Canticum Certamine 19

Canticum Certamine 19, often known as CC 19, is the nineteenth edition of Canticum Certamine. It took place in Rotterdam, Netherlands, following Merol's victory in the previous edition with the song "Applaus" . It was the first time the Netherlands hosted the contest.
Fifty-four countries confirmed their participation in the edition. Bulgaria, Israel, Luxembourg, Moldova, Monaco and Romania returned to the contest after editions of absence. Uzbekistan withdrew from the contest temporarily, stating a lack of funding and poor results for their withdrawal.
Georgia was the winner of this edition, with the song "Manifest" performed by Madlena. This was Georgia's first victory in the history of Canticum Certamine, as well as their first ever top six placement in the final. The song gathered a grand total of 424 points, 68 points ahead of the runner-up, Albania. The Czech Republic finished on third place, meanwhile Israel, San Marino and Slovakia completed the top 6 of the edition. This edition, all countries that qualified from the pre-qualification to the final all managed to pre-qualify for the next edition.
==Location==
The Netherlands, also known as Holland, is a country located in Northwestern Europe. It is bordered by Germany to the east and Belgium to the south. The country is known for its unique geography, as a significant portion of its land lies below sea level. 
The 19th edition took place in Rotterdam, Netherlands, following the country's victory in the 18th edition with the song "Applaus" , performed by Merol. It was the first time the Netherlands hosted the contest. The Rotterdam Ahoy Arena, is a renowned multi-purpose venue that has become a hub for various events and performances. With its impressive capacity of approximately 15,000 people, it has established itself as one of the largest indoor arenas in the country. The arena has a rich history of hosting a diverse range of events, including concerts, sports competitions, trade shows, exhibitions, and conferences. Many world-renowned artists and bands have graced its stage, attracting music enthusiasts from all over the world. The venue has witnessed memorable performances by artists like Beyoncé, U2, and Coldplay, among many others.
===Bidding phase===
After the Netherlands accepted the hosting of the 19th edition, on 13 September 2023, the country announced that seven cities with a total of three venues had applied in: Den Haag and Rotterdam.
On 20 September 2023, AVROTROS announced along with the theme for the edition that the Ahoy Rotterdam in Rotterdam was selected as the host venue for the edition.
Key Host venue
City 	Venue 	Capacity
Den Haag 	Kyocera Stadium	15,000
Rotterdam	Ahoy Rotterdam 	16,426
Rotterdam	De Kuip 	50,000
==Format==
===Semi-final allocation draw===
The draw to determine the allocation of the participating countries into their respective semi-finals took place on the 21st of September 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-two 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 	 	Oksana Baburyan	"Urish" 	4 	168
02 	 	Nina Dagbjort 	"Ekkert að" 	7 	146
03 	 	Ditonellapiaga 	"Repito" 	2 	205
04 	 	Adé 	"J'me barre" 	9 	115
05 	 	Madlena 	"Manifest" 	1 	232
06 	 	Mo Xo 	"Level Up" 	6 	150
07 	 	Ghita 	"Satisfied" 	5 	153
08 	 	Filip Rudan 	"He's Not The One"	10 	79
09 	 	Nina Kohout 	"Moonlight" 	3 	177
10 	 	Lunna 	"Molotov" 	8 	131
===Semi-final 1===
Twenty-one countries participated in the first semi-final. Cyprus, Netherlands and Russia also voted in this semi-final. The highlighted countries qualified for the final.
Draw	Country	Artist 	Song 	Place	Points
01 	 	Bess 	"Riivattu" 	18 	75
02 	 	Mathilde Fernandez 	"Temple Sourire" 	16 	104
03 	 	Margherita Vicario 	"Ave Maria" 	20 	60
04 	 	Maella 	"Tudu Tudu Tu" 	1 	201
05 	 	Masha Kondratenko 	"Na hori" 	13 	115
06 	 	Qendersa 	"The Source" 	12 	129
07 	 	manna 	"Grieve" 	8 	140
08 	 	Felicia Lu 	"Something Regrettable" 	19 	64
09 	 	nita 	"Gejsza" 	15 	107
10 	 	Kat Cardoso 	"Gogo" 	10 	133
11 	 	Viktoria Modesta 	"One with the Ray of Light"	9 	134
12 	 	han gaiden 	"squad" 	4 	154
13 	 	Oksana Baburyan 	"Urish" 	11 	132
14 	 	Danna Paola 	"1Trago" 	7 	141
15 	 	Merit 	"In Waves" 	5 	146
16 	 	Didi Han, Kim Wan-sun	"What You Love" 	6 	142
17 	 	Kristina Clé 	"Tvoja Bella" 	21 	56
18 	 	Sassja 	"Tišina" 	17 	77
19 	 	Madlena 	"Manifest" 	2 	181
20 	 	Mara 	"Urmele" 	14 	108
21 	 	Mous Bahri 	"Sayyidi" 	3 	156
===Semi-final 2===
Twenty-one countries participated in the second semi-final. Sweden, Türkiye and United Kingdom also voted in this semi-final. The highlighted countries qualified for the final.
Draw	Country	Artist 	Song 	Place	Points
01 	 	VANÈS 	"Patrol" 	9 	146
02 	 	dj nevykele 	"Aerobika" 	21 	51
03 	 	jazzygold 	"lonely afterparties" 	12 	121
04 	 	Judith*G 	"Insomnie" 	13 	120
05 	 	Felukah 	"Ra2i2a" 	2 	186
06 	 	Bahh Tee & Turken	"Sabaha Kadar" 	18 	76
07 	 	Moya Mishel 	"Veter menyayet napravleniye"	15 	113
08 	 	Ditonellapiaga 	"Repito" 	5 	157
09 	 	SYTË 	"Bungee Jumping" 	1 	188
10 	 	Agam Buhbut 	"Ba'asim" 	7 	148
11 	 	Reyko 	"Spinning Over You" 	4 	158
12 	 	Flavia 	"Ripe" 	17 	89
13 	 	Medhanit 	"Cold" 	10 	138
14 	 	Soleima 	"Force of Nature" 	14 	115
15 	 	Hēir 	"Landslide" 	8 	147
16 	 	Mik Loi 	"MCM" 	11 	127
17 	 	Zzara 	"Fly" 	3 	182
18 	 	Nina Kohout 	"Moonlight" 	6 	155
19 	 	Denise 	"forget me (not)" 	19 	75
20 	 	Dramachine 	"Den échei meínei típota" 	20 	72
21 	 	Luka Rajić 	"Onaj deo" 	16 	104
===Final ===
Draw	Country	Artist 	Song 	Place	Points
01 	 	Maella 	"Tudu Tudu Tu" 	3 	346
02 	 	Reyko 	"Spinning Over You" 	7 	296
03 	 	Kat Cardoso 	"Gogo" 	11 	249
04 	 	Lucia & The Best Boys 	"When You Dress Up" 	25 	141
05 	 	Didi Han, Kim Wan-sun 	"What You Love" 	20 	206
06 	 	Naomi Sharon 	"Celestial" 	19 	208
07 	 	Hēir 	"Landslide" 	16 	224
08 	 	Mous Bahri 	"Sayyidi" 	12 	248
09 	 	SYTË 	"Bungee Jumping" 	2 	356
10 	 	manna 	"Grieve" 	14 	231
11 	 	Erika Lundmoen 	"Yad" 	22 	204
12 	 	Ditonellapiaga 	"Repito" 	5 	310
13 	 	Zzara 	"Fly" 	9 	266
14 	 	Merit 	"In Waves" 	15 	226
15 	 	han gaiden 	"squad" 	17 	219
16 	 	Felukah 	"Ra2i2a" 	18 	213
17 	 	Viktoria Modesta 	"One with the Ray of Light"	26 	138
18 	 	PinkPantheress, Sam Gellaitry	"Picture in my mind" 	13 	246
19 	 	Madlena 	"Manifest" 	1 	424
20 	 	Nilüfer Yanya 	"stabilise" 	24 	150
21 	 	Nina Kohout 	"Moonlight" 	6 	301
22 	 	Danna Paola 	"1Trago" 	8 	293
23 	 	Agam Buhbut 	"Ba'asim" 	4 	323
24 	 	VANÈS 	"Patrol" 	23 	155
25 	 	GRANT 	"Don't Recall Growing Old" 	10 	254
26 	 	Medhanit 	"Cold" 	21 	205