Mediterraneanvision Song Contest 8

THE MEDITERRANEANVISION WIKI HAS MIGRATEDThe Mediterraneanvision Wiki has always been a project that seeks to replicate the Eurovision articles on Wikipedia, something that Fandom has never been able to provide, therefore the decision was made to migrate the wiki to Miraheze. It's been great hosting our wiki on Fandom and we thank this site so much for the years we hosted our wiki on here, we absolutely believe that Fandom is suitable for other wikis, it's just that our wiki needed to go in a new direction. The information on this wiki is no longer current, for up-to-date information visit our new wiki linked on the side. We hope to see everyone at the new and improved Mediterraneanvision Wiki!NEW WIKI

Participation map
* Participating countries     Did not qualify from the semi final     Countries that participated in the past but not in #8
* **Mediterraneanvision Song Contest**
* 9 →

The **Mediterraneanvision Song Contest 8** was the eighth edition of the Mediterraneanvision Song Contest. The contest took place in Thessaloniki, Greece, following Greece's victory at the seventh edition in Monaco, with the song "To Be Human", performed by MARINA. 30 countries participated in the contest. Bosnia and Herzegovina, Hungary, Kosovo, Lebanon, Libya and Malta returned after a one-edition absence. Algeria, Bulgaria, Egypt, Spain and Tunisia withdrew.

The winner was Lebanon with the song "Almost Lover", performed by Shirin. This was Lebanon's first win. This was also the first time that an Asian country won the contest. Monaco placed 2nd and host country Greece placed 3rd.

## Location

Preparations for the eighth edition began on the 8 September 2019, immediately after Greece won the seventh edition in Monaco. The Mediterranean Broadcasting Union (MBU) handed ERT, the Greek participating broadcaster, a stack of documents and a USB drive with tools to begin the work needed to host the next edition.

### Bidding phase

Athens
Heraklion
Kozani
Lamia
Larissa
Patras
Rhodes
**Thessaloniki**
Xanthi

On the 11 September 2019, it was confirmed by ERT that 9 cities had submitted bids to host the contest. The hosting broadcaster reviewed the bids presented and on the 13 September 2019 announced that it eliminated those for Athens, Kozani, Lamia, Patras, Rhodes and Xanthi, shortlisting 3 cities - Heraklion, Larissa and Thessaloniki. Athens was specifically eliminated because ERT decided to host the contest in a new city to showcase a different part of Greece. On the 18 September, Thessaloniki was announced as the host city. Below are the 9 cities and their bids:

**Key**:  †  Host venue  ‡  Shortlisted venues

### About the host city

**Thessaloniki**, also known as **Thessalonica**, **Saloniki** or **Salonica**, is the second-largest city in Greece, with over 1 million inhabitants in its metropolitan area, and the capital of the geographic region of Macedonia, the administrative region of Central Macedonia and the Decentralized Administration of Macedonia and Thrace. It is also known in Greek as η Συμπρωτεύουσα (*i Symprōtévousa*), literally "the co-capital", a reference to its historical status as the Συμβασιλεύουσα (*Symvasilévousa*) or "co-reigning" city of the Eastern Roman (Byzantine) Empire, alongside Constantinople.

Thessaloniki is located on the Thermaic Gulf, at the northwest corner of the Aegean Sea. It is bounded on the west by the delta of the Axios/Vardar. The municipality of Thessaloniki, the historical center, had a population of 325,182 in 2011, while the Thessaloniki Urban Area had a population of 824,676 and the Thessaloniki Metropolitan Area had 1,030,338 inhabitants in 2011. It is Greece's second major economic, industrial, commercial and political centre; it is a major transportation hub for Greece and southeastern Europe, notably through the Port of Thessaloniki. The city is renowned for its festivals, events and vibrant cultural life in general, and is considered to be Greece's cultural capital. Events such as the Thessaloniki International Fair and the Thessaloniki International Film Festival are held annually, while the city also hosts the largest bi-annual meeting of the Greek diaspora. Thessaloniki was the 2014 European Youth Capital.

The city of Thessaloniki was founded in 315 BC by Cassander of Macedon. An important metropolis by the Roman period, Thessaloniki was the second largest and wealthiest city of the Byzantine Empire. It was conquered by the Ottomans in 1430, and remained an important seaport and multi-ethnic metropolis during the nearly five centuries of Turkish rule. It passed from the Ottoman Empire to Greece on 8 November 1912. It is home to numerous notable Byzantine monuments, including the Paleochristian and Byzantine monuments of Thessaloniki, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, as well as several Roman, Ottoman and Sephardic Jewish structures. The city's main university, Aristotle University, is the largest in Greece and the Balkans.

Thessaloniki is a popular tourist destination in Greece. In 2013, *National Geographic Magazine* included Thessaloniki in its top tourist destinations worldwide, while in 2014 *Financial Times* FDI magazine (Foreign Direct Investments) declared Thessaloniki as the best mid-sized European city of the future for human capital and lifestyle. Among street photographers, the center of Thessaloniki is also considered the most popular destination for street photography in Greece.

## Format

### Contest

The contest consisted of 2 semi-finals and a final.

### Visual design

The theme for the edition, *To Be Human, To Be One!*, was unveiled on the 18 September 2019, shortly after the host city announcement.

### Presenter(s)

On the 4 October 2019, ERT announced that Katerine Duska had been selected to host the three shows.

### Running order

The running orders for the semi-finals were revealed on the 7 October 2019.

## Participating countries

### Semi-final 1

San Marino, Serbia and Switzerland also voted in this semi-final.

### Semi-final 2

Cyprus, Greece and Romania also voted in this semi-final.

## Other countries

Further information: List of countries in the Mediterraneanvision Song ContestEligibility for potential participation in the Mediterraneanvision Song Contest requires a national broadcaster with active MBU membership that will be able to broadcast the contest. The MBU has issued an invitation of participation in the contest to all active members.

### Active MBU members

* Bulgaria - Bulgarian broadcaster BNT confirmed the country's withdrawal on the 4 October 2019 citing the broadcaster's financial difficulties as the reason.

* Jordan - Jordanian broadcaster JRTV confirmed on the 3 October 2019 that it would not take part in the 8th edition. When questioned about their non-participation on the 3 November 2019, JRTV made a comment stating "we currently are not interested in participating, however, a return in a future edition has not been ruled out".

* North Macedonia - Despite initially confirming participation, on the 1 October 2019 the Macedonian broadcaster MRT confirmed that they would not be making a return to the 8th edition due to "a management decision".

* Spain - Despite initially confirming participation, on the 29 September 2019 the Spanish broadcaster RTVE confirmed that due to some sudden scheduling issues, the country's participation was now in doubt. On the 4 October 2019, the broadcaster officially announced the country's withdrawal.

* Tunisia - Despite initially confirming participation, on the 1 October 2019 the Tunisian broadcaster RTTT confirmed that due to the unexpected resignation of their head of delegation, their participation was now in doubt. Tunisia was not on the final list of participants released by the MBU on the 5 October 2019.

The following countries confirmed their non-participation without offering any further explanation:

### Non-MBU members

* Palestine - In August 2019, Palestinian broadcaster PBC stated that they are still pushing to become an MBU member. If they are granted membership, it could pave their way to the country making their debut. A final decision is expected to be made after the eighth edition, making it unlikely that they could debut this edition. Palestine was not on the final list of participants released by the MBU on the 5 October 2019.

## Official album

***Mediterraneanvision Song Contest: Thessaloniki #8*** is the official compilation album of the contest, put together by the Mediterranean Broadcasting Union and released on 1 November 2020. The album features all 30 entries including the semi-finalists that failed to qualify for the final.