any stopping him. Outside of singing, he is also the president of his school's student council, which is an achievement that most dream of, and highlights skill outside of singing.

As a song, "Gravity"'s meaning isn't instantly obvious, as the catchy hook and Wiktor's amazing vocals leave you hooked when you start. However, I've eventually determined that Wiktor is singing about the refusal to let setbacks control your destiny, as he uses the force of gravity as a metaphor for all the things holding him back; he lets it go to push through to the positives and gain everything he is destined for, and sometimes, that's what we need more than anything else. Randomzier's ranking: 3/16

03. Albania: Eslin Kurti - Kërce Me Mua

Eslin Kurti winning the Albanian Junior Eurovision National Selection | Source: ESCplus

Do you remember how in the early 2000s of the adult Eurovision Song Contest we were inundated with ethnopop songs that all had traditional instruments, catchy hooks, and absolutely astonishing dancing? Well, Albania did, and said, 'What if we did that, but for kids?' Eslin Kurti is bringing the first ethnopop Junior Eurovision song from my memory, and, at just 12 years old, she's already achieving so much more than I ever did at that age, with a huge number of achievements both nationally and internationally. She started her music career by playing the piano, and that taught her basic music theory, which brought her towards singing.

Now, I don't speak Albanian, but I looked at the English translation of her song "Kërce Me Mua" (English title "Dance With Me"), and determined that the song is about escaping technology and phones and bringing people together through music, which is exactly what a Junior Eurovision song should be. There isn't a deep, mature meaning, nor a song that is too immature for her age, but a song that directly interferes with the current life of kids, who are looking at their phones and not paying attention to the world around them. Randomizer's ranking: 2/16

04. North Macedonia: Ana Stojanoska - Idnata Jas

Photoshoot with Ana Stojanoska | Source: Eurovisionworld.com

Maybe this is my nostalgia for North Macedonia finally returning to the adult contest, but I am absolutely obsessed with the song. And Ana isn't a bad vocalist by any means, and I'm really hoping that she can hit these notes well, especially as this is the first time North Macedonia is sending a song that isn't a ballad since 2022, and, unfortunately, the song in which the singers couldn't quite hit the notes on the night did fairly poorly, which was extremely unfortunate, but hopefully Ana can once again prove the vocal capabilities of North Macedonian singers.

She grew up in a picturesque town near Lake Ohrid, and has been singing since she was young. Her song, "Idnata Jas", translates to "Self Be" and is the first song here to tell a genuine cohesive story that, if translated live, will get the message across more than the lyrics ever could. It follows Ana finding her journal she kept as a young girl, where she reads the message, 'Are you all I'd imagined you'd become?' The rest of the song is a message to her younger self saying 'yes, you have, and you are perfect', which is something that we all wish we could tell our younger selves. Randomizer's ranking: 5/16

05. Armenia: Naré - Boo!

Naré's official Junior Eurovision portrait | Source: Junior Eurovision

Not to be confused with the Junior Eurovision 2022 competitor with the same name, this Naré has basically created "Bangaranga" but for kids, and we all know what happened to that. At 13, this is Naré's 4th time attempting to get selected for Junior Eurovision, and now it's finally happened! As alluded to before, the song is incredibly catchy, and I find myself saying 'tic tic tick Boo!' sometimes while walking around the house, and it's almost as if Armenia saw a Junior Eurovision in spooky season and went ', What if we sent a song called 'Boo!' to fit the theme?'

The song itself seems to follow the story of a ghost who is haunting Naré, but it turns out all the ghost wants to do is play! This fits right in with the rest of the Junior Eurovision songs, and has that 'cute' element that a lot of Junior Eurovision songs seem to have, which makes it perfect for a contest like this. Randomzier's ranking: 4/16

Conclusion

That's all my top 5, everybody! I really hope that you've enjoyed this article, and let me know what your top 5 is in the comments below! I would love to hear opinions on the other songs too. Thank you so much for getting to the end, and see you all in Ta'Qali!

My complete Junior Eurovision 2026 Ranking | Source: Eurovision Song Contest Discord