Mediterraneanvision Song Contest 10

The Mediterraneanvision Song Contest 10 was the tenth edition of the Mediterraneanvision Song Contest. It took place in Damascus, Syria, following the country's victory at the ninth edition with the song "Human Nature" by ALITA. Organised by the Mediterranean Broadcasting Union (MBU) and host broadcaster Organisme de la Radio-Télévision Arabe Syrienne (ORTAS), the contest was held at the Syrian Expo Center and consisted of two semi-finals on 31 October and 7 December 2020, and the final on 29 March 2021. The show was presented by Dania Hallak and Mona Haydar.

Thirty-three countries participated in the contest, with Palestine participating for the first time. Andorra and Croatia returned after a one-edition absence. Vatican City withdrew after the country's broadcaster officially terminated their MBU membership. Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Moldova and Montenegro also withdrew without citing any reasons.

The winner was Cyprus with the song "Stop the Time", performed by Padé, Görkem Sala and Basia Janyga. This was Cyprus' first victory in the contest. Albania, Serbia, Romania, Palestine and Turkey rounded out the top six and would go on to become members of the "Big 6" in the next edition.

Location
The tenth edition was held in Damascus, Syria, following the country's victory at the ninth edition with the song "Human Nature", performed by ALITA. The selected venue was the Syrian Expo Center.

Preparations for the tenth edition began on 20 July 2020, immediately after Syria won the ninth edition in Beirut, Lebanon. The Mediterranean Broadcasting Union (MBU) handed ORTAS, the Syrian 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 23 July 2020, it was confirmed by ORTAS that 5 cities were being considered to potentially host the contest. Due to the ongoing Syrian civil war, the MBU and the hosting broadcaster worked closely together to ensure the safety of the contest. On 24 July 2020, it was confirmed that the bids from Damascus and Latakia had been shortlisted, the decision being made with the safety of the contest in mind. On 26 July 2020, the MBU and ORTAS came to the mutual decision that Damascus would be the most suitable host city. Below are the 5 cities and their bids:

Key: Host venue Shortlisted venues

Visual design
The contest's slogan, "as it's in our nature.", as well as the official logo and branding were revealed on 27 July 2020. The theme art consists of a glowing star, symbolising the rebirth of Syria following the Syrian civil war.

Presenter(s)
On 3 August 2020, ORTAS announced that rapper Mona Haydar, who represented Syria at the first, third, fifth and sixth editions, and singer Dania Hallak would host the three live shows.

Participating countries


On 6 September 2020, the MBU announced that 33 countries would take part in the contest. Palestine would make their debut appearance, while Andorra and Croatia returned after a one-edition absence. Vatican City withdrew after the country's broadcaster officially terminated their MBU membership. Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Moldova and Montenegro also withdrew without citing any reasons.

Initially, Lebanon had also confirmed their withdrawal due to the aftermath of the 2020 Beirut explosion. On 5 September 2020, it was confirmed that the nation would indeed participate in Damascus.

Semi-final 1
The first semi-final took place on 31 October 2020. Thirteen countries participated in the first semi-final. Those countries plus Algeria, Portugal and Syria voted in this semi-final.

Semi-final 2
The second semi-final took place on 7 December 2020. Fourteen countries participated in the first semi-final. Those countries plus Israel, Libya and San Marino voted in this semi-final.

Final
The final took place on 29 March 2021. Twenty-six countries participated in the final, with all thirty-three 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 EBU issued an invitation to participate in the contest to all active members.

Active MBU members
The following countries and broadcasters confirmed their non-participation without offering further explanation:


 * – ERTU
 * – Al Sharqiya
 * – JRTV
 * – TRM
 * – RTCG

Non-MBU members

 * – On 5 April 2020, Vatican broadcaster Vatican Radio officially terminated their MBU membership which put the country's future participation in doubt. On 16 May 2020, it was announced that the country would no longer participate in the contest.

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

(Austrian representative in #4) 
 * 1)  – Maya Diab (Co-presenter of the 9th edition)
 * 2)  – Miki Núñez
 * 3)  – Damir Kedžo
 * 4)  – Albert Escolà Benet
 * 5)  – Tamta (Greek representative in #9)
 * 6)  – Møme (Monégasque representative in #8 with Merryn Jeann)
 * 7)  – Rialda (Bosnian representative in #6)
 * 8)  – Emel Mathlouthi
 * 9)  – Nina Donelli (Slovene representative in #7 with Đomla KS)
 * 10)  – Ira Losco (Winner of the 3rd edition)
 * 11)  – Jenifer (French representative in #9 with Kylie Minogue)
 * 12)  – Victoria Georgieva
 * 13)  – Inis Neziri (Winner of the 4th edition; co-presenter of the 5th edition)
 * 14)  – Miljana Kulić
 * 15)  – Lucia (Romanian representative in #9)
 * 16)  – Ariane (Liechtensteiner representative in #9)
 * 17)  – Nadia Hasnaoui
 * 18)  – Arany Timi (Hungarian representative in #9)
 * 19)  – Elyanna (Palestinian representative in #11 with Massari)
 * 20)  – Bensu Soral
 * 21)  – Filomena Cautela
 * 22)  – Ellie Goulding (Gibraltarian representative in #3)
 * 23)  – Ruth Lorenzo (Winner of the 2nd edition; Spanish representative in #7)
 * 24)  – Shari (Italian representative in #9)
 * 25)  – LYRA
 * 26)  – Magdalena Ena (Macedonian representative in #2)
 * 27)  – Nadia Ali (Libyan representative in #4 with Sultan & Shepard & IRO)
 * 28)  – Soccer Mommy
 * 29)  – Kylie Minogue (French representative in #9 with Jenifer)
 * 30)  – Mirud
 * 31)  – Annet Artani (Presenter of the 11th edition)
 * 32)  – Zoë
 * 1)  – Safiya (Syrian representative in #4)

Official album
Mediterraneanvision Song Contest: Damascus #10 is the official compilation album of the contest, put together by the Mediterranean Broadcasting Union and released on 1 November 2020. The album features all 33 entries including the semi-finalists that failed to qualify for the final.