Canticum Certamine 20

PQR date
 Final date
 Venue
 Entries
 Returning
**Participation map**
* Participating countries     Did not qualify from the semi final or the PQR     Countries that participated in the past but not this edition
 System
 Winner

**Canticum Certamine 20**, often known as **CC 20**, is the twentieth edition of Canticum Certamine. It took place in Tbilisi, Georgia for the first time following Madlena's victory in the previous edition with the song "Manifest". The show was hosted by Levan Gelbakhiani, Helen Kalandadze, and Elena Satine.

Fifty-four countries confirmed their participation in the edition. Hungary, Tunisia and Uzbekistan returned to the contest after editions of absence, meanwhile Kazakhstan, Latvia and Lithuania withdrew from the contest temporarily. Lithuania withdrew from the contest for the first time since its beginning.

Cocanha's performance of "Que son aüros" brought Monaco to the very top of the edition, marking Monaco's first ever top thirteen placement, and their third qualification ever. With 428 points overall, the song scored 20 points more than Spain, the runner-up. France, came in third, followed by Faroe Islands, Sweden, and Romania rounding out the top 6. Czech Republic placed fifteenth, which was the best result out of the Big Six. No ex-Yugoslav countries managed to qualify for the final this edition.

## Location

For further information see TbilisiOne of Europe’s oldest capitals, **Tbilisi** has been the cultural, political, and economic center of Georgia for fifteen centuries. At the heart of the city lies historic Old Tbilisi, which was built during the early Middle Ages.

Because of its location at the crossroads between Europe and Asia, and its proximity to the lucrative Silk Road, throughout history, Tbilisi was a point of contention among various global powers. To this day the city's location ensures its position as an important transit route for energy and trade projects. Tbilisi's history is reflected in its architecture, which is a mix of medieval, neoclassical, Beaux Arts, Art Nouveau, Stalinist, and Modern structures.

Georgia's growing popularity as an international tourist destination has put Tbilisi on the global travel map. With the country hosting more than 9 million international visitors in 2019, the capital saw major investments in the hospitality industry. It now is the leading tourist destination in the region, offering exquisite cityscapes, Art Deco, Russian, Eastern and Soviet architecture, national museums and galleries, cultural attractions, festivals, historical landmarks and exceptional, traditional Georgian cuisine along with a wide range of international restaurants. The city is well-known, due to its complicated history, as a melting pot of cultures, a diverse metropolis with a palette of attractions.

### Bidding phase

**Key**      Host venue

 Tbilisi | Bassiani | 1,200
 Mikheil Meskhi Stadium  | 27,223

## Format

### Semi-final allocation draw

The draw that determined the semi-final allocation was held October 2023 in Tbilisi. The big 6 countries were first drawn to determine in which semi-final each would country vote. The rest of the thirty-eight countries were divided into six pots, based on their geographical place. Each time a country was drawn from the pot, its semi-final and half of the semi-final was determined. From each semi-final, ten countries will join the "Big 6" in the final, where a total of twenty-six countries will participate.

The six pots were the following:

* Moldova
* Montenegro
* North Macedonia
* Romania
* Serbia
* Slovenia
* Bulgaria
* Croatia
* France
* Monaco
* Portugal
* Spain
* Belarus
* Estonia
* Hungary
* Poland
* Russia
 Pot 4
 * Cyprus
* Egypt
* Lebanon
* Morocco
* Tunisia
* Türkiye
* Uzbekistan
* Denmark
* Faroe Islands
* Finland
* Iceland
* Norway
* Sweden
* Belgium
* Germany
* Luxembourg
* Netherlands
* Switzerland
* United Kingdom

## Participating countries

Fifty-four countries participate in the edition. Three countries returned to the contest: Hungary, Tunisia and Uzbekistan returned to the contest after previous absence.

Three countries, however, announced their withdrawal from the contest. Kazakhstan confirmed that they were subsequently unable to participate due to social and political crises in the country. Latvia stated poor results and a lack of viewership as the reasoning for their withdrawal, while Lithuania announced their withdrawal citing financial difficulties and a forced participation in the Pre-Qualification Round as their reason.

### Returning artists

Eli Preiss returned to the contest after previously representing Austria in the thirteenth edition. An-Marlen returned as the Estonian entrant after representing them in the twelfth edition. BARON.E represented Switzerland after previously trying to represent them in the fifteenth and eighteenth editions respectively.

### Semi-final 1

Twenty-one countries participated in the first semi-final. Czech Republic, Israel and San Marino also voted in this semi-final. The highlighted countries qualified for the final.

### Semi-final 2

Twenty-one countries participated in the first semi-final. Albania, Georgia and Slovakia also voted in this semi-final. The highlighted countries qualified for the final.