Mediterraneanvision Song Contest 8

The Mediterraneanvision Song Contest 8 was the eighth edition of the Mediterraneanvision Song Contest. It took place in Thessaloniki, Greece, following the country's victory at the with the song "To Be Human" by MARINA. Organised by the Mediterranean Broadcasting Union (MBU) and host broadcaster Hellenic Broadcasting Corporation (ERT), the contest was held at the PAOK Sports Arena and consisted of two semi-finals on 30 October and 25 November 2019, and the final on 1 January 2020. The three live shows were presented by Katerine Duska.

Thirty countries participated in the contest. Bosnia and Herzegovina, Hungary, Kosovo, Lebanon, Libya and Malta returned after a one-edition absence. Algeria, Bulgaria, Egypt, Spain and Tunisia withdrew.

The winner was Lebanon with the song "Almost Lover", performed by Shirin. This was Lebanon's first victory in the contest. This was also the first time that an Asian country won the contest and the first time that an Arab country won the contest. Monaco placed second and host country Greece placed third. Iraq, Malta and Libya rounded out the top six and along with the top three, they would go on to become members of the "Big 6" in the next edition.

Location
The eighth edition was held in Thessaloniki, Greece, following the country's victory at the seventh edition with the song "To Be Human", performed by MARINA. The selected venue was the PAOK Sports Arena.

Preparations for the eighth edition began on 8 September 2019, immediately after Greece won the eighth edition in Monaco. The Mediterranean Broadcasting Union (MBU) handed ERT, the Greek 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 11 September 2019, it was confirmed by ERT that 9 cities had submitted bids to host the contest. The hosting broadcaster reviewed the bids presented and on 13 September 2019 announced that it eliminated those for Athens, Kozani, Lamia, Patras, Rhodes and Xanthi, shortlisting the three remaining cities - Heraklion, Larissa and Thessaloniki. Athens was specifically eliminated because ERT decided to host the contest in a new city to showcase a different part of Greece. The city had previously hosted the. On 18 September, Thessaloniki was announced as the host city. Below are the 9 cities and their bids:

Key: Host venue Shortlisted venues

Visual design
The contest's slogan, "To Be Human, To Be One!", as well as the official logo and branding were revealed on 18 September 2019, shortly after the host city announcement.

Presenter(s)
On 4 October 2019, ERT announced that Greek-Canadian singer-songwriter Katerine Duska would host the three live shows.

Participating countries


0n 5 October 2019, the MBU announced that 30 countries would take part in the contest. Bosnia and Herzegovina, Hungary, Kosovo, Lebanon, Libya and Malta would return after a one-edition absence. Algeria, Bulgaria, Egypt, Spain and Tunisia withdrew.

Semi-final 1
The first semi-final took place on 30 October 2019. Twelve countries participated in the first semi-final. Those countries plus San Marino, Serbia and Switzerland voted in this semi-final.

Semi-final 2
The second semi-final took place on 25 November 2019. Twelve countries participated in the second semi-final. Those countries plus Cyprus, Greece and Romania voted in this semi-final.

Final
The final took place on 1 January 2020. Twenty-six countries participated in the final, with all thirty 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

 * – Bulgarian National Television (BNT) confirmed the country's withdrawal on 4 October 2019 citing the broadcaster's financial difficulties as the reason.


 * – On 3 October 2019, Jordan Radio and Television Corporation (JRTV) confirmed that it would not take part in the eighth edition. When questioned about their non-participation on 3 November 2019, JRTV made a comment stating: "We are currently not interested in participating, however, a return in a future edition has not been ruled out". Jordan had last taken part in the.


 * – Despite initially confirming participation, on 1 October 2019 Macedonian Radio Television (MRT) confirmed that they would not be making a return to the eighth edition due to "a management decision". North Macedonia had last taken part in the.


 * – Despite initially confirming participation, on 29 September 2019 Radiotelevisión Española (RTVE) confirmed that due to some sudden scheduling issues, the country's participation was in doubt. On 4 October 2019, the broadcaster officially announced that Spain would not be participating, but a return to the was most likely.


 * – Despite initially confirming participation, on 1 October 2019 Établissement de la Radiodiffusion-Télévision Tunisienne (ERTT) confirmed that due to the unexpected resignation of their head of delegation, their participation was in doubt. Tunisia was not on the final list of participants released by the MBU on 5 October 2019.

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


 * – EPTV
 * – ERTU
 * – ORTAS

Non-MBU members

 * – In August 2019, Palestinian Broadcasting Corporation (PBC) stated that they were still pushing to become an MBU member, however a final vote on their membership would not take place until during the, thus not allowing the country to be able to debut in the eighth edition.

Official album
Mediterraneanvision Song Contest: Thessaloniki #8 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 30 entries including the semi-finalists that failed to qualify for the final.