Mediterraneanvision Song Contest 11

The Mediterraneanvision Song Contest 11 was the eleventh edition of the Mediterraneanvision Song Contest. It took place in Nicosia, Cyprus, following the country's victory at the tenth edition with the song "Stop the Time" by Padé, Görkem Sala and Basia Janyga. Organised by the Mediterranean Broadcasting Union (MBU) and host broadcaster Cyprus Broadcasting Corporation (CyBC), the contest was held at the Eleftheria Indoor Hall and consisted of two semi-finals on 27 July and 29 August 2021, and the final on 27 September 2021. The three live shows were presented by Annet Artani.

Thirty-four countries participated in the contest. Egypt, Iraq, Moldova and Montenegro returned after a one-edition absence. Algeria, Morocco and North Macedonia withdrew, the latter of which had initially selected an entry.

The winner was Romania with the song "Tara Rita", performed by Dharia. This was Romania's first victory in the contest, after having come top 10 in every final since the first edition. Lebanon, Spain, Monaco, Palestine and Switzerland rounded out the top six and would go on to become members of the "Big 6" in the next edition. This was the second consecutive edition where Romania and Palestine placed within the top 6. Additionally, this was also the second consecutive edition where Syria placed 7th – just one place short of the top 6.

Location
The eleventh edition was held in Nicosia, Cyprus, following the country's victory at the tenth edition with the song "Stop the Time", performed by Padé, Görkem Sala and Basia Janyga. The selected venue was the 6,000-seat Eleftheria Indoor Hall.

Preparations for the eleventh edition began on 29 March 2021, immediately after Cyprus won the tenth edition in Damascus, Syria. The Mediterranean Broadcasting Union (MBU) handed CyBC, the Cypriot participating broadcaster, a stack of documents and a USB drive with tools to begin the work needed to host the next edition.

Bidding phase
On 6 April 2021, it was confirmed by CyBC that 4 cities had submitted bids to host the contest. The hosting broadcaster reviewed the bids presented and on 9 April 2021 announced that it eliminated those for Larnaca and Paphos, shortlisting the two remaining cities - Limassol and Nicosia. On 24 April 2021, Nicosia was announced as the host city. Below are the 4 cities and their bids:

Key: Host venue Shortlisted venues

Visual design
The contest's slogan, "#StopTheTime", as well as the official logo and branding were revealed on 27 May 2021. The theme art consists of a golden clock shining in the water.

Presenter(s)
On 30 May 2021, CyBC announced that Annet Artani would host the three live shows.

Participating countries


On 30 May 2021, the MBU announced that 34 countries would take part in the contest. Egypt, Iraq, Moldova and Montenegro returned after a one-edition absence. Algeria, Morocco and North Macedonia withdrew, the latter of which had initially selected an entry.

Semi-final 1
The first semi-final took place on 27 July 2021. Fourteen countries participated in the first semi-final. Those countries plus Albania, Cyprus and Romania voted in this semi-final.

Semi-final 2
The second semi-final took place on 29 August 2021. Fourteen countries participated in the second semi-final. Those countries plus Palestine, Serbia and Turkey voted in this semi-final.

Final
The final took place on 27 September 2021. Twenty-six countries participated in the final, with all thirty-four participating countries eligible to vote.

Other countries
Eligibility for potential participation in the Mediterraneanvision Song Contest requires a national broadcaster with active MBU membership that would be able to broadcast the contest. The MBU issued an invitation to participate in the contest to all active members.

Active MBU members

 * – Despite initially confirming participation, Algerian broadcaster Canal Algérie stated on 25 April 2021 that due to some undisclosed issues, they were re-evaluating their participation. Algeria was not on the final list of participants released by the MBU on 30 May 2021.


 * – On 2 May 2021, JRTV confirmed that Jordan would not return in #11.


 * – Despite initially confirming participation, Moroccan broadcaster 2M TV stated on 25 April 2021 that they are re-organising their delegation and are unsure about their participation in the 11th edition. On 29 May 2021 the broadcaster confirmed their withdrawal, stating that they would instead focus on organising the Iberiavision Song Contest 2.


 * – Despite already having chosen their entry "In the Name of Love" by Martin Garrix & Bebe Rexha, North Macedonia was not on the final list of participants released by the MBU on 30 May 2021. Macedonian broadcaster MRT later stated that they withdrew due to scheduling issues with their chosen artists.

Associate MBU members

 * – On 12 September 2020, Mauritanian broadcaster TVM applied for full MBU membership arguing that the nation should be eligible to do so due to being a member of the Union for the Mediterranean from the side of the Mediterranean Partner countries. The broadcaster stated that should it be able to achieve full membership, it would attempt to debut in the 11th edition of the Mediterraneanvision Song Contest. Under the current MBU rules, being a member of the Union for the Mediterranean does not determine full membership.

Non-MBU members

 * – On 8 April 2021, Saudi broadcaster SBA applied for MBU membership with the intention of debuting at the 11th edition. Their application was rejected due to the country lying outside the Mediterranean Broadcasting Area. The MBU stated that the broadcaster may be granted associate membership, however, the current rules only allow full members to participate in the contest.

Spokespersons
The spokespersons announced the 12-point score from their respective country's national jury in the following order:


 * 1)  – Dania Hallak (Co-presenter of the 10th edition)
 * 2)  – TBA
 * 3)  – TBA
 * 4)  – TBA
 * 5)  – TBA
 * 6)  – TBA
 * 7)  – TBA
 * 8)  – TBA
 * 9)  – TBA
 * 10)  – TBA
 * 11)  – TBA
 * 12)  – TBA
 * 13)  – TBA
 * 14)  – TBA
 * 15)  – TBA
 * 16)  – TBA
 * 17)  – Elena Tsagrinou (Greek representative in #10 with Mike)
 * 18)  – TBA
 * 19)  – TBA
 * 20)  – TBA
 * 21)  – TBA
 * 22)  – TBA
 * 23)  – TBA
 * 24)  – TBA
 * 25)  – TBA
 * 26)  – TBA
 * 27)  – TBA
 * 28)  – TBA
 * 29)  – TBA
 * 30)  – TBA
 * 31)  – Jess Glynne (Gibraltarian representative in #6)
 * 32)  – TBA
 * 33)  – TBA
 * 34)  – TBA

Official album
Mediterraneanvision Song Contest: Nicosia #11 is the official compilation album of the contest, put together by the Mediterranean Broadcasting Union and released on 14 July 2021. The album features all 34 entries including the semi-finalists that failed to qualify for the final. The album also features the Macedonian entry which was withdrawn from the contest on 30 May 2021.