Junior Europa Song Contest 3

Final date
 Venue
 Interval act
 Entries
 Debuting
**Participation map**
* Participating countries     Countries that participated in the past but not this edition
 System
 Winner

**Junior Europa Song Contest 3**, often referred to as **JESC 3**, was the third edition of the Junior Europa Song Contest. It was held in Cardiff, United Kingdom as it was the host's country chose Cardiff while Alex Jones and Steve Jones was selected as the presenter.

Twenty-one participated in the third edition, including Andorra, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Italy and Moldova that made their debut appearance in the edition with Germany returning in the contest. However, The Netherlands and Turkey announced their withdrawal from the third edition.

## Location

*For further information see Cardiff*

**Cardiff** is the capital of, and largest city in, Wales, and the eleventh-largest city in the United Kingdom. It is Wales's chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for Wales. The unitary authority area's 2017 population was estimated to be 362,756. Cardiff is a significant tourist centre and the most popular visitor destination in Wales with 21.3 million visitors in 2017. In 2011, Cardiff was ranked sixth in the world in National Geographic's alternative tourist destinations.

Cardiff is the county town of the historic county of Glamorgan (and later South Glamorgan). Cardiff is part of the Eurocities network of the largest European cities. A small town until the early 19th century, its prominence as a major port for the transport of coal following the arrival of industry in the region contributed to its rise as a major city. The Cardiff Built-up Area covers a slightly larger area outside the county boundary and includes the towns of Dinas Powys and Penarth. In 1905, Cardiff was made a city and proclaimed the capital of Wales in 1955.

Since the 1980s, Cardiff has seen significant development. A new waterfront area at Cardiff Bay contains the Senedd building, home to the Welsh Assembly and the Wales Millennium Centre arts complex. Current developments include the continuation of the redevelopment of the Cardiff Bay and city centre areas with projects such as the Cardiff International Sports Village, a BBC drama village, and a new business district in the city centre. Sporting venues in the city include the Principality Stadium—the national stadium and the home of the Wales national rugby union team—Sophia Gardens (the home of Glamorgan County Cricket Club), Cardiff City Stadium (the home of Cardiff City football team and the Wales football team), Cardiff International Sports Stadium (the home of Cardiff Amateur Athletic Club), Cardiff Arms Park (the home of Cardiff Blues and Cardiff RFCrugby union teams) and Ice Arena Wales (the home of Cardiff Devils ice hockey team). The city hosted the 1958 British Empire and Commonwealth Games. The city was awarded the title of European City of Sport twice, due to its role in hosting major international sporting events: first in 2009 and again in 2014. The Principality Stadium hosted 11 football matches as part of the 2012 Summer Olympics, including the games' opening event and the men's bronze medal match.

## Logo & Slogan

On 5 September 2018 the official theme for the third Junior Europa Song Contest was revealed. British broadcaster create the logo. The slogan "Reach New Heights" as the contest grows and expands we want all of you to Reach New Heights

## Other countries

*Further information: List of countries in the Junior Europa Song Contest*
Countries that are active members of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) are also eligible to participate in the Europa Song Contest. As in every edition, an invitation to all the members have been sent in order to confirm whether they will participate or not. The following list of countries declined stating their reasons as shown below.

### Active EBU Members

* Albania: RTSH announced that the country will not return to the contest, a return in the next edition is very likely.

* Ireland: RTÉ announced that the country will not return to the contest.
* Netherlands: AVROTOS announced that the country will participate in the third edition, unfortunately they miss the entry deadline and the country was forced to withdraw.
* Turkey: TRT announced that the country will withdraw from the contest after the bad result in the previous edition, a return in the future is unlikely.