Canticum Certamine 18

PQR date
 Final date
 Venue
 Entries
 Withdrawing
**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 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  Netherlands 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,  Sweden. This was their third runner-up placement.  Cyprus came in third place, meanwhile the host,  Russia,  Türkiye and the  United Kingdom completed the top 6 of the edition. This edition was the first time ever Türkiye reached the final.

## Location

For further information see Russia
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

 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:

* Croatia
* Greece
* Kosovo
* North Macedonia
* Serbia
* Slovenia
* France
* Italy
* Malta
* Portugal
* San Marino
* Spain
* Czech Republic
* Georgia
* Kazakhstan
* Poland
 Pot 4
 * Armenia
* Cyprus
* Egypt
* Lebanon
* Morocco
* Türkiye
* Uzbekistan
* Faroe Islands
* Iceland
* Lithuania
* Norway
* Sweden
* Belgium
* Germany
* Ireland
* Netherlands
* Switzerland
* United Kingdom

## Participating countries

### 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.

### 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.