NoNonsense Song Contest 5

## Participation map

**NoNonsense Song Contest #5**, often referred to as NNSC #5,was the fifth edition of the NoNonsense Song Contest. The contest took place in Wolfsburg, Germany, following the country's victory in the fourth edition with the song "Orome" by Oonagh. It was the first time Germany hosted the contest, and the contest was hosted at the Volkswagen Arena. The live shows were hosted by German singers Lena Meyer-Landrut and Nico Santos.

Forty-three countries participated this edition. New Zealand made its debut this edition. Kazakhstan returned after a previous absence, while Austria, Belarus, Lebanon, Malta, Montenegro, and Serbia withdrew for various reasons.

The winner was Luxembourg with the song "Faded Love" performed by German singer Leony. This was the country's first victory in the contest. This was also the second time in a row that the contest was won by a German singer. The podium was completed by Australia, and Norway, both achieving their best results. Poland, Ukraine and Netherlands rounded up the top 6, with Poland achieving its best result in the contest. The host nation Germany finished in last place. No country failed to qualify for the first time in this edition.

## Location

*Further information on the host country: Germany*

### Host City

**Wolfsburg** is the fifth largest city in the German state of Lower Saxony, located on the river Aller. It lies about 75 km (47 mi) east of Hanover and 230 km (143 mi) west of Berlin.

Wolfsburg is famous as the location of Volkswagen AG's headquarters and the world's biggest car plant. The Autostadt is a visitor attraction next to the Volkswagen factory that features the company's model range: Audi, Bentley, Bugatti, Ducati, Lamborghini, MAN, Neoplan, Porsche, Scania, SEAT, Škoda Auto and Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles. Wolfsburg is one of the few German cities built during the first half of the 20th century as a planned city. From its founding on 1 July 1938 as a home for workers producing the "KdF-"Wagen" until 25 May 1945, the city was called Stadt des KdF-Wagens bei Fallersleben. In 1972, the population first exceeded 100,000. In 2013, Wolfsburg ranked as the richest city in Germany with a GDP per capita of $128,000 due to its thriving auto industry.

### Venue

**Volkswagen Arena**; also known as the **VfL Wolfsburg Arena** due to UEFA sponsorship regulations) is a football stadium in the German city of Wolfsburg, Lower Saxony. It was opened in 2002 and named after the automotive group Volkswagen AG. The Volkswagen Arena has a capacity of 30,000: 22,000 seats and 8,000 standing places. It is located in the Allerpark and is the home stadium of the football team VfL Wolfsburg.

## Format

### Semi-final Allocation Draw

The draw to determine the allocation of the participating countries into their respective semi-finals took place on 3rd April 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-one 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

* Austria: Austria confirmed non-participation in the contest, providing no additional details.
* Belarus: Belarus stated they would not participate in the contest due to a lack of interested artists, with a return planned for the following edition.
* Lebanon: Lebanon confirmed non-participation after a weak result and negative feedback in the previous edition, a return next edition was unlikely but not ruled out.
* Malta: Malta confirmed non-participation due to a lack of interested artists.
* Montenegro: Montenegro stated that they would not participate due to a lack of public interest for the contest and low viewing figures.
* Serbia: Serbia confirmed a two-edition withdrawal from the contest due to controversies surrounding the previous head of delegation.