Malta finishes 11th in Junior Eurovision as France clinches fourth victory
12-year-old Eliza Borg delivered a powerful performance in Georgia on Saturday
Malta's Junior Eurovision journey in Tbilisi ended with a mid-table finish on Saturday night as Eliza Borg placed 11th out of 18 countries, while France secured its fourth victory in the children's song contest.
The 12-year-old Maltese singer, who was the opening act of the night with her inspirational song I Believe, finished just outside the top half of the scoreboard. She earned a total of 92 points - 54 points from the international professional juries and 38 points from the global online vote.
Unlike with the adult Eurovision Song Contest, people in Europe could vote for their own country on Saturday. Also, the Junior Eurovision's winning country does not necessasrily host the following year's edition.
The contest saw 18 countries compete in Tbilisi, Georgia, with Ukraine and host country Georgia finishing second and third, respectively.
Borg's total of 92 points fell short of Malta's strong fifth-place finish in last year's contest. Her performance received a greater show of support from the juries, who placed her 11th, compared to the online voters, who ranked her 12th.
The song was a ballad with lyrics written by former winner Destiny Chukunyere and Matt Muxu Mercieca, and music by Elton Zarb.
Borg was chosen to represent Malta after she won The Voice Kids Malta earlier this year. The coaches on that TV show - Chukunyere, Gianluca Bezzina and Sarah Bonnici - were former Malta Eurovision winners themselves.
The public also had a say in choosing the song and singer through televoting.
Fourth win for France
France’s representative, Lou Deleuze, was crowned the winner with her song Ce monde (This World), receiving 248 points overall.
The victory makes France one of the most successful countries in the competition's history.
Malta won the contest twice - in 2013 with Gaia Cauchi and in 2015 with Destiny Chukunyere. Both songs were written by the same author and composer of this year's entry.
On Saturday, Borg delivered a powerful vocal performance. Her 54 jury points included 12 points from Armenia, 10 points from Italy, and 8 points from North Macedonia.
However, the overall result marks a step back from the top 10 placements Malta achieved in 2023 and 2024.