Zendari Song Contest 16

Zendari Song Contest 16 is the sixteenth edition of Zendari Song Contest. It will most likely be hosted in the winning country of the previous edition. The contest will consist of two semi-finals and a final.

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

Location
A list of venues interested in hosting the fourteenth edition of Zendari Song Contest was revealed. 2 venues have been announced to have shown interest in hosting the contest. The ZBA announced the conditions under which cities and venues could announce their interest in hosting the contest.


 * The host city has to be near a major airport.
 * The venue must have good connections to public transport.
 * The venue must be available for at least six weeks before the contest and one week after the conclusion of the contest.
 * The venue must not be open-air, but an air-conditioned building with a capacity of at least 10,000 and a minimum ceiling height of 15 metres (49 ft), insulated for sound and light.
 * The green room must be located as close to the arena as possible (or within it), with a capacity of 300.

Host venue

Provisional list of participating countries
To join Zendari Song Contest, please visit the Joining Zendari Song Contest page for more info.

'''All countries have until the 26th of August 2018 23:59 CET to confirm their participation! and until the until the 9th of September 2018 23:59 CET to submit entries!'''

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 the 10 August, Jiouji announced it's withdrawal from this edition. With no reasoning given.
 * - On the 5 August, Rhosỳna's broadcaster; DTR, announced that it was unsure about it's continued participation in the Zendari Song Contest. On the 9 August, A spokesperson for DTR confirmed that a decision will be made after the results of the Semi Finals in the previous edition.
 * - On the 5 August, a spokesperson for XMV stated that Xaliqtyva's participation in the 16th edition of the Zendari Song Contest was "unlikely" as a result of financial issues.
 * - On the 5th August, a spokesperson from ÜTV, Marjorie Dawes, announced that Üsmilar participation for the 16th edition, due to "budget cuts and scheduling conflicts". However, she did state that, if they were going to participate they would retract their national final, Smileyfestivalë because of budget cuts and the lack of interest from juries. They included that, they are planning to take a slant with their entries to adapt with the tastes of other delegations or base it from the attitudes from the delegation about the contest.
 * - On the 5 August, Yuvia's public broadcaster; ITR, stated via facebook that participation regarding the 16th edition "would be possible, but extremely unlikely", due to internal struggles with ITR and competing broadcasters. Also, a notable drop in ratings and views on the Zendari Song Contest show is another culprit for their expected withdrawal.
 * - On the 7 August, Alirie's head of delegation, Tiffany Pollard stated that Alirie will be withdrawing from the Zendari Song Contest after hosting as they need to put more funding into their military. She also stated that she believes the song contest has run it's course.