14 April 2002 (2002-04-14) – 6 June 2014 (2014-06-06)
Lilla Melodifestivalen (known as MGP Junior in 2002) was a Swedish televised song competition for children aged 8 to 15, organised by Sveriges Television (SVT). The competing songs were primarily in Swedish and written by the participants themselves.
In 2010, SVT returned to the Junior Eurovision Song Contest, although the entrant was selected internally. Lilla Melodifestivalen returned in 2012, with the winner being decided by only a jury. In 2015, Lilla Melodifestivalen was cancelled to focus on a new singing contest called Supershowen [sv]. If Sweden were return to the Junior Eurovision Song Contest in the future, they would use a new selection format to replace Lilla Melodifestivalen, as Supershowen runs from October to November.[dubious – discuss]
Shortly after the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2021, SVT and Norway's broadcaster NRK revealed that delegations were sent to that year's host city Paris to watch how much the contest evolved.[1] As of 2023, SVT has yet to return to Junior Eurovision, regardless of selection process.
In March 2024, SVT announced the organization of Hello Mello [sv], a new show aimed at identifying young talents aged 13 to 15 which is considered a continuation of Lilla Melodifestivalen. The announcement was made during the final of Melodifestivalen 2024.[2]
