By Siranush Adamyan
Armenia’s 13-year-old singer Naré won the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2026 on Saturday, October 24, with her song BOO!, securing the country’s third victory in the international competition.
The 24th edition of the contest was held at the Malta Fairs & Conventions Centre in Ta’ Qali, Malta, with performers from 16 countries taking part.
Naré topped the scoreboard with 202 points, including 103 from national juries and 99 from online voting. Spain finished second with 184 points, followed by France with 165.
Spain was represented by 10-year-old Lucas Paulano with Cuore Bello (Te Quiero, Te Quiero), while 12-year-old Alec performed Comment Tu Vas? for France.
Armenia finished third in the jury vote, behind France and Spain, but secured the overall victory after receiving 99 points from the public vote, the highest audience score of the competition.
Under Junior Eurovision’s voting system, national juries and online voting each account for 50 percent of the final result. Viewers can vote for their own country’s entry, unlike in the adult Eurovision Song Contest.
Armenia received the maximum 12 points from the juries of Cyprus and Albania, while the Netherlands and San Marino awarded it 10 points each. Armenia’s jury gave its 12 points to Cyprus.
The winning song BOO! was written by Lilit Navasardyan, Grigor Kyokchyan, Nick Egibyan, Martin Mirzoyan and Anush Ter-Ghukasyan, according to the European Broadcasting Union (EBU).
Naré, who is from Yerevan, has performed in musicals and television productions. She was selected to represent Armenia from more than 100 applicants after auditions in Yerevan.
The competition was broadcast live in Armenia by Public Television.
Armenia’s history at Junior Eurovision
The Junior Eurovision Song Contest has been held annually since 2003, when the first competition took place in Copenhagen, Denmark. Organized by the European Broadcasting Union, the contest brings together young singers aged nine to 14 from participating countries.
Armenia made its debut in 2007, when the group Arevik finished second with the song Erazanq, just one point behind winner Belarus.
The country first won in 2010, when Vladimir Arzumanyan, a young singer from Stepanakert in Nagorno-Karabakh, performed Mama in Minsk, Belarus. He received 120 points, finishing just one point ahead of Russia.
Armenia’s second victory came in 2021, when 14-year-old Maléna won with Qami Qami in Paris, receiving 224 points.
Armenia has also hosted the competition twice, in Yerevan in 2011 and 2022, following its two previous victories.
With Naré’s win in 2026, Armenia now has three Junior Eurovision titles, behind Georgia and France, which have four victories each.
Unlike the adult Eurovision Song Contest, winning Junior Eurovision does not automatically give a country hosting rights for the following year.
The EBU said the host broadcaster for the 2027 competition, which will mark Junior Eurovision’s 25th anniversary, would be selected in the coming weeks.
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