Destination Ta’ Qali! Maria, with her entry “Stronger Together”, will represent the Netherlands at the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2026, which will take place at the Malta Fairs & Conventions Centre in Ta’ Qali (Malta) on Saturday, October 24.
The young singer has triumphed at the Junior Songfestival 2026, the legendary Dutch national selection where its representative for the children’s contest is selected. Vajèn, Nolan, Maria and The Crossovers competed with their original entries with the aim of securing their ticket to Ta’ Qali.
After months of training and extensive preparations, broadcaster AVROTROS has held the grand final of the Junior Songfestival 2026 at the RTM Stage Ahoy in Rotterdam, which took place from 19:20 CEST, with Stefania Liberakakis and Matheu Hinzen as hosts.
Meadow, winner of the Junior Songfestival 2025 and representative of the Netherlands at the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2025, presented the trophy to the grand winner of the competition in 2026.
Maria, with “Stronger Together”, achieved a very narrow victory. It was the most-voted entry by the professional jury. However, the children’s panel backed Vajèn, while the online vote went to The Crossovers. It was one of the votes with the smallest margin in the history of the Junior Songfestival, with only 4 points separating the winner from 4th place. The winning song was composed by Mell Jonk and Ton Dijkman under the production of the AVRO Muziekuitgeverij music department.
The song will be the 24th Dutch entry in Junior Eurovision. It should be remembered that the Netherlands has participated uninterruptedly in the European contest since its first edition in Copenhagen 2003.
Who represents the Netherlands at Junior Eurovision 2026? Review the results of the Junior Songfestival grand final
In its usual format, the Junior Songfestival 2026 featured nine finalists: Nolan, Noud, Benjamin, Lay, Zoë, Saige, Catelynn, Maria and Vajèn. All of them were selected following the in-person castings held in March, in which some of the 1,600 applicants from the previous application process took part.
Next, the contestants were divided into four acts and were assigned an original song with which they competed for victory in the grand final of the Junior Songfestival 2026. Following the live performances, the professional jury, another children’s jury and the viewers at home had the result of the selection in their hands.
Following the jury and viewers’ vote, the results of the Junior Songfestival 2026 were as follows:
| Position | Artist | Song | TOTAL | Children’s Jury | Professional Jury | Public Vote |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Maria | “Stronger Together” | 31 | 10 | 12 | 9 |
| 2nd | The Crossovers | “Crossovers” | 29 | 9 | 8 | 12 |
| 3rd | Vajèn | “Here I Am” | 29 | 12 | 9 | 8 |
| 4th | Nolan | “Crush” | 28 | 8 | 10 | 10 |
Fans of the contest were able to vote for free for their favorite entry through the official website. Meanwhile, the expert jury was made up of Numidia, Kris Kross Amsterdam and Berget Lewis. In the traditional children’s jury, the contestants from the 2025 edition returned: Meadow, winners of the Junior Songfestival 2025, and Level Up.
The combination of the three voting panels (each of which awarded 8, 9, 10 and 12 points) determined the ranking of the Junior Songfestival 2026 and, consequently, the winning entry of the selection that will travel to Ta’ Qali.