Own Eurovision Song Contest 59

Own Eurovision Song Contest 59, often referred to as OESC #59, is the 59th edition of Own Eurovision Song Contest. The contest took place in Bilbao, Spain, following the country's victory in the 58th edition with the song "Figa" by Tanxugueiras. It was the second time Spain had hosted the contest, having previously done so in the thirty-second edition. Organised by the Own European Broadcasting Union and host broadcaster Radiotelevisión Española, the contest was held at the Bilbao Arena, and consisted of two semi-finals and the final. The three live shows were hosted by Aitana.

Forty-six countries took part in the contest. Andorra, Bulgaria, Estonia, Ireland, Luxembourg, Montenegro and San Marino returned to the competition, while Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany, Guernsey, Jersey, North Macedonia, Serbia and United Kingdom withdrew for various reasons.

Location
Further information on the host country: Spain

Host City
Bilbao is a city in northern Spain, the largest city in the province of Biscay and in the Basque Country as a whole. It is also the largest city proper in northern Spain. Bilbao is the tenth largest city in Spain, with a population of 345,141 as of 2015. The Bilbao metropolitan area has 1,037,847 inhabitants, making it one of the most populous metropolitan areas in northern Spain; with a population of 875,552 the comarca of Greater Bilbao is the fifth-largest urban area in Spain. Bilbao is also the main urban area in what is defined as the Greater Basque region.

Bilbao is located in the north-central part of Spain, some 16 kilometres south of the Bay of Biscay, where the economic social development is located, where the estuary of Bilbao is formed. Its main urban core is surrounded by two small mountain ranges with an average elevation of 400 metres. Its climate is shaped by the Bay of Biscay low-pressure systems and mild air, moderating summer temperatures by Iberian standards, with low sunshine and high rainfall. The annual temperature range is low for its latitude.

Bilbao is also home to football team Athletic Club, a significant symbol for Basque nationalism due to its promotion of only Basque players and being one of the most successful clubs in Spanish football history.

On 19 May 2010, the city of Bilbao was recognised with the Lee Kuan Yew World City Prize, awarded by the city state of Singapore, in collaboration with the Swedish Nobel Academy. Considered the Nobel Prize for urbanism, it was handed out on 29 June 2010. On 7 January 2013, its mayor, Iñaki Azkuna, received the 2012 World Mayor Prize awarded every two years by the British foundation The City Mayors Foundation, in recognition of the urban transformation experienced by the Biscayan capital since the 1990s. On 8 November 2017, Bilbao was chosen the Best European City 2018 at The Urbanism Awards 2018, awarded by the international organisation The Academy of Urbanism.

Venue
Bilbao Arena is an indoor arena in the neighbourhood of Miribilla in Bilbao, Spain. The central hall can hold up to 10,014 people for basketball games. The central hall is also used for concerts and other kinds of shows. The facilities also include swimming pools and gymnasiums for the use of the local residents.

Since it opened in September 2010, it is the home arena of the Bilbao Basket club of the Spanish League. The 2011 FIBA Europe Under-20 Championship was contested at the venue.

Visual design
On 17 May 2022, along with possible scenarios, the OEBU confirmed that the planned visual design and slogan for the 59th edition would be, Murgildu (Basque for Immerse).The official logo and branding was unveiled the same day as the slogan reveal. The design represents the nature of Northern Spain, especially in the regions of Galicia and Basque Country, the design also incorporated the pattern which made up the outer design of the Basque Arena, of where the contest was being took place in.The visual identity, designed by OEBU, was built around several lines to imitate waves and the main font of 'Vonique 92' that also gave the test the wave like feel too.

Semi-final Allocation Draw
The draw to determine the allocation of the participating countries into their respective semi-finals took place on 17 May 2022. The first part of the draw determined in which semi-final the automatic qualifiers 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 each semi-final. From each semi-final, ten countries joined the automatic qualifiers 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. Belarus, Cyprus and Lebanon also voted in this semi-final.

Semi-final 2
Twenty countries participated in the first semi-final. Albania, Isle of Man and Spain also voted in this semi-final.

Final
Twenty-six countries participated in the final, with all 46 participating countries eligible to vote.

Other countries
Eligibility for potential participation in the Own Eurovision Song Contest requires a national broadcaster with active OEBU 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 following list of countries declined to state their reasons as shown below.

Active members

 * The broadcaster announced that the country would be taking a break for one edition.
 * The broadcaster announced that the country would be taking a break for one edition.
 * The broadcaster announced that the country would be taking a break for one edition.
 * The broadcaster announced that the country would be taking a break for one edition.
 * The broadcaster announced that the country would be taking a break for one edition.
 * The broadcaster announced that the country would be taking a break for one edition.
 * The broadcaster announced that the country would be taking a break for one edition.
 * The broadcaster announced that the country would be taking a break for one edition.
 * The broadcaster announced that the country would be taking a break for one edition.

Associate members

 * The broadcaster announced their withdrawal due to their irresponsible head of delegation going on vacation in Isle of Man.
 * The broadcaster announced their withdrawal due to their irresponsible head of delegation going on vacation in Isle of Man.