Ten-year-old Lucas Paulano takes Spain to second place at Junior Eurovision

A box of memories, a Ferris wheel made of light bulbs and a ten-year-old in a pale blue suit. That is how Lucas Paulano sang “Cuore Bello (Te Quiero, Te Quiero)” in Malta on Saturday 24 October, taking Spain to second place at Junior Eurovision 2026 with 184 points. Only Armenia did better: Naré won with “BOO!” and 202 points, 18 more, according to the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), which runs the contest. Lucas came second with the juries and third in the public vote.

Twelve points from Malta, 76 from viewers

Each country’s jury, made up of three music professionals and two children aged 10 to 15, decides half of the score. Lucas got 108 jury points, second only to France (114), including the top 12 points from host country Malta. The other half comes from an online vote open to viewers worldwide. There he scored 76 points and came third; Armenia topped it with 99.

Sixteen countries competed at the Malta Fairs & Conventions Centre in Ta’ Qali, in front of around 4,000 fans, the EBU says. It is Spain’s best result since 2023, when Sandra Valero also finished second, El Plural notes.

Lucas Paulano on the Junior Eurovision 2026 stage. Photo: EBU.

From The Voice Kids to the Malta stage

Lucas was born in Jaén, in southern Spain, in 2016. Aged eight, he won La Voz Kids 2025, the Spanish version of The Voice Kids on Antena 3, coached by Manuel Turizo, and Spanish public broadcaster RTVE then picked him for Junior Eurovision. He studies piano at the Ramón Garay professional music conservatory in Jaén, according to his official contest profile. The song was composed by Blas Cantó, Carlos Almazán and Dangelo Ortega, and Lucas co-wrote the lyrics.

The staging, by artistic director Javier Pageo, was built around memories: a circular structure of 523 light bulbs that ended up as a fairground Ferris wheel, El Plural reports. Back home, local outlet Hora Jaén says, the city had spent weeks rallying votes for him.

Lucas Paulano’s official Junior Eurovision 2026 portrait. Photo: Corinne Cumming / EBU.

At the song’s climax, Lucas reached for a higher register than on the studio version, designed for the live show, according to El Plural. He spent weeks working on it with his vocal coach, Verónica Ferreiro.

Photos: EBU, which allows the use of images from its newsroom.