Own Eurovision Song Contest 51

Own Eurovision Song Contest 51, often referred to as OESC #51, was the 51st edition of Own Eurovision Song Contest. It took place in Gliwice, Poland, following Bovska’s win at the 50th edition in Kazan, Russia with the song “Kaktus”. It was the fifth time that the country hosted the contest, after previously doing so in 13th, 27th, 41st and 45th editions. The contest was held at the Arena Gliwice, and consisted of two semi-finals on 23 January and the final on 30 January 2019. The live shows were hosted by Paulina Sykut-Jezyna.

Forty countries have participated in the competition. The 51st edition saw the return of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Cyprus, France, Malta, Portugal and San Marino, while Armenia, Azerbaijan, Czech Republic, Faroe Islands, Hungary, Iceland, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Moldova, Monaco, Morocco and Slovenia have decided to withdraw. Despite originally announced their intention to return, Lithuania and Ukraine decided later to not participate.

After a tense voting process, Ireland won the contest for the first time, with Lyra's song "Emerald". This was Ireland's first win – and first top ten placing in the last 32 editions. The margin from the runner-up was 48 points, this being the 3rd biggest margin ever between the top two countries. The podium was completed by Norway and France, with both of them getting their best result since their victories in the 7th and 38th editions respectively. Of the "Big Six", Turkey placed the highest, getting 11th, while Georgia got its worst result ever in the final, finishing last for the second time.

Location
For more details on the host country, see Poland.

Host city
Gliwice is a city in Upper Silesia, in southern Poland. The city is located in the Silesian Highlands, on the Kłodnica river (a tributary of the Oder). It lies approximately 25 km West from Katowice, regional capital of the Silesian Voivodeship.

Gliwice is the westernmost city of the Upper Silesian metropolis, a conurbation of 1.9 million people, and is the third-largest city of this area, with 183,392 permanent residents as of 2015. It also lies within the larger Upper Silesian metropolitan area which has a population of about 5.3 million people and spans across most of eastern Upper Silesia, western Lesser Poland and the Moravian-Silesian Region in the Czech Republic. It is one of the major college towns in Poland, thanks to the Silesian University of Technology, which was founded in 1945 by academics of Lwow University of Technology expelled from Soviet Ukraine in 1945-48. Over 20,000 people study in Gliwice. Gliwice is an important industrial center of Poland. Following an economic transformation in the 1990s, Gliwice switched from steelworks and coal mining to automotive and machine industry. The last remaining coal mine in Gliwice was set to close before 2021, however following its good economic results this decision has been postponed.

Founded in the 13th century, Gliwice is one of the oldest settlements in Upper Silesia. Gliwice's medieval old town was severely destroyed by the Red Army in World War II, however has since been rebuilt and underwent a major restoration in recent years. Gliwice's most historical structures include St Bartholomew's church (15th century), Gliwice Castle and city walls (14th century), Armenian Church (originally a hospital, 15th century) and All Saints Old Town Church (15th century). Gliwice is also known for its Radio Tower, where Gleiwitz incident happened shortly before the outbreak of World War II and which is though to be the world’s tallest wooden construction, as well as Weichmann Textile House, one of the first buildings designed by world-renowned architect Erich Mendelsohn.

Venue
Arena Gliwice is a sports and entertainment hall in Gliwice, Poland. It provides 13,752 seats in the main arena and is considered one of the largest entertainment and sports halls in the country. Initially, the object was given the name "Podium Hall", which was later changed into "Hala Gliwice". Currently, this name is used interchangeably with the name "Arena Gliwice".

Semi-final Allocation Draw
The draw to determine the allocation of the participating countries into their respective semi-finals took place on 19 January 2019. 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. Seventeen countries will participate in both semi-finals, respectively. From each semi-final, ten countries will join the "Big 6" in the final, where a total of twenty-six countries will participate.

The thirty-four 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
Seventeen countries will participate in the first semi-final. Belarus, Georgia and Lebanon will vote in this semifinal.

Semi-final 2
Seventeen countries will participate in the second semi-final. Luxembourg, the host country Poland and Turkey will vote in this semifinal.

Final
Twenty-six countries will participate in the final, with all 40 participating countries eligible to vote.

12 points
Below is a summary of the maximum 12 points awarded by each country's vote in the first semi-final:

12 points
Below is a summary of the maximum 12 points awarded by each country's vote in the second semi-final:

12 points
Below is a summary of the maximum 12 points awarded by each country's vote in the Grand Final:

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.


 * Albania withdraws and will not be returning under its current Head of Delegation
 * It was confirmed that the country would not participate in the 51st edition.
 * It was confirmed that the country would not participate in the 51st edition.
 * Despite being directly qualified for the final, the broadcaster missed the deadline for confirmations, thus being forced to withdraw.
 * Estonia didn’t return this edition due to internal issues within the broadcaster.
 * It was confirmed that the country would withdraw in the 51st edition.
 * The broadcaster failed to submit and present their entry within the given deadline and therefore was forced to withdraw from the edition.
 * The Icelandic broadcaster (RÚV) just announced Iceland's withdrawal from the current edition citing financial crisis and budget restrictions as factors that influenced this decision, a return in the following edition is "more than likely".
 * It was confirmed that the country would not participate in the 51st edition.
 * It was confirmed that the country would withdraw in the 51st edition.
 * The country had originally confirmed their participation but later withdrew due to unknown circumstances.
 * In spite of the good result achieved by Angel!na last edition, Moldova has announced that they will be withdrawing from the contest for an edition break, as they re-assess their participation with the current delegation team.
 * Monaco will withdraw due to a low interest with the contest. A return in the 52nd edition could happen.
 * The broadcaster confirmed its break from the contest.
 * It was confirmed that the country would withdraw in the 51st edition.
 * The nation withdrew, citing a lack interest for the contest at the moment.