Own Asiavision Song Contest 31

Own Asiavision Song Contest 31, often referred to as OASC #31, is the 31st edition of Own Asiavision Song Contest. The contest took place in Aqaba, Jordan, following the country's victory in the 30th edition with the song "Balaleen" by Zatara. It was the second time that Jordan had hosted the contest, having previously done so in the fourth edition. Organised by the Own Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union and host broadcaster Jordan Radio and Television Corporation, the contest was held at the Al Waha Stadium, and consisted of a quarter-final, two semi-finals and the final. The four live shows were hosted by Aziz Maraka and Diana Karazon.

Forty-eight countries participated in the contest. Cocos (Keeling) Islands and Nauru made their debut this edition. French Polynesia, Pakistan, Solomon Islands, South Korea and Timor-Leste returned to the competition, while India, Indonesia, Marshall Islands, New Caledonia, Oman, Palestine, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Sri Lanka and Tonga withdrew for various reasons.

Location
Further information on the host country: Jordan

The contest was held in Aqaba, Jordan. It was the second time that Jordan had hosted the contest, having previously done so in fourth edition. The selected venue is the x-seat Al Waha Stadium. In addition to the main venue, the host city also organises side events in tandem with the contest.

Bidding phase
Between 31 January and 22 February 2023, four cities across Jordan expressed interest in hosting the contest. The cities of Amman, Aqaba, with 2 venues, Irbid and Zarqa voiced their interest. Host broadcaster JRTV launched the bidding process on 22 February. In the first phase of this process, any interested cities were to present their bid, after which JRTV and the OABU would proceed to send all of them a bid book with more detailed requirements for the cities to submit their plans for review. On 24 February, it was reported that Irbid did not make it to the shortlisted venues, meaning that only the remained 3 cities stayed in the running to host the contest.

On 6 March 2023, the OABU and JRTV came to a decision and announced that Aqaba was chosen to be the host city of the edition, with the Al Waha Stadium being the selected venue, with a capacity of 10,000.

Key: Host venue Shortlisted

Host city
Aqaba is the only coastal city in Jordan and the largest and most populous city on the Gulf of Aqaba. Situated in southernmost Jordan, Aqaba is the administrative center of the Aqaba Governorate. The city had a population of 148,398 in 2015 and a land area of 375 square kilometres. Today, Aqaba plays a major role in the development of the Jordanian economy, through the vibrant trade and tourism sectors. The Port of Aqaba also serves other countries in the region.

Aqaba's location next to Wadi Rum and Petra has placed it in Jordan's golden triangle of tourism, which strengthened the city's location on the world map and made it one of the major tourist attractions in Jordan. The city is administered by the Aqaba Special Economic Zone Authority, which has turned Aqaba into a low-tax, duty-free city, attracting several mega projects like Ayla Oasis, Saraya Aqaba, Marsa Zayed and expansion of the Port of Aqaba. They are expected to turn the city into a major tourism hub in the region. However, industrial and commercial activities remain important, due to the strategic location of the city as the country's only seaport. The city sits right across the border from Eilat, likewise Israel's only port on the Red Sea. After the 1994 Israel Jordan Peace Treaty there were plans and hopes of establishing a trans-border tourism and economic area, but few of those plans have come to fruition.

Venue
Al Waha Stadium is a multipurpose arena in Aqaba, Jordan. The construction started in 2014 and it was finally finalized and Own Asiavision Song Contest became the first event that was hosted there. It can accommodate up to 10,000 spectators.

Semi-final allocation draw
The draw to determine the allocation of the participating countries into their respective semi-finals took place on 12 March 2023. 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-one 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-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:

Semi-final 1
Twenty-one countries participated in the first semi-final. Those countries plus Australia, Jordan and Syria voted in this semi-final.

Semi-final 2
Twenty-one countries participated in the second semi-final. Those countries plus Bangladesh, China and Japan voted in this semi-final.

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

Other countries
Eligibility for potential participation in the Own Asiavision Song Contest requires a national broadcaster with active OABU 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.
 * On 6 March 2023, OABU confirmed that the Indian broadcaster failed to submit an entry in due time, thus was forced to withdraw.
 * On 12 February 2023, Indonesian broadcaster TVRI confirmed that the country would withdraw this edition.
 * On 26 January 2023, Marshallese broadcaster MINTA announced the country's withdrawal after the head of delegation had resigned from his position.
 * On 26 January 2023, New Caledonian broadcaster CanalSat Calédonie announced that viewership numbers of the grand final were the lowest they have ever been after Yelo failed to qualify to the semi-finals. Fans of the contest have been increasingly displeased with the head of delegation, and finally, CanalSat Calédonie listened to the fans and removed them from their position.
 * On 28 January 2023, Oman's former head of delegation announced his resignation over the role and leave an opening for a new and more inspired head to take over.
 * On 13 February 2023, Palestinian broadcaster PBC confirmed that the country would not participate in this edition.
 * On 13 February 2023, Papuan broadcaster NBC/PNG confirmed that the country would not participate in this edition after the head of delegation had resigned from his position.
 * On 6 March 2023, OABU confirmed that the Qatari broadcaster failed to submit an eligible entry in due time, thus the nation would not be present.
 * On 13 February 2023, Samoan broadcaster SBC confirmed that the country would not participate in this edition.
 * On 12 February, Sri Lankan broadcaster SLBC announced that Sri Lanka would take a one-edition break.
 * On 13 February 2023, Tongan broadcaster TBC confirmed that the country would not participate in this edition.
 * On 13 February 2023, Yemeni broadcaster YTV confirmed that the country would not return this edition.

Australian entry
Exactly one week after announcing Thandi Phoenix as the country's representative in the 31st edition with the song "Cleopatra", the broadcaster received some emails from anonymous sources, complaining about the choice. According to the messages received, the most common ones were about Australia potentially ending last in the final or even receiving 0 points. Immediately after reading all the complaints, the head of delegation held an impromptu meeting at the SBS headquarters where Thandi was invited too, and discussed in regards with the entry. As the complains were about the song, rather than the artist, the parties came to an agreement to submit another song for the competition. Thus, Thandi suggested that she will perform another song from her discography. Eventually, she decided to perform her song "Overdrive" instead.