Canticum Certamine 18

Canticum Certamine 18, often known as CC 18, is the eighteenth edition of Canticum Certamine. It took place in Saint Petersburg, Russia, following Green Apelsin's victory in the previous edition with the song "Stantsuyu Na Tvoyey Mogile". It was the first time Russia hosted the contest.
Forty-nine confirmed their participation in the edition. The list of participants stayed the same as previous edition, other than the withdrawals of Israel and Tunisia. No country returned to or made their debut in the contest.
This edition the CBU brought in a format change. From edition eighteen forward, countries would only submit one set of votes in the semi-finals, instead of two sets. The jury and televoting two set system will now only be used in the finals. This change was brought in to reduce the chances of a country getting more points in the semi-final than in the final itself.
The winner of the edition were the for the first time ever, with the song "Applaus" performed by Merol. They achieved their best result just an edition after achieving their worst, failing to qualify from the pre-qualification round. "Applaus" gathered a total of 405 points, 40 points ahead of the runner up, . This was their third runner-up placement. came in third place, meanwhile the host, , and the completed the top 6 of the edition. This edition was the first time ever Türkiye reached the final.
==Location==
Russia, officially known as the Russian Federation, is the largest country in the world, spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. The geography of Russia is diverse, ranging from frozen tundra in Siberia to stunning mountain ranges like the Caucasus and the Ural Mountains. Notable landmarks include the Red Square and the Kremlin in Moscow, the Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, and Lake Baikal, the deepest lake in the world. Russian culture is influenced by its rich history and diverse ethnic groups. The Russian language, part of the Slavic family, is spoken by the majority, and Cyrillic is the unique alphabet used. Traditional Russian cuisine features hearty dishes like borscht, pelmeni, and blini. Russia has made significant contributions to literature, music, dance, and visual arts. Russian literature is renowned worldwide, with authors like Tolstoy and Dostoevsky. The country is also known for its classical music composers, ballet, and iconic ballet companies like the Bolshoi and Mariinsky.
===Bidding phase===
After Russia accepted the hosting of the 18th edition, on September 29th 2023, the broadcaster Dozhd announced that six cities across the nation with their venues had applied: A Coruña, Las Palmas, Madrid, Málaga, Seville and Valencia.
According to the delegation's leader, each of the shortlisted host towns has what it takes to accommodate artists and fans from all across Europe. The prerequisites of adequate arena capacity, hotel accommodations, and city framework were all taken into account. A final visit to each city was performed in order to determine the 12th edition's host city.
On August 20th, Saint Petersburg was announced as the host city, alongside with Krestovsky Stadium as the host venue.
Key
 Host venue
City 	Venue 	Capacity
Moscow 	VTB Arena 	13,000
St. Petersburg	Krestovsky Stadium 	80,000
Sochi 	Fisht Olympic Stadium	47,000
Vladivostok 	Fetisov Arena 	36,500
==Format==
===Semi-final allocation draw===
The draw to determine the allocation of the participating countries into their respective semi-finals took place on the 26th of August 2023. The first part of the draw determined in which semi-final the Big Six would have to vote. The second part of the draw decided in which half of the respective semi-finals each country would perform, with the exact running order determined by the producers of the show at a later date. Twenty countries will participate in both semi-finals, respectively. From each semi-final, ten countries will join the "Big 6" in the final, where a total of twenty-six countries will participate.
The forty semi-finalists were allocated into six pots, based on their geographical place and cultural similarities. Drawing from different pots helps in reducing the chance of so-called neighbour voting and increasing suspense in the semi-finals. Each time a country was drawn from the pot, its semi-final and half of the semi-final was determined.
The six pots were the following:
Pot 1	Pot 2	Pot 3
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Pot 4	Pot 5	Pot 6
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== Participating countries==
===Pre-Qualification Round===
Draw	Country	Artist 	Song 	Place	Points
01 	 	Shahlo Ahmedova 	"Yurak" 	2 	132
02 	 	tam 	"samo ne ovde" 	1 	135
03 	 	Julia Parshuta 	"Golyye glaza" 	4 	124
04 	 	Sabina Beyli 	"Daddy's Daughter" 	6 	94
05 	 	Samantha Sánchez	"Noche Fría" 	3 	131
06 	 	Medina 	"Danser For Mig Selv"	5 	112
07 	 	DIONA 	"Sīknauda" 	7 	76
===Semi-final 1===
Twenty countries participated in the first semi-final. Finland, Montenegro and Russia also voted in this semi-final. The highlighted countries qualified for the final.
Draw	Country	Artist 	Song 	Place	Points
01 	 	Aziya 	"atomic" 	12 	94
02 	 	Marina 	"Froot" 	10 	96
03 	 	Shahlo Ahmedova 	"Yurak" 	9 	103
04 	 	Samantha Sánchez	"Noche Fría" 	7 	108
05 	 	Bahjat 	"Camel Season" 	14 	67
06 	 	Tíykhía 	"SE VLÉPO" 	1 	171
07 	 	Ida Prester 	"SAD" 	19 	42
08 	 	Hatchie 	"Quicksand" 	6 	121
09 	 	Sonayou 	"Femme fatale" 	4 	145
10 	 	Áslaug 	"Loving Fight" 	17 	57
11 	 	Giaime 	"Storia" 	20 	24
12 	 	Merol 	"Applaus" 	5 	137
13 	 	Alan Murin 	"Voľný pád" 	18 	54
14 	 	Julia Parshuta 	"Golyye glaza" 	8 	106
15 	 	Faouzia 	"IL0V3Y0U" 	16 	59
16 	 	Marianna Winter 	"Consequences" 	11 	95
17 	 	naBBoo, AIDAN 	"Head & Mind" 	15 	61
18 	 	Natascha Polké 	"Neverland" 	3 	146
19 	 	Raffaella 	"Man of Your Dreams"	13 	75
20 	 	Jetta 	"Losing Control" 	2 	153
===Semi-final 2===
Twenty countries participated in the second semi-final. Bosnia and Herzegovina, Estonia and Ukraine also voted in this semi-final. The highlighted countries qualified for the final.
Draw	Country	Artist 	Song 	Place	Points
01 	 	Jessie Ware, Róisín Murphy	"Freak Me Now" 	3 	139
02 	 	Ivana Boom Nikolic 	"Isti si" 	5 	121
03 	 	GIVVEN 	"Doubts" 	14 	75
04 	 	tam 	"samo ne ovde" 	9 	113
05 	 	Alaina Castillo 	"éxtasis" 	4 	133
06 	 	Gerda Biel 	"Ašara" 	13 	101
07 	 	Terra 	"Lilith" 	11 	111
08 	 	Emma Bale 	"kompas" 	7 	116
09 	 	Katie Melua 	"14 Windows" 	19 	26
10 	 	Alex Porat 	"dimension" 	10 	112
11 	 	CÉLINE 	"Süße Träume" 	16 	73
12 	 	Kidä 	"Brother" 	12 	109
13 	 	iris 	"cotton candy" 	8 	113
14 	 	Adèle Castillon 	"Impala" 	18 	32
15 	 	Felicia Takman 	"Dansa fult" 	1 	143
16 	 	Tata 	"Bales" 	20 	19
17 	 	Joana Alegre 	"Rosa Carne" 	17 	43
18 	 	Enula 	"SAMSARA" 	6 	119
19 	 	Selin 	"Lovers Hurricane"	2 	142
20 	 	Vanesa Sono 	"Classy" 	15 	74
===Final===
Draw	Country	Artist 	Song 	Place	Points
01 	 	VADA 	"Biryuzovaya" 	4 	322
02 	 	Samantha Sánchez 	"Noche Fría" 	24 	144
03 	 	Alex Porat 	"dimension" 	19 	174
04 	 	Tíykhía 	"SE VLÉPO" 	3 	330
05 	 	Emma Bale 	"kompas" 	18 	177
06 	 	Ivana Boom Nikolic 	"Isti si" 	13 	219
07 	 	Malla 	"Moi" 	12 	233
08 	 	Enula 	"SAMSARA" 	14 	217
09 	 	Shahlo Ahmedova 	"Yurak" 	23 	149
10 	 	Selin 	"Lovers Hurricane"	5 	320
11 	 	Jetta 	"Losing Control" 	6 	281
12 	 	MAiKA 	"River Sava" 	22 	153
13 	 	Marina 	"Froot" 	16 	214
14 	 	Natascha Polké 	"Neverland" 	17 	212
15 	 	Hatchie 	"Quicksand" 	11 	235
16 	 	iris 	"cotton candy" 	20 	168
17 	 	tam 	"samo ne ovde" 	21 	157
18 	 	Hana & Alexandra Matrix 	"Samo bogato" 	26 	93
19 	 	Julia Parshuta 	"Golyye glaza" 	25 	115
20 	 	Felicia Takman 	"Dansa fult" 	2 	360
21 	 	Merol 	"Applaus" 	1 	405
22 	 	Sonayou 	"Femme fatale" 	10 	237
23 	 	Britney Manson 	"FΛSHION" 	8 	265
24 	 	Tonka 	"Ryatіvnik" 	9 	252
25 	 	Jessie Ware, Róisín Murphy	"Freak Me Now" 	15 	215
26 	 	Alaina Castillo 	"éxtasis" 	7 	273