Canticum Certamine 12

PQR date
 Final date
 Venue
 Entries
 Debuting
**Participation map**
* Participating countries     Did not qualify from the semi final or the PQR     Countries that participated in the past but not this edition
 System
 Winner

**Canticum Certamine 12**, often referred to as **CC 12**, is the twelfth edition of Canticum Certamine. It took place in Spain, following Marina Herlop's victory in the eleventh edition with the song "abans abans" It was the first time that Spain hosted the contest.

Fifty-two countries confirmed their participation in the edition. Algeria and Romania returned after their absence from the previous editions, Meanwhile Finland, Liechtenstein and San Marino withdrew from the contest. Faroe Islands, North Macedonia and Tunisia made their debut appearance in the edition. The contest reached a number of 52 participants for the very first time, being the highest participant record as of this edition.

This edition, Liechtenstein and Vatican City both lost their CBU membership due to not having an official broadcasting channel, other than a radio station.

Kazakhstan was declared the winner of the edition with the song "Lenty" performed by NAZIMA, this was Kazakhstan's first victory in the history of Canticum Certamine, making them the fastest winning country, gaining a win in their second participation. The song gathered a total of 473 points, 58 points ahead the runner-up, Andorra, marking their best result. Morocco finished on third place, while France, Montenegro and Albania completed the top 6 of the edition. Iceland qualified for the final this edition for the first time since the second edition.

## Location

Spain is a country with a rich history and diverse culture. From the beautiful beaches of the Mediterranean coast to the snow-capped peaks of the Pyrenees, Spain's geography is as varied as its people. The country is home to many different languages, including Galician and Catalan, which are spoken in the regions of Galicia and Catalonia, respectively. These languages are just a few examples of the many distinct cultures and traditions that can be found throughout Spain. The diversity of Spain is what makes it such a fascinating and beautiful country to explore.

### Bidding phase

After Spain accepted the hosting of the 12th edition, on May 3rd 2023, the broadcaster TVE announced that six cities across the nation with their venues had applied: A Coruña, Las Palmas, Madrid, Málaga, Seville and Valencia.

According to the delegation's leader, each of the shortlisted host towns has what it takes to accommodate artists and fans from all across Europe. The prerequisites of adequate arena capacity, hotel accommodations, and city framework were all taken into account. A final visit to each city was performed in order to determine the 12th edition's host city.

On May 5th, Valencia was announced as the host city, alongside with Font de Sant Lluís as the host venue.

**Key**      Host venue

 Valencia | Font de Sant Lluís  | 8,500

## Format

### Semi-final allocation draw

The draw to determine the allocation of the participating countries into their respective semi-finals took place on the 24th of March 2023. The first part of the draw determined in which semi-final the Big Six would have to vote. The second part of the draw decided in which half of the respective semi-finals each country would perform, with the exact running order determined by the producers of the show at a later date. Twenty countries will participate in both semi-finals, respectively. From each semi-final, ten countries will join the "Big 6" in the final, where a total of twenty-six countries will participate.

The forty-two semi-finalists were allocated into six pots, based on their geographical place and cultural similarities. Drawing from different pots helps in reducing the chance of so-called neighbour voting and increasing suspense in the semi-finals. Each time a country was drawn from the pot, its semi-final and half of the semi-final was determined.

The six pots were the following:

* Croatia
* Moldova
* Montenegro
* North Macedonia
* Romania
* Serbia
* Bulgaria
* Cyprus
* France
* Italy
* Malta
* Monaco
* Czech Republic
* Georgia
* Hungary
* Kazakhstan
* Poland
 Pot 4
 * Algeria
* Armenia
* Azerbaijan
* Israel
* Lebanon
* Morocco
* Tunisia
* Faroe Islands
* Iceland
* Japan
* Latvia
* Lithuania
* Russia
* Germany
* Ireland
* Luxembourg
* Netherlands
* Switzerland
* United Kingdom

## Participating countries

### Semi-final 1

Twenty-one countries participated in the first semi-final. Greece, Norway and Sweden also voted in this semi-final. The highlighted countries qualified for the final.

### Semi-final 2

Twenty-one countries participated in the second semi-final. Albania, Belgium and Spain also voted in this semi-final. The highlighted countries qualified for the final.

## Voting

#### Spokespersons

2. Peter Nagy
3. Susanne Georgi
4. Vladana
5. Azure Ryder
6. Edna Sorgelsen
7. Despina Olympiu
8. Mae Muller
9. Sakis Rouvas
10. Glosoli
11. Lucy Ayoub
12. Ira Losco
13. Samira Said
14. Blanka
15. Monika Liu
16. Nicky Doll
17. spill tab

19. Elitsa Todorova
20. Maléna
21. Aminata
22. Jana Burčeska
23. Sergiu Beznițchi
24. Vicky Leandros
25. Jonida Maliqi
26. Zella Day
27. Ilinica
28. Tina Müller
29. Peter Poles
30. Iru
31. Yves Tumor
32. Joyce Jonathan
33. SEA
34. Luke Black

36. Go\_A
37. Asel Sagatova
38. Brooke
39. Amina Fakhet
40. Jenny Skavlan
41. Brandur Enni
42. Adnan Ćatić
43. Elina Born
44. Chantal Janzen
45. Luca Hänni
46. Albina
47. Lena
48. Tural Asadov
49. Naviband
50. Einar Stefánsson
51. Joji
52. Carolina Casado

## Other countries

*Further information: List of countries in Canticum Certamine*
### Active CBU members

* Finland: On May 7th, Yleisradio Oy announced their withdrawal as the broadcaster stated a disappointment with recent results, and a lack of interest in viewership.
* San Marino: On May 2nd, San Marino RTV confirmed that the country would not participate in the upcoming edition, citing financial constraints as the reason for their withdrawal.