Zone Song Contest 14

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

**Zone Song Contest 14**, often referred as **ZSC 14**, was the fourteenth edition of the Zone Song Contest. This edition was located in Iceland as host country. RÚV was the TV station chosen by the Icelandic delegation to televise and organize such important event of this dimensions for all Europe and the world after their first victory at the thirteenth edition with the singer *Klara Elias* and the song *"Eyjanótt"* with *359 points* Iceland won by a wide margin of points beating France that was in second place with 284 points and Armenia that finally came in third place with 282 points. Iceland became so far the smallest country to get a victory.

On December 23, the ZBU called a press conference to announce the presenters and the dates for the presentation of the slogan for this edition, in addition to more dates such as the decision of the venue among others. The first to be announced were the presenter. In this edition, for the first time, it was announced that both the semi-finals and the Grand Final would be presented by Bríet Ísis Elfar, a famous singer and performer in Iceland and who already represented her country in the ninth edition. On the other hand, on January 19 the slogan of the edition was confirmed: *"Vetrarblóm"* (*in English: Winter Flower*) a cold but warm slogan that made no one indifferent due to the beauty of the flower that represents the winter in Europe. and especially in Iceland with different shades of colors that reflect the long winter nights and the appreciated light that the artists will bring on the stage.

On January 20, it was officially confirmed that **42** countries would be part of the fourteenth edition, with two withdrawals, that of Andorra due to financial problems and Luxembourg due to the poor results achieved in the previous edition. Open negotiations with several countries such as Kazakhstan, which is almost returning to the Zone Song Contest, Lebanon, which declared its affirmative only if Israel withdrew, or Monaco asked to debut, some were not clarified within the deadline, leaving 42 countries.

## Location

**Iceland** is a Nordic island country in the North Atlantic Ocean and in the Arctic Ocean. Iceland is the most sparsely populated country in Europe. Iceland's capital and largest city is Reykjavík, which is home to over 65% of the population. Iceland is the biggest part of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge that rises above sea level, and its central volcanic plateau is erupting almost constantly. The interior consists of a plateau characterised by sand and lava fields, mountains, and glaciers, and many glacial rivers flow to the sea through the lowlands. Iceland is warmed by the Gulf Stream and has a temperate climate, despite a high latitude just outside the Arctic Circle. Its high latitude and marine influence keep summers chilly, and most of its islands have a polar climate.

**Reykjavík** is the capital and largest city of Iceland. It is located in southwestern Iceland, on the southern shore of Faxaflói bay. Its latitude is 64°08' N, making it the world's northernmost capital of a sovereign state. With a population of around 131,136, it is the centre of Iceland's cultural, economic, and governmental activity, and is a popular tourist destination. The city was officially founded in 1786 as a trading town and grew steadily over the following decades, as it transformed into a regional and later national centre of commerce, population, and governmental activities. It is among the cleanest, greenest, and safest cities in the world.

### Bidding phase

As of December 21, 2022, the Icelandic *Head of Delegation* Pétur Agnar officially presented the requirements that Icelandic cities should meet in order to hold the contest. The basics to select a host city were set out in a document presented by the ZBU along with RÚV:

* A suitable venue that can accommodate around at least 4,500 spectators.
* An international press centre for 1,500 journalists with adequate facilities for all the delegates.
* A good distribution of hotel rooms, at different price categories, able to accommodate at least 2,000 delegates, accredited journalists and spectators.
* An efficient transport infrastructure, including a nearby international airport with readily available connections with the city, venue, and hotels.

On January 2, two cities were announced with possibilities to host the contest, they were:

**Key**
  †  Host venue   ‡  Shortlisted venues

 Reykjavík | Egilshöll † | 18,000

## Format

### Alocation Draw

The draw to determine the allocation of the participating countries into their respective semi-finals took place on January 30 2023 at 16:00 CET, at the Borgarleikhúsið located in Reykjavík, Iceland. The organizing committee of the festival decided to do the third allocation draw there given the multiculturalism that reflects this city to be welcoming. The thirty-six semi-finalists had been allocated into six pots, based on their geographical place and cultural similarities. Drawing from different pots helps to reduce the chance of so-called "bloc voting" and increase suspense in the semi-finals. The draw also determined which semi-final would be broadcast and voted by each of the six automatic finalist countries: France, Germany, Iceland, Italy, Spain, and United Kingdom. It was also decided in which Semi-Final each member of the Big 6 should vote.

* Belgium
* Malta
* Netherlands
* Portugal
* Switzerland
* Estonia
* Finland
* Ireland
* Norway
* Sweden
* Hungary
* Latvia
* Lithuania
* Poland
 Pot 4
 * Armenia
* Azerbaijan
* Belarus
* Georgia
* Türkiye
* Ukraine
* Cyprus
* Greece
* Israel
* Moldova
* Romania
* Croatia
* Montenegro
* North Macedonia
* Serbia
* Slovenia

## Results

### Semi-Final 1

Germany, Iceland and Italy will also vote in this semi-final.

### Semi-Final 2

France, Spain and United Kingdom will also vote in this semi-final.

## External Links

* Google Drive (#12-)
* Google Drive (#04-#11)
* Instagram
* Twitter
* Youtube