NoNonsense Song Contest 7

## Participation map

**NoNonsense Song Contest #7**, often referred to as NNSC #7, is the seventh edition of NoNonsense Song Contest. The contest took place in Thessaloniki, Greece, following the country's victory in the sixth edition with the song "Ancient Dreams in a Modern Land" by MARINA. It was the first time Greece hosted the contest, and the contest was hosted at the Alexandreio Melathron Nikos Galis Hall, and the live shows were hosted by Greek-Albanian singer Eleni Foureira.

Forty-three countries participated this edition. Faroe Islands and Monaco made their debut this edition. Canada, Cyprus, Georgia and Serbia returned after previous absences, while Armenia, Belarus, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Lithuania, Malta, Slovakia and Slovenia withdrew for various reasons.

The winner was New Zealand with the song "Green Light" performed by Lorde. This was the country's first victory in the contest. New Zealand also became the first Oceanian country to win the contest. The podium was completed by Italy, and United Kingdom, both achieving their best results. Germany, Canada and Ukraine rounded up the top 6, with Canada achieving their best result as well as the first ever top 10 placement. The host nation Greece finished in 15th place. The edition marked the first time that Morocco, Netherlands, and United States failed to qualify for the final.

## Location

*Further information on the host country: Greece*

### Host City

**Thessaloniki** 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 Simprotévousa*), literally "the co-capital", a reference to its historical status as the Συμβασιλ (/ˌθɛsələˈniːki/; Greek: Θεσσαλονίκη, also known as Thessalonica (English: /ˌθɛsələˈnaɪkə, ˌθɛsəˈlɒnɪkə/), Saloniki or Salonica.

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. 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 and was named after his wife Thessalonike, daughter of Philip II of Macedon and sister of Alexander the Great. 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.

### Venue

Alexandreio Melathron Nikos Galis Hall (Greek: Αλεξάνδρειο Μέλαθρον, Σάλα Νίκος Γκάλης) is an indoor sports arena that is located in Thessaloniki, Greece. It is also often referred to as the Palais des Sports (Greek: Παλαί ντε Σπορ).

The arena is mainly used to host basketball and volleyball games. The arena's main hall, called Nikos Galis Hall, has a permanent seating capacity of 5,138, and a capacity of 6,000 with temporary seating, for basketball games. The arena also contains a practice court, club offices, shops, and a museum dedicated to the Aris basketball club. The arena hosts the home games of Aris Thessaloniki B.C., a member of the Greek League.

## Format

### Semi-final Allocation Draw

The draw to determine the allocation of the participating countries into their respective semi-finals took place on 23 July 2021.

The draw decided the exact running order determined by the producers of the show at a later date. Twenty-one countries participated in every semi-final. From each semi-final, twelve countries joined the host country in the final, where a total of twenty-six countries participated.

The draw was done completely randomly in order to increase excitement throughout the show and share the different styles of music being showcased by each country.

## Participating Countries

### Semi-Final 1

Twenty-one countries participated in the first semi-final. Voting was open to all countries and followers of the contest.

### Semi-Final 2

Twenty-two countries participated in the second semi-final. Voting was open to all countries and followers of the contest.

### Final

Twenty-six countries participated in the final, with all participating countries and followers of the contest eligible to vote.

## Other countries

*Further information: List of Countries in the NoNonsense Song Contest*

Eligibility for potential participation in the contest requires a national broadcaster with active NNBU membership that would be able to broadcast the contest. As in every edition, an invitation to all the members has been sent to confirm whether they will participate or not.

### Active Members

* Armenia: Armenia were not included in the final list of participants for the contest.
* Belarus: Belarus stated they would not participate in the contest due to issues within the broadcaster.
* Bulgaria: Bulgaria stated they would not participate in this edition due to weak results, and a return next edition is highly likely.
* Croatia: Unsatisfied with the country's weak results, and a lack of interested artists, the Croatian broadcaster decided to take a break from the contest, a return next edition is not confirmed.
* Czech Republic: Czech Republic were not included in the final list of participants for the contest.
* Lithuania: After a last place finish in the previous edition, the Lithuanian broadcaster decided that the country would take a one edition break, with a return to the next contest highly likely but not confirmed.
* Malta: Malta were not included in the final list of participants for the contest, a return next edition is not confirmed.
* Slovakia: After five non-qualifications, the Slovak broadcaster withdrew from the contest, a return under a new head of delegation is likely.
* Slovenia: Slovenia were not included in the final list of participants for the contest.