Zendarifestivalen 9

Zendarifestivalen 9 is the nineth edition of Zendarifestivalen. The contest will consist of four or five semi-finals, a second chance and a final.

If any new countries wish to join, please visit the Joining Zendari Song Contest page for more info.

Rules
Basic Zendari Rules:


 * The running time of the song cannot be less than 1:30, and the song cannot be longer than 10 minutes.
 * No song is too mainstream or obscure for Zendarifestivalen. However, the song must not have competed in Eurovision Song Contest or Zendari Song Contest.
 * A music video is not essential but the song must be available on YouTube. Contestants will be allowed to upload and submit a song themselves, provided that it is not removed by the copyright holder.
 * The song cannot have competed in Zendari Song Contest or Zendarifestivalen previously, including if the song has been sung by a different artist.
 * An artist cannot sing two songs in a contest. First come, first served.
 * Instrumentals, covers and remixes of songs are allowed, however, mashups and remixes where several songs are included are not allowed.
 * All songs must be free of hateful and discriminating lyrics.
 * Feel free to make a page for an artist/duo and claim that they're from your country, however, there is no rule that people have to ask you for permission in order to send an artist from your country.   Feel free to ask for permission, but it's not a rule that you must follow.
 * There are no restrictions relating to spoken language of entries, however all lyrics must follow the same rules.

Some other rules just for Zendarifestivalen:


 * Everyone with a country is allowed to participate. Countries that haven't participated in Zendari Song Contest is allowed to compete.
 * The contest will follow the format of Melodifestivalen with 4 semi finals, a second chance and a grand final.
 * The voting in each semifinal will be 75% juries and 25% televote. Juries -> the countries that participating in that semifinal, they vote by the original 12-1 points. The televote is a poll for everyone to vote in, even people who isn't in that semifinal. The votes in the poll will be changed into % to know how much points each entry gets from the televote.
 * In each semifinal (if its 8 participants in each), 2 countries will go to the grand final, 2 countries will go to the second chance, 4 will be eliminated. This could change if there will be more than 8 countries in each semifinal.
 * This contest only have 33 spots, so please only join if you have time for it. If you join and forget to vote in semis/second chance or the final, you will be banned from 1 edition of Zendarifestivalen.

Feel free to talk to the management with ideas or if you think we should change any rules.

Pots
Pots for the are based of the ranks in Zendarifestivalen Ranking. With 4 pots where 2 countries from each pot will be drawn into each semi final. The number in the is the rank of the country.

Voting Rules
Here is how you vote: Always send in all of your votes in private to Tottzi#0541 on Discord!

You MUST vote in the semi final your own country participates in. Participants in a semi final will give out 12, 10, 8, 6, 4, 2 and 1 point.

But you also have to televote in one other semi final. Participants in Semi Final 1 MUST Jury vote in Semi Final 1 and televote in Semi Final 2. Participants in Semi Final 2 MUST Jury vote in Semi Final 2 and televote in Semi Final 1. Participants in Semi Final 3 MUST Jury vote in Semi Final 3 and televote in Semi Final 4. Participants in Semi Final 4 MUST Jury vote in Semi Final 4 and televote in Semi Final 3.

But feel free to televote in all semi finals!

Jury Votes: All the 8 countries (+ AQs) that participates in the semi final. Each country will give out 12, 10, 8, 6, 4, 2 and 1 points.

Televote: This is when you vote in the other 3 semi finals you don't participate in. Each country will give out 12, 10, 8, 6, 4, 2, 1 and 0 points.

For the Semi Finals the points will be divided 60/40. (This can be changed) Jury votes give out 387 points in a semi final. Televotes give out 258 points in a semi final. So there will be jury points and televote points in each semi final.

In the Grand Final the percentage % of Jury votes and Televotes is:
 * 1-4 televoters = 20% televote & 80% Jury vote.
 * 5-6 televoters = 30% televote & 70% Jury vote.
 * 7-8 televoters = 40% televote & 60% Jury vote.
 * 9 or more televoters = 50/50.

Other countries
Eligibility for potential participation in Zendari Song Contest requires a national broadcaster with an active ZBA membership that is be able to broadcast the contest. All countries with an active ZBA membership have been given an invitation to join this edition.

Active ZBA countries

 * - On 26 February 2019, it was announced by the national broadcaster, NeoTV, that a decision regarding participation has yet to be taken. They also issued thanks to those who voted for the Neol entry in the previous edition, and expressed their wishes that "other delegations choose to take the contest seriously, and refrain from submitting entries that mock the contest".