Zendari Song Contest 3

Zendari Song Contest 3 is the third edition of Zendari Song Contest. It will most be hosted in Qyzylsha, the winning country from the previous edition. The contest will consist of two semi-finals and a final.

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

Location
On 5th of February 2018, The broadcaster of the Republic of Qyzylsha announced that it would host the contest and called for various cities throughout the country to place bids to host the contest. After the bidding process had concluded it was revealed that the contest would take place in the city of Ul-Azaar, the capital and largest city, in the Azaar Amphitheatre which had been used as the venue for various concerts and events since being opening in 2009. The arena is one of the most modern in the country and boasts a capacity of 65,000, making it the largest in the country.

Bidding phase
A few 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

Participating countries
Everyone is able to vote in both semi-finals. Everyone who votes in the opposite semi that they're not in will have their points added together separately, with the top scorer being the 11th qualifier of each semi-final.

Countries who are not competing in this edition are also allowed to vote, but must vote in both semi-finals in order for their points to be counted.

Semi Final 1
Titonüi, Wallica and Yuvia were randomly drawn to vote in this semi-final.

A playlist can soon be found here, and a recap can soon be found here.

Semi Final 2
Aquazia and Qyzylsha were randomly drawn to vote in this semi-final.

A playlist can soon be found here, and a recap can soon be found here.

Shairian entrant
On the 7th of February 2018, it was announced that Dua Lipa was going to be the Shairian entrant in Zendari Song Contest 3, with the song "Genesis". However, on the 8th of February 2018, it was revealed that Dua Lipa had snapped her ribcage, and was forced to pull out of the contest. Shortly after this announcement, The Shairian Life announced that Nicky Tuckova would represent Shairia with the song "Rich Boy".

International broadcasts and voting
The contest was broadcasted in over 50 countries.

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

 * - Despite placing in the top 5 in the previous edition, National Television of Chattahoochee announced their withdrawal from the contest on the 28th of January 2018, citing time constraints as the main reason for their withdrawal. It is assumed that the country will return to Zendari Song Contest in the near future.
 * - On the 7th of February 2018, El Sputniko announced their withdrawal from the contest, due to lack of time.
 * - On the 7th of Feburary 2018, LandTV announced their withdrawal from the contest, citing bad results as the main reason for their withdrawal, but also that their music taste were not similar to the other countries who were competing in the contest. They did not rule out a return in the future.
 * - On the 5th of February 2018, JM4K announced their withdrawal from the contest, due to coming last in the previous edition. It is unknown if they will compete in any upcoming editions of the contest.
 * - On the 5th of February 2018, Víθs Radijos announced that they would be withdrawing from Zendari Song Contest, and that a return was unlikely to happen. A reason behind this decision has not been made public.
 * - On the 14th of February 2018, it was announced by the Head of Delegation, Brianna, that Sosij may make a last minute withdrawal from the contest, claiming they were not happy about the process of fat shaming within the competing nations, or the use of names negatively whilst people are not present. Despite this, Sosij decided to stay in the contest.
 * - On the 2nd of February 2018, the national broadcaster of The Zarélands announced that they would withdraw from the contest due to lack of time, but that they would return in the future.