RTP has confirmed in the rules of The Voice Kids 2026 that its winner will compete in the Junior Eurovision Song Contest.

The Portuguese broadcaster RTP has confirmed in the rules of The Voice Kids 2026 that the winner of the next series will compete in Junior Eurovision 2026. This makes Portugal the latest country to confirm its intention to compete in the 24th edition of the Junior Eurovision Song Contest.

The Voice Kids has been used to select the Portuguese representative since 2021. RTP would select the highest placing eligible singer to compete in Junior Eurovision, while since 2025, the winner will now go to the contest.

Inês Gonçalves was selected for Junior Eurovision 2025 by the Portuguese broadcaster RTP after winning The Voice Kids Portugal. Her entry “Para onde vai o amor?” was written and composed by Inês herself and by her coach from The Voice Kids, Miguel Cristovinho, together with Buba Espinho, João Direitinho, and Aurora Pinto. This continues the tradition of the Portuguese Junior Eurovision participant working with their coach from The Voice Kids on their song for the competition.

Victoria Nicole represented Portugal at the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2024 with “Esperança”. She finished 2nd in the final with 213 points. Portugal was 4th with the jury scoring 96 points and 1st with the online vote scoring 117 points.

Image Source: Corinne Cumming/EBU | Source: RTP

Portugal debuted at the 2006 edition of the Junior Eurovision Song Contest in Bucharest. The country placed second-last in 2006 and 2007 and withdrew in 2008. They did not return until 2017, when they were represented by Mariana Venâncio, who placed 14th with her song “YouTuber”. In 2024, Victoria Nicole finished 2nd in the competition for Portugal, its best-ever result in the contest.

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Posted by:Anthony Granger

Since launching Eurovoix in April 2011, it has been a pleasure to find out more about this amazing continent through the Eurovision Family of Events. From starting out as a small site, it’s been brilliant to see the site grow and flourish and continue to bring our readers everything from the world of Eurovision.