Own Eurovision Song Contest 38

Own Eurovision Song Contest 38, often referred to as OESC #38, is the upcoming 38th edition of Own Eurovision Song Contest.

Venue
Alexandreio Melathron (Αλεξάνδρειο Μέλαθρον) with its main hall named Nikos Galis Hall (Σάλα Νίκος Γκάλης) and also called Palais des Sports (Παλαί ντε Σπορ), is an indoor sports arena located in Thessaloniki, Greece, with a capacity of 5,500.

The arena was designed by the architects P. Gianettos, M. Guyon and T. Jeanblock between 1960 and 1962. It was built in 1966. The structure shares two of the architects with the Palais des Sports de Gerland in Lyon and has many similarities.

The building was redeveloped and updated in 2004 in preparation for the Athens 2004 Olympic Games. The updates involved reconstruction of all the building's external and internal areas. Apart from what is directly visible to everybody, other works included new electromechanical, air-conditioning and audiovisual facilities. New seats, CCTV and new lighting were also installed.

Location
Thessaloniki (Greek: Θεσσαλονίκη [θesaloˈnici]), also known in English as Thessalonica or Salonica, is the second-largest city in Greece and the capital of Greek Macedonia, the administrative region of Central Macedonia and the Decentralized Administration of Macedonia and Thrace. Its honorific title is Συμπρωτεύουσα (Symprotévousa), literally "co-capital", and stands as a reference to its historical status as the Συμβασιλεύουσα (Symvasilévousa) or "co-reigning" city of the Eastern Roman (Byzantine) Empire, alongside Constantinople.

According to the Greek census 2011, the municipality of Thessaloniki today has a population of 325,182, while the Thessaloniki Urban Area (the contiguous built up area forming the "City of Thessaloniki") has a population of 788,952. Furthermore, the Thessaloniki Metropolitan Area extends over an area of 1,455.62 km2 (562.02 sq mi) and its population in 2011 reached a total of 1,104,460 inhabitants.

Thessaloniki is Greece's second major economic, industrial, commercial and political centre, and a major transportation hub for the rest of southeastern Europe; its commercial port is also of great importance for Greece and the southeastern European hinterland. The city is renowned for its festivals, events and vibrant cultural life in general, and is considered to be Greece's cultural capital. Events such as the Thessaloniki International Trade Fair and the Thessaloniki International Film Festival are held annually, while the city also hosts the largest bi-annual meeting of the Greek diaspora. Thessaloniki is the 2014 European Youth Capital.

Founded in 315 BC by Cassander of Macedon, Thessaloniki's history spans some 2,300 years. An important metropolis by the Roman period, Thessaloniki was the second largest and wealthiest city of the Byzantine Empire. Thessaloniki is home to numerous notable Byzantine monuments, including the Paleochristian and Byzantine monuments of Thessaloniki, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, as well as several Roman, Ottoman and Sephardic Jewish structures. The city's main university, Aristotle University, is the largest in Greece and the Balkans.

Thessaloniki is a popular tourist destination in Greece. For 2013 National Geographic Magazine included Thessaloniki in its top tourist destinations worldwide, while in 2014 Financial Times FDI magazine (Foreign Direct Investments) declared Thessaloniki as the best mid-sized European city of the future for human capital and lifestyle.

This is the first time the contest is held in Greece.

Semi-final Allocation Draw
The draw that determined the semi-final allocation was held on April 24, 2015 at the Alexandreio Melathron. The participating countries, excluding the Big 6 countries, were split into six pots, based on voting history and geographical location. From these pots, 20 countries each were allocated to compete in first semifinal, and 20 in second semifinal. The pots are as follows:

The host country, Greece will vote in the second semi-final. The rest of the big six countries will vote as follow: France with Poland and Russia in first semifinal, while Czech Republic and Northern Ireland in second semifinal.

Running Order
The official running order of the two semifinals was held on April 24, 2015. Also, the running order of the Big 6 countries in the Grand Final was revealed, with the host country, Greece performing 14th out of 26 countries.

The official running order of the qualifiers from the semifinals was held after the winners were revealed.

Participants
Forty-six countries have confirmed participation in the 38th edition, with seven countries returning and eight countries withdrawing.

The 38th edition will see the return of Belarus, Croatia, Egypt, Lebanon, Moldova, San Marino and Switzerland, while Andorra, Armenia, Latvia, Luxembourg, Spain, Sweden, Syria and Wales withdrew from this edition.

Returning artists
Twenty-six former participants returned in the contest. Former winner of the Own Eurovision Song Contest 30 edition, Bebe Rexha returned again for Macedonia.

Semi-Final 1

 * The ten countries in this semi-final with the highest scoring points, according to the votes from each voting country, qualifies for the Grand Final.
 * France, Poland and Russia will vote in this semi-final.
 * The first semifinal premiered on April 25, 2015.
 * The results of the first semifinal were revealed on April 29, 2015.

Semi-Final 2

 * The ten countries in this semi-final with the highest scoring points, according to the votes from each voting country, qualifies for the Grand Final.
 * Czech Republic, Greece and Northern Ireland will vote in this semi-final.
 * The second semifinal premiered on May 2, 2015.
 * The results of the second semifinal were revealed on May 7, 2015.

Finalists
The twenty-six finalists are:
 * the Big 6 countries.
 * the top ten countries from the first semi-final.
 * the top ten countries from the second semi-final.

12 points awarded in the first semifinal
(Coming soon)

12 points awarded in the second semifinal
(Coming soon)

12 points awarded in the grand final
(Coming soon)

Spokepersons

 * Algeria.png
 * France.png
 * Monaco.png
 * Kazakhstan.png
 * Belgium.png
 * Greece.png
 * Cyprus.png
 * Ukraine.png
 * Portugal.png
 * Ireland.png
 * Italy.png
 * Macedonia.png
 * Germany.png
 * Turkey.png
 * Serbia.png
 * Hungary.png
 * Syria.png
 * Uzbekistan.png
 * Montenegro.png
 * Northern Ireland.png Philip George & Stevie Wonder
 * Estonia.png
 * Azerbaijan.png
 * Kosovo.png
 * Slovenia.png
 * Austria.png
 * The Netherlands.png
 * Norway.png
 * Finland.png
 * Scotland.png
 * Romania.png Otlila Bruma
 * Albania.png
 * Bulgaria.png
 * Lithuania.png
 * Israel.png
 * Poland.png
 * Russia.png
 * Iceland.png
 * Czech Republic.png
 * Denmark.png
 * England.png
 * England.png
 * Belarus.png
 * Croatia.png
 * Egypt.png
 * Lebanon.png
 * Moldova.png
 * San Marino.png
 * Switzerland.png
 * Flag of None.svg

Other countries

 * : Following the weak results from the previous editions, the country withdraw.
 * : The country is not interested in participation anymore.
 * : The country is not interested in participation anymore.
 * : The country is not interested in participation anymore.
 * : Following the weak results from previous edition the country withdraw.
 * : The country didn't sent any entry this edition, so it was forced to withdraw.
 * : Starting from this edition the country is ineligible to participate.
 * : Following the weak results from previous edition the country withdraw.

Official Album
Own Eurovision Song Contest: Thessaloniki 38 is the official compilation album of the 38th Contest, put together by the Own Eurovision Song Contest and was released on 24 April 2015. The album will feature all 46 songs that entered in the 38th contest, including the semi-finalists that failed to qualify into the grand final.