Own Eurovision Song Contest 53

Own Eurovision Song Contest 53, often referred to as OESC #53, is the 53rd edition of Own Eurovision Song Contest. It took place in Yerevan, Armenia, following Nune Yesayan's win in the 52nd edition with the song "Es u du". It was the first time Armenia had hosted the contest. The contest was held at the Karen Demirchyan Complex, and consisted of two semi-finals and the final. The three live shows were hosted by Iveta Mukuchyan.

Forty-six countries took part in the contest. Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Hungary, Luxembourg, Monaco, Switzerland and Ukraine returned to the competition, while Bosnia and Herzegovina, Egypt, Faroe Islands, Georgia, Israel, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova and Turkey withdrew for various reasons.

Location
Further information on the host country: Armenia

Host City
Yerevan is the capital and largest city of Armenia as well as one of the world's oldest continuously inhabited cities. Situated along the Hrazdan River, Yerevan is the administrative, cultural, and industrial center of the country. It has been the capital since 1918, the fourteenth in the history of Armenia and the seventh located in or around the Ararat plain. The city also serves as the seat of the Araratian Pontifical Diocese; the largest diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Church and one of the oldest dioceses in the world.

With the growth of the Armenian economy, Yerevan has undergone major transformation. Much construction has been done throughout the city since the early 2000s, and retail outlets such as restaurants, shops, and street cafés, which were rare during Soviet times, have multiplied. As of 2011, the population of Yerevan was 1,060,138, just over 35% of the Republic of Armenia's total population. According to the official estimate of 2016, the current population of the city is 1,073,700. Yerevan was named the 2012 World Book Capital by UNESCO. Yerevan is an associate member of Eurocities.

Venue
Karen Demirchyan Sports and Concerts Complex, also known as Demirchyan Arena, Sports & Music Complex, or simply Hamalir (for complex in Armenian), is a large sports and concert complex with 184 stairs leading up Tsitsernakaberd hill which dominates over the western parts of Yerevan, near the Hrazdan River gorge.

The complex has a unique design, an outside view of the whole construction reminds the shape a big bird opening its wings. Its architectural concepts include a turning tribune of 1,008 seats, that can rapidly connect the two big halls to reveal additional seating, a concept for which the architects were awarded the USSR State Prize, the highest of its kind, in 1987. The main arena used for sporting events and concerts has a capacity of 6,000 seats, expandable to 8,800 seats.

Semi-final Allocation Draw
The draw to determine the allocation of the participating countries into their respective semi-finals took place on 27 April 2020. 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 each 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. Armenia, Montenegro and Russia also voted in this semi-final.

Semi-final 2
Twenty countries participated in the second semi-final. Belarus, Norway and United Kingdom 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 have been sent in order to confirm whether they will participate or not. The following list of countries declined stating their reasons as shown below.
 * BHRT announced that Bosnia and Herzegovina would not participate in the contest due to their inability to secure stable funding and sponsorship for participation.
 * ERTU announced that the members of the delegation were moving onto other projects and that they were withdrawing from the current edition.
 * Due to the outbreak of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), the delegation decided not to attend this edition.
 * The country confirmed their participation but later decided to withdraw due to lack of suitable songs.
 * Despite originally confirming their intention to participate, the broadcaster failed to send an entry for confirmation and was disqualified.
 * It was announced that the Latvian head of delegation stepped down from his post in order to pursue other projects.
 * Despite originally confirming their intention to participate, the broadcaster failed to send an entry for confirmation and was disqualified.
 * TRM announced that Moldova would withdraw from the contest due to a possible change in the delegation.
 * MRT failed to confirm or withdraw from the edition on time and were fined by the council.
 * Despite originally confirming their intention to participate, the broadcaster failed to send an entry for confirmation and was disqualified.