Own Eurovision Song Contest 41

Own Eurovision Song Contest 41, often referred to as OESC #41, is the 41st edition of the Own Eurovision Song Contest. It will take place in Katowice, Poland, following the country's victory at the Own Eurovision Song Contest 40 edition with Sarsa performing "Naucz mnie". This will be the third time the county hosts the event, after holding the Own Eurovision Song Contest 13 and the Own Eurovision Song Contest 27 editions. The contest is scheduled to consist of two semi-finals and a final. The first semifinal took place on October 31, 2015, while the second semifinal took place on November 8, 2015.

Forty-six countries have announced their participation in the contest. Czech Republic, Egypt, Lithuania, Malta, Northern Ireland, Portugal and Slovenia will return in the competition. Unfortunately Albania, Bulgaria, Iceland, Ireland, Morocco, Romania and Slovakia decided to withdraw from the contest. The 41st edition saw the comeback of Malta, returning after a five edition break.

The 41st edition saw the return of the Marcel Bezençon Awards, which were first introduced in the edition held in Budapest, Hungary.

Location
Poland (Polish: Polska [ˈpɔlska]), officially the Republic of Poland (Polish: Rzeczpospolita Polska is a country in Central Europe, bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine and Belarus to the east; and the Baltic Sea, Kaliningrad Oblast (a Russian exclave) and Lithuania to the north. The total area of Poland is 312,679 square kilometres (120,726 sq mi), making it the 71st largest country in the world and the 9th largest in Europe. With a population of over 38.5 million people, Poland is the 34th most populous country in the world, the sixth most populous member of the European Union, and the most populous post-communist member of the European Union. Poland is a unitary state divided into 16 administrative subdivisions.

Despite the vast casualties and destruction the country experienced during World War II, Poland managed to preserve much of its cultural wealth. There are 14 heritage sites inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage and 54 Historical Monuments and many objects of cultural heritage in Poland. Since the end of the communist period, Poland has achieved a "very high" ranking in terms of human development, as well as gradually improving economic freedom. Poland is the sixth largest economy in the European Union and among the fastest rising economic states in the world. The country is the sole member nation of the European Union to have escaped a decline in GDP and in recent years was able to create probably the most varied GDP growth in its history. Furthermore, according to the Global Peace Index for 2014, Poland is one of the safest countries in the world to live in.

This is the third time that Poland hosts the contest. The first time the country has hosted the contest was in the Own Eurovision Song Contest 13 in Warsaw and the second time was in the Own Eurovision Song Contest 27 in 	Kraków.

On October 2 it was announced that Katowice(Polish: [katɔˈvit͡sɛ]; German: Kattowitz, Silesian: Katowicy, officially Miasto Katowice) will be the host of the Own Eurovision Song Contest 41. The host city is located in the southwestern Poland and the center of the Silesian Metropolis, with a population of 304,362 as of 2013.

Katowice is a center of science, culture, industry, business, trade, and transportation in Upper Silesia and southern Poland, and the main city in the Upper Silesian Industrial Region. Katowice lies within an urban zone, with a population of 2,746,460 according to Eurostat, and also part of the wider Silesian metropolitan area, with a population of 5,294,000 according to the European Spatial Planning Observation Network. Today, Katowice is a rapidly growing city and emerging metropolis. It is the 16th most economically powerful city by GDP in the European Union with an output amounting to $114.5 billion.

Katowice has been the capital of the Silesian Voivodeship since its formation in 1999. Previously it was the capital of the Katowice Voivodeship, the autonomous Silesian Voivodeship in Poland, and the Province of Upper Silesia in Germany.

Katowice is a city in Upper Silesia in southern Poland, on the Kłodnica and Rawa rivers (tributaries of the Oder and the Vistula respectively). It is in the Silesian Highlands, about 50 km (31 mi) north of the Silesian Beskids (part of the Carpathian Mountains) and about 100 km (62 mi) southeast of the Sudetes Mountains. Katowice is in the Katowice Highlands, part of the Silesian Highlands, in the eastern part of Upper Silesia, in the central portion of the Upper Silesian Coal Basin. Katowice is an urban community in the Silesian Voivodeship in south-west Poland. It is central district of the Silesian Metropolis—a metropolis with a population of two million. It borders the cities of Chorzów, Siemianowice Śląskie, Sosnowiec, Mysłowice, Lędziny, Tychy, Mikołów, Ruda Śląska and Czeladź. It lies between the Vistula and Oder rivers. Several rivers flow through the city, the major two being the Kłodnica and Rawa. Within 600 km (370 mi) of Katowice are the capital cities of six countries: Berlin, Vienna, Prague, Bratislava, Budapest and Warsaw.

Bidding Phase
TVP(Telewizja Polska) announced the conditions under which cities and venues had announced their interest in hosting the 41st contest:


 * The host city had to provide a certain number of hotels and hotel rooms to be found in the vicinity of the stadium.
 * The arena had to be able to offer lodges adjacent to the stadium.
 * A press centre had to be available at the stadium that will have a specific size.
 * TVP had to have access to the host venue at least 4–6 weeks before the broadcasts, in order to build the stage, rigging lights and all the technology.
 * The host city had to be close to a major airport.

The following cities are interested in hosting the 41st contest

Venue
Spodek will be the venue of the Own Eurovision Song Contest 41. Spodek (meaning "saucer" in Polish) is a multipurpose arena complex in Katowice, Poland, opened in 1971 at ul. Korfantego 35 under the name Wojewódzka Hala Widowiskowo-Sportowa w Katowicach (Voivodeship Sport and Show Arena in Katowice), under which it is known in the Polish technical/architectural literature, and under which it formally functioned until 1997.

Aside from the main dome, the complex includes a gym, an ice rink, a hotel and three large car parks. It was the largest indoor venue of its kind in Poland until it was surpassed by Kraków Arena in 2014. It hosts many important cultural and business events. Music concerts are especially common non-sport events. Spodek can hold 11,500 people, although this number is in practice limited to 10,000 or even 8,000 due to stage set-ups obscuring the view. Its Polish name refers to a flying saucer (its shape resembles a UFO). Spodek is a major contribution to the cultural significance of Katowice in Poland, especially for the younger generations. It has also been used as an unofficial logo for the city on posters promoting redevelopment in Katowice. Spodek is home to HC GKS Katowice ice hockey club in the winter months.

It has played host to many up-and-coming bands, such as Chumbawamba in 1997, as well as dozens of world-famous bands. There are also held music festivals such as Rawa Blues Festival, Metalmania and Odjazdy.

Format
The competition consists of two semi-finals and a final, a format which has been in use since the first edition, with some exceptions starting from the Own Eurovision Song Contest 11 until the Own Eurovision Song Contest 30, when three semifinal were used, following the increasing number of participants. The ten countries with the highest scores in each semi-final qualifies to the final where they join the host nation Poland and the top five from last edition, known as the Big Five: England, France, Hungary, Sweden and Switzerland. Every country will cast their votes, only in the show that they will participate and the ten songs which scores the highest overall rank receives 12 points, while the tenth-best ranked song receives 1 point.

On October 5, 2015 it was announced that the official sponosor of the Own Eurovision Song Contest 41 is The Coca-Cola Company.

Semi-final Allocation Draw
The participating countries, excluding the automatic finalists (host Poland and the Big Five), will be split into six pots, based on voting patterns from the previous ten editions. The pots were calculated and are as follows:

From these pots, 20 countries each were allocated to compete in the first semifinal and 20 in the second semifinal. The host country, Poland will vote in the first semi-final. The countries from the big five will vote as follow: Hungary with Switzerland in the first semifinal, while England with France and Sweden in the second semifinal.



Running Order
The final running order of the competing performances at the semi-finals and the final will be decided by the producers of the show and approved by the OEBU Executive Supervisor as had been done since the first edition. The host Poland will draw their running order position at the heads of delegations meeting.

On October 21, 2015 the running order for the first semifinal was revealed.

On October 22, 2015 the running order for the second semifinal was revealed.

On October 29, 2015 the running orders for the Big 5 + Host countries were revealed.

On October 31, 2015 the running order for the qualifiers of the first semifinal was revealed.

On October 9, 2015 the complete running order of the Grand Final was revealed.

Graphic design
On 7 October 2015, the slogan for the 41 Contest was revealed to be "#choosehappiness". TVP confirmed that the postcard films, used to introduce each song in the contest, would feature each artist in their respective country, to give the viewer a personal insight of each competing participant. The postcards of this edition's contest also witness the slogan "#choosehappiness". In the postcards, each of the clips start with every contestant receiving an invitation to Poland in their home country. More specifically, the invitation is to a region in the host country. The story continues with the contestants making their way to one of the point from the country, where they have an individual task to fulfil. The tasks on the journeys vary from culture to sports, from economics to science and tradition to modern.

Presenter


On October 4, 2015, TVP announced that Honorata Skarbek will be the host of the 41st contest. The winner of the Own Eurovision Song Contest 40, Sarsa was also chosen as host of the green room.

Honorata Skarbek, also known as Honey, is a Polish singer, songwriter and fashion blogger. Award winner at the festival TOPtrendy 2011 in Sopot and VIVA Comet Awards 2012 in the category debut of the year. Her debut album, "Honey" released March 28, 2011 was promoted by such hits as "No One", "Runaway", and "Sabotage". In 2013 the singer was nominated for Kids' Choice Award 2013. She was a support act during the first Justin Bieber concert in Poland, which took place on 25 March 2013 at the Atlas Arena in Łódź.

Her upcoming second album "Million" was released on April 16, 2013. First promo single was "Lalalove" (English version is called "Don't Love Me"). The second single from this album is called "Nie powiem jak" (Aeroplane) and is taking premiere on March 25, 2013.

She represented Poland in the Own Eurovision Song Contest 16 and the Own Eurovision Song Contest 19. Also she was the host of the Own Eurovision Song Contest, back in the Own Eurovision Song Contest 27 edition held in Kraków.

Rehearsals
All 46 countries will have 30 minutes on their rehearsals. This will begin on Thursday 22nd October under the confirmed running order, starting with the first half of the First Semi-Final then the second half on Friday. All 4 days start at 12:00, with the Press Meet & Greet section starting later at 14:25.

The Big 5 countries, plus host Poland will have their first rehearsals after the semifinalists's first rehearsals.

Second rehearsals for all 46 countries will be shorter at 20 minutes. This starts at 10:20 with all 20 countries from the First Semi-Final and the next day for all 20 countries from the Second Semi-Final. Press conferences will begin at 11:20. Poland and the Big 5 countries will have their 2nd rehearsals the next day after second semifinalist's rehearsals, starting at 10:00 with the press conferences at 11:00.

The full confirmed running order was announced later after the Second Semi-Final has ended.

Participants
The submissions for the Own Eurovision Song Contest 41 started on September 28, 2015. The OEBU announced that the deadline for submissions is set on October 10, 2015. The deadline for submitting their songs was set on October 17, 2015.

Forty-six countries have announced their participation in the contest. Czech Republic, Egypt, Lithuania, Malta, Northern Ireland, Portugal and Slovenia will return in the competition. Unfortunately Albania, Bulgaria, Iceland, Ireland, Morocco, Romania and Slovakia decided to withdraw from the contest.

After a five edition break, Malta returned in the competition, last time in the Own Eurovision Song Contest 35, edition held in Helsinki, Finland, the country was represented by Ella Eyre and placed 9th. Northern Ireland and Slovenia, both last time participated in the Own Eurovision Song Contest 38, edition held in Thessaloniki, Greece. Norther Ireland was represented, back then, by Shane Filan, which placed last in the Grand Final and Slovenia was represented by Natalija Verboten which placed third to last in the second semifinal.

Czech Republic, Egypt, Lithuania and Portugal all took an edition break. Czech Republic was represented by Mirai which took the last place in the first semifinal in Paris, France, Egypt took the sixteenth place in the first semifinal with Sandy and Karl Wolf, Lithuania being represented last by Modesta Pastiche took the final place in the second semifinal and Portugal which received the second to last place in the first semifinal with Carolina Deslandes and Agir.

Returning artists
Seventeen previous entries returned in the competition. Krista Siegfrids, Little Mix and Učiteljice were the three acts which won one of the previous competitions.

Unfortunately the Učiteljice band was eliminated in the semifinals.

Semi-Final 1

 * 20 countries will take part in the first semi-final
 * Hungary.png Hungary, Poland.png Poland and Switzerland.png Switzerland will vote in this semi-final.
 * 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.
 * The 10 qualifiers were announced on October 31, 2015.

Semi-Final 2

 * 20 countries will take part in the second semi-final
 * England.png England, France.png France and Sweden.png Sweden will vote in this semi-final.
 * 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.
 * The 10 qualifiers were announced on November 8, 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)

Voting Ceremony

 * 1) Flag of Greece.svg.png Hatice Şendil
 * 2) Flag of Austria.svg.png Marla Blumenblatt
 * 3) Flag of Spain.svg.png María Benítez (Spanish representative at the 16th, 23rd and 32nd editions, Andorran representative at the 18th edition)
 * 4) Flag of Scotland.svg.png Philippe Etchebest
 * 5) Flag of Switzerland.svg.png Dominique Gisin
 * 6) Flag of France.svg.png Olivier Dion
 * 7) Flag of Moldova.svg.png Sasha Lopez (Moldovian representative at the 18th and 39th editions)
 * 8) Flag of Slovenia.svg.png Nina Đurđević
 * 9) Flag of Cyprus.svg.png Konstantinos Xristoforou
 * 10) Flag of Kosovo.svg.png Gëzim Gashi
 * 11) Flag of Turkey.svg.png Serenay Sarıkaya
 * 12) Flag of Wales.svg.png Marina Diamandis (Welsh representative at the 5th, 7th, 10th, 26th and 29th editions, Greek representative at the 18th and 36th editions)
 * 13) Flag of Germany.svg.png Elaiza Band
 * 14) Flag of Poland.svg.png Sarsa Markiewicz (Polish representative and winner of the  40th edition)
 * 15) Flag of Hungary.svg.png Adrienn Szőke (Hungarian representative at the  40th edition)
 * 16) Flag of Norway.svg.png Gabrielle Leithaug (Norwegian representative at the  12th edition)
 * 17) Flag of Macedonia.svg.png Rennata Kralevska (Macedonia representative at the  12th, 23rd and 35th editions)
 * 18) Flag of Russia.svg.png Irina Antonenko
 * 19) Flag of Algeria.svg.png Adila Sedraïa (Algerian representative at the  27th and 39th editions, Egyptian representative at the 29th edition, French representative at the 31st edition, winner of the 27th edition)
 * 20) Flag of Lithuania.svg.png Patricija Belousova
 * 21) Flag of Israel.svg.png Yityish Titi Aynaw
 * 22) Flag of Faroe Islands.svg.png Eivør Pálsdóttir (Danish representative at the  1st edition, Faroese representative at the 27th edition)
 * 23) Flag of Portugal.svg.png Olivia Ortiz
 * 24) Flag of Ukraine.svg.png Diana Miro (Ukrainian representative at the  40th edition)
 * 25) Flag of Egypt.svg.png Mohamed Monir
 * 26) Flag of Georgia.svg.png Katie Melua
 * 27) Flag of Estonia.svg.png Stig Rästa
 * 28) Flag of Uzbekistan.svg.png Rayhon Gʻaniyeva (Uzbek representative at the 26th, 29th, 35th  and 39th editions)
 * 29) Flag of Croatia.svg.png Nina Kraljić
 * 30) Flag of Malta.svg.png Natalie Gauci
 * 31) Flag of Denmark.svg.png Stine Hjelm Jacobsen (Danish representative and winner of the 16th edition, part of the group Electric Lady Lab)
 * 32) Flag of Bosnia and Herzegovina.svg.png Dino Merlin (Bosnian representative at the 4th edition)
 * 33) Flag of Finland.svg.png Sara Chafak
 * 34) Flag of Belgium.svg.png Sandra Kim
 * 35) Flag of Italy.svg.png Virginio Simonelli
 * 36) Flag of England.svg.png Nick Grimshaw
 * 37) Flag of Armenia.svg.png Kim Kardashian
 * 38) Flag of Sweden.svg.png Dinah Nah (Swedish representative at the 40th edition)
 * 39) Flag of the Czech Republic.svg.png Nikol Čechová
 * 40) Flag of Northern Ireland.svg.png Keith Getty
 * 41) Flag of Latvia.svg.png Viktoria Modesta
 * 42) Flag of Serbia.svg.png Ana Ivanović
 * 43) Flag of the Netherlands.svg.png Roos-Anne Hans
 * 44) Flag of Kazakhstan.svg.png Makpal Isabekoba (Kazakh representative at the 30th edition)
 * 45) Flag of Lebanon.svg.png Maya Diab
 * 46) Flag of Belarus.svg.png Alyona Lanskaya (Belarusian representative at the 13th, 29th and 38th editions)
 * 47) Flag of Earth.svg.png Joanna Klepko (Polish representative at the 34th edition)

Other countries

 * Flag of Albania.svg.png Albania — On September 28, 2015 it was announced that Albania's participation in the 41st contest is uncertain. A decision from Radio Televizioni Shqiptar (RTSH) will be revealed soon. On October 5, 2015 it was revealed that the country will not return in the competition.
 * Flag of Andorra.svg.png Andorra — On October 3, 2015 RTVA (Ràdio i Televisió d'Andorra) announced that the country is not planning to return to the contest anytime soon.
 * Flag of Azerbaijan.svg.png Azerbaijan — On October 3, 2015 İctimai Televiziya (İTV) announced that the country is still having financial difficulties making the country to rule out of the 41st contest.
 * Flag of Bulgaria.svg.png Bulgaria — On September 28, 2015 it was announced that Bulgaria's participation in the 41st contest is uncertain. The Bulgarian National Television (BNT) will reveal their plans soon. On October 4, 2015 it was revealed that the country will not return in the competition.
 * Flag of Iceland.svg.png Iceland — On September 28, 2015 it was announced that Iceland's participation in the 41st contest is uncertain. RÚV, the national television, will make its decision on their participation soon. On October 4, 2015 it was revealed that the country will not return in the competition.
 * Flag of Ireland.svg.png Ireland — On October 3, 2015 it was announced that Raidió Teilifís Éireann (RTE) have yet to rule out participation in the 41st edition. It was confirmed on October 10, 2015 that Ireland will not be in edition 41.
 * Flag of Liechtenstein.svg.png Liechtenstein — On October 3, 2015 1FLTV (1 Fürstentum Liechtenstein Television) announced that they are not planning to return to the contest due to lack of money and interest.
 * Flag of Luxembourg.svg.png Luxembourg — On October 2, 2015 RTL Télé Lëtzebuerg announced that they don't want to return to the contest.
 * Flag of Monaco.svg.png Monaco — On October 1, 2015 the HoD announced that the country would not be participating in the contest because of financial reasons.
 * Flag of Montenegro.svg.png Montenegro — On October 2, 2015 RTCG, the national television of Montenegro, announced that the country will not be in the 41st edition, due to lack of interest.
 * Flag of Morocco.svg.png Morocco — On September 28, 2015 it was announced that Morocco's participation in the 41st contest is uncertain. On October 4, 2015 it was revealed that the country will not return in the competition.
 * Flag of Romania.svg.png Romania — On September 28, 2015 it was announced that Romania's participation in the 41st contest is uncertain. A formal decision, from TVR, on whether they will compete in 41 or if they will withdraw has not been announced yet. On October 6, 2015 it was revealed that the country will not return in the competition.
 * Flag of San Marino.svg.png San Marino — On September 30, 2015 Radiotelevisione della Repubblica di San Marino (SMTV) have stated that a decision of returning in the contest was not taken yet. It was confirmed on October 10, 2015 that San Marino will not be in edition 41.
 * Flag of Slovakia.svg.png Slovakia — On October 3, 2015 it was announced that Radio and Television Slovakia (RTVS) have yet to rule out participation in the 41st edition. On October 4, 2015 it was revealed that the country will not return in the competition.

Official Album
Own Eurovision Song Contest: Katowice 41 is the official compilation album of the 41st Contest, put together by the Own Eurovision Song Contest. The album will feature all songs that will enter in the 41st contest, including the semi-finalists that failed to qualify into the grand final.

The first CD contains 23 singles.

The second CD contains the last 23 singles.

Other Awards
Marcel Bezençon Awards were given for the first time in the Own Eurovision Song Contest 19. The participants had to vote in several categories for the favorites. Some of the categories were: best non qualifier, best female singer, best male singer and best video clip.
 * Marcel Bezençon Awards