Altervision Song Contest 12

Final date
 Venue
 Entries
 Debuting
**Participation map**
* Countries that have confirmed their participation but have not announced their entry     Countries that have confirmed their participation and their entry, and qualified for the final     Countries that have confirmed their participation and their entry, but did not qualify to the final     Countries that participated in the past, but not in this edition
 System
 Winner

The **Altervision Song Contest 12** was the 12th edition of the Altervision Song Contest. It took place in Budapest, Hungary and was organised by TV2 following Hungary's victory in Skopje in the previous edition with Carson Coma performing Pók. It was the first contest that took place in Hungary, and the country was the first post-communist country to get the rights of hosting the contest by winning. It was also the ninth time the contest was hosted in Europe, and the second time in Central Europe. The MVM Dome also became the second largest venue to host the contest, only after Tirana's Arena Kombëtare which hosted the second edition.

Initially, 38 countries have signed up to participate in the contest, 2 less than previous edition. However, the Netherlands withdrew from the contest after having confirmed their participation, citing various reasons for why the broadcaster decided not to participate, leaving 37 countries in the competition. Costa Rica was set to make it's debut appearance, however, it was later revealed that the country would be replaced by Liechtenstein due to issues within the Costa Rican broadcaster. The remaining thirty-seven entrants competed through two semi-finals and a final, and all shows were hosted by French-Hungarian radio host and DJ Cooky, Hungarian model Barbara Palvin and singer Freddie.

The **12th winner of the Altervision Song Contest** was **Sweden** with the song "24 Hours" performed by Agnes, gathering **308** points overall in the final, passing the runner-up by **19** points. The top 5 was rounded out by Germany, Croatia, the Iran and the Canada. This marked Sweden's 3rd victory in the contest, while "24 Hours" became the second highest-scoring winner in the history of the contest and the third highest-scoring entry. Germany achieved it's second podium position after their second place in the eighth edition held in Split, while Croatia also got it's second top three placement following their victory in the seventh edition. Iran and Canada achieved their first top five placement, with Iran doing so on it's debut and Canada on it's seventh attempt. The United Kingdom finished 14th in the final, making it the first time since it's debut in the first edition when the country placed outside the top ten and the first time when the country placed outside the top five since the eighth edition.

## Location

### Host City

**Budapest** is the capital and the largest city of Hungary, the largest in East-Central Europe and the seventh largest in the European Union. It is the country's principal political, cultural, commercial, industrial, and transportation centre, sometimes described as the primate city of Hungary. In 2011, according to the census, Budapest had 1.74 million inhabitants, down from its 1989 peak of 2.1 million due to suburbanization. The Budapest Commuter Area is home to 3.3 million people. The city covers an area of within the city limits. Budapest became a single city occupying both banks of the river Danube with a unification on 17 November 1873 of west-bank Buda and Óbuda with east-bank Pest.

The history of Budapest began with Aquincum, originally a Celtic settlement that became the Roman capital of Lower Pannonia. Hungarians arrived in the territory in the 9th century. Their first settlement was pillaged by the Mongols in 1241-42. The re-established town became one of the centres of Renaissance humanist culture in the 15th century. Following the Battle of Mohács and nearly 150 years of Ottoman rule, the region entered a new age of prosperity in the 18th and 19th centuries, and Budapest became a global city after the 1873 unification. It also became the second capital of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, a great power that dissolved in 1918, following World War I. Budapest was the focal point of the Hungarian Revolution of 1848, the Hungarian Republic of Councils of 1919, Operation Panzerfaust in 1944, the Battle of Budapest in 1945, and the Revolution of 1956.

### Bidding process

Shortly after Hungary won the 11th edition in Skopje, TV2, the national broadcaster of the country confirmed that they would seek a way to welcome the 12th edition in the country. The ABU handed TV2 a stack of papers and a USB drive to begin it's work on the upcoming edition, following which the broadcaster opened submissions for cities to host the contest.

At the first phase, a grand total of 22 venues accross 10 cities confirmed their intention to give home to the contest. Out of these, the number was narrowed down to 12 venues. On 19th September, the ABU published the official list of the shortlisted venues; 5 arenas and exposition centers appeared on the list from 4 cities. It was revealed on the same day that the 12th edition would take place in Budapest. The chosen venue was the MVM Dome, which is the largest indoor arena in Hungary, and the largest handball arena in Europe.

The table below contains all informations on the bidding venues. The shortlisted venues are highlighted in red. The host venue is highlighted in blue

## Format

### Visual design

The slogan of the event was revealed on the 20th September to be "Socialize". Nathan, the executive producer of the contest said "the slogan was inspired by the aftermath of the challenging times we have been through. In an ever-changing world, we do need to interact with other fellow human-beings in order to have a full life. Without having any social bonds, we are as empty as the interstellar space where there is nothing".

On the same day, the theme artwork of the edition was also unveiled. The theme art, inspired by the slogan, represent the ever-changing world that depends on technology really much. Without gadgets, mobile phones or televisions, our social skills may not be on the level they are right now. Technology is an important part of our daily lives and so it is important for socializing.

### Presenters

**Selba Christian George** (born 13 September 1969), also known as **Cooky** is a French-Hungarian radio host, DJ and pilot.

**Gábor Alfréd Fehérvári** (born 8 April 1990), known by his stage name **Freddie**, is a Hungarian singer and television host. He first came to prominence after placing fourth in the first season of the Hungarian version of *Rising Star*. He later became the Hungarian representative in the Eurovision Song Contest 2016 where he managed to achieve the 19th place in the final with his song "Pioneer".

**Barbara Palvin** (born 8 October 1993) is a Hungarian model and television presenter. She appeared as a co-host of the 2020 MTV Europe Music Awards where she introduced Hungary to the wide audience, the country which hosted the event the following year.

## Participating countries

### Semi-Final 1

Andorra, Malta and Spain also voted in this semi-final.

### Semi-Final 2

The Falkland Islands, Hungary and the United Kingdom also voted in this semi-final.

## Notes

1. ↑ Although Czechia hosted the first edition, the country was appointed to host it, and did not get the right to host by winning a previous edition.

 First decade
 Active
 Host cities