Own Americavision Song Contest 11

Own Americavision Song Contest 11, often referred to as OAmSC #11, is the 11th edition of Own Americavision Song Contest. It took place in Montreal, Canada, following Lili-Ann De Francesco's win in the 10th edition with the song "Au travers des ombres". It was the first time Canada had hosted the contest. Organised by the Own American Broadcasting Association and host broadcaster Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, the contest was held at the Bell Centre, and consisted of two semi-finals and the final. The three live shows were hosted by Marie-Mai and Priyanka.

Forty-six countries participated in the contest - same amount as the previous edition. Saint Martin made its debut this edition. Bolivia, Ecuador, Grenada, Guatemala, Martinique and Saint Kitts and Nevis returned to the competition, while Anguilla, Argentina, British Virgin Islands, Chile, El Salvador, Haiti and Honduras withdrew for various reasons.

Location
Further information on the host country: Canada

Host City
Montreal  is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as Ville-Marie, or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple-peaked hill in the heart of the city. The city is centred on the Island of Montreal, which got its name from the same origin as the city, and a few much smaller peripheral islands, the largest of which is Île Bizard. The city is situated 196 km (122 mi) east of the national capital Ottawa, and 258 km (160 mi) south-west of the provincial capital, Quebec City.

In 2016, the city had a population of 1,704,694, with a population of 1,942,247 in the urban agglomeration, including all of the other municipalities on the Island of Montreal. The broader metropolitan area had a population of 4,098,247. French is the city's official language and in 2016 was the home language of 61.2% of the population (alone or in combination with another language), while English was spoken by 22.8% at home, and 18.3% spoke other languages (multi-language responses were excluded from these figures). In the larger Montreal Census Metropolitan Area, 65.8% of the population spoke French at home, compared to 15.3% who spoke English. Montreal is one of the most bilingual cities in Quebec and Canada, with over 59% of the population able to speak both English and French. Montreal is the second-largest primarily French-speaking city in the developed world, after Paris.

Historically the commercial capital of Canada, Montreal was surpassed in population and in economic strength by Toronto in the 1970s. It remains an important centre of commerce, aerospace, transport, finance, pharmaceuticals, technology, design, education, art, culture, tourism, food, fashion, video game development, film, and world affairs. Montreal has the second-highest number of consulates in North America, serves as the location of the headquarters of the International Civil Aviation Organization, and was named a UNESCO City of Design in 2006. In 2017, Montreal was ranked the 12th-most liveable city in the world by the Economist Intelligence Unit in its annual Global Liveability Ranking, and the best city in the world to be a university student in the QS World University Rankings.

Montreal has hosted multiple international conferences and events, including the 1967 International and Universal Exposition and the 1976 Summer Olympics. It is the only Canadian city to have held the quadrennial Summer Olympics. In 2018, Montreal was ranked as an Alpha− world city. The city hosts the Canadian Grand Prix of Formula One since 1978, as well as the Montreal International Jazz Festival and the Just for Laughs festival. It is also home to ice hockey team Montreal Canadiens, the franchise with the most Stanley Cup wins.

Venue
The Bell Centre (French: Centre Bell), formerly known as the Molson Centre (or Le Centre Molson), is a multi-purpose arena in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It opened on March 16, 1996, after nearly three years under construction. It is best known as the home of the Montreal Canadiens, who play in the National Hockey League (NHL). The Bell Centre is the largest hockey arena in the world.

It is currently owned by a partnership group headed by Geoff Molson and his brothers, Andrew and Justin. The same ownership group also owns the Montreal Canadiens and Evenko, an entertainment event promoter. Since it opened in 1996, it has consistently been listed as one of the world's busiest arenas, usually receiving the highest attendance of any arena in Canada. In 2012, it was the fifth-busiest arena in the world based on ticket sales for non-sporting events.

The building covers an area of 1.568 hectares (15,680 square metres). It has a seating capacity of 21,302, making it the largest hockey arena in the world. It also holds six restaurants.

Semi-final Allocation Draw
The draw to determine the allocation of the participating countries into their respective semi-finals took place on 2 May 2021. 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 participated in every semi-final. From each semi-final, ten countries joined the "Big 6" in the final, where a total of twenty-six countries participated.

The forty 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:

Semi-final 1
Twenty countries participated in the first semi-final. Brazil, Canada and Dominican Republic also voted in this semi-final.

Semi-final 2
Twenty countries participated in the second semi-final. French Guiana, Puerto Rico and Venezuela also voted in this semi-final.

Other countries
Eligibility for potential participation in the Own Americavision Song Contest requires a national broadcaster with active OABA membership that would be able to broadcast the contest. As in every edition, an invitation to all the members has been sent in order to confirm whether they will participate or not.
 * The broadcaster announced its absence after their Head of Delegation had stepped down and moved to nearby Antigua and Barbuda.
 * The Argentinian broadcaster announced the country would not participate this edition after their historical Head of Delegation had decided to resign. A return next edition has not been ruled out as it was announced another Head of Delegation would be hired by then.
 * The broadcaster of the British territory announced the withdrawal of the country after their Head of Delegation had stepped down from his position to pursue his career in Sint Maarten.
 * The Chilean HoD announced she would resign from her position, thus making Chilean participation this edition impossible. A return next edition is granted as new changes within the delegation are happening and another HoD is expected to be hired by then.
 * Salvadorian broadcaster had originally confirmed its presence in Canada. However it was later revealed they had missed the deadline for submitting entries, thus being forced to withdraw for the first time in the history of the contest.
 * Haitian broadcaster had originally announced they would send a representative to Canada. Unfortunately, they missed the entry deadline and were thus fined by the OABA.
 * The broadcaster announced the withdrawal of Honduras from the 11th Own Americavision Song Contest because it does not have enough support from the government officials and currently lacks enough public funding for their participation to commence. The head of the delegation also announced that they aim to return in the 12th edition.