BalkanVision Song Contest 15

Participation map
* Participating countries     Countries that participated in the past but not in #15
* **BalkanVision Song Contest**
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The **BalkanVision Song Contest 15** was the fifteenth edition of the BalkanVision Song Contest. The contest took place in Cluj-Napoca, Romania, following Romania's victory at the BalkanVision Song Contest 14 on home soil in Bucharest, with the song "Sub Apa", performed by Lidia Buble. 17 countries participated in the contest. Cyprus, Greece, Northern Cyprus, Turkey and Ukraine returned. Albania, Hungary and FYR Macedonia withdrew.

The winner was Moldova with the song "Aja Mara" performed by Iana and Alessandra. This was Moldova's first victory. Host nation Romania came 2nd while Serbia came 3rd for a second consecutive edition.

## Location

**Cluj-Napoca**

The contest took place in Cluj-Napoca, Romania.

### Venue

The **BTarena** is a multi-purpose indoor arena that is located in Cluj-Napoca, Romania. The arena was previously called the **Polyvalent Hall** but was renamed on 17 October 2017 when the facility entered into a new arena-naming rights agreement with Banca Transilvania. The venue holds 10,000 people in its largest configuration. The building is located next to the Cluj Arena.

### About the host city

**Cluj-Napoca** (German: *Klausenburg*; Hungarian: *Kolozsvár*; Medieval Latin: *Castrum Clus*, *Claudiopolis*; and Yiddish: קלויזנבורג, *Kloiznburg*), commonly known as **Cluj**, is the fourth most populous city in Romania, and the seat of Cluj County in the northwestern part of the country. Geographically, it is roughly equidistant from Bucharest (324 kilometres (201 miles)), Budapest (351 km (218 mi)) and Belgrade (322 km (200 mi)). Located in the Someșul Mic river valley, the city is considered the unofficial capital to the historical province of Transylvania. From 1790 to 1848 and from 1861 to 1867, it was the official capital of the Grand Principality of Transylvania.

As of 2011, 324,576 inhabitants lived within the city limits (making it the country's second-most populous at the time, after the national capital Bucharest), marking a slight increase from the figure recorded at the 2002 census. The Cluj-Napoca metropolitan area has a population of 411,379 people, while the population of the peri-urban area (Romanian: *zona periurbană*) exceeds 420,000 residents. The new metropolitan government of Cluj-Napoca became operational in December 2008. According to a 2007 estimate provided by the County Population Register Service, the city hosts a visible population of students and other non-residents—an average of over 20,000 people each year during 2004–2007. The city spreads out from St. Michael's Church in Unirii Square, built in the 14th century and named after the Archangel Michael, the patron saint of Cluj-Napoca. The boundaries of the municipality contain an area of 179.52 square kilometres (69.31 sq mi).

Cluj-Napoca experienced a decade of decline during the 1990s, its international reputation suffering from the policies of its mayor at the time, Gheorghe Funar. Today, the city is one of the most important academic, cultural, industrial and business centres in Romania. Among other institutions, it hosts the country's largest university, Babeș-Bolyai University, with its botanical garden; nationally renowned cultural institutions; as well as the largest Romanian-owned commercial bank. Cluj-Napoca held the titles of European Youth Capital in 2015 and European City of Sport in 2018.

## Format

### Visual design

The theme for the edition "*Say Love*", was unveiled on the contest's Google+ community on the 9 October 2018.

### Presenter(s)

Cristina Caramarcu and Elena Ionescu were selected to host on the 9 October 2018.

### Running order

The running order was made by randomly splitting the participating countries into 2 halves.

## Other countries

* Albania - RTSH announced that the country would be taking a break due to the resignation of the previous head of delegation.

* FYR Macedonia - MRT announced that the country would be taking a break due to the resignation of the previous head of delegation.

* Hungary - Hungary initially confirmed participation, but then MTVA withdrew without citing any reasons.