EFV 06 - Rabat, Morocco

Bidding Phase & Entry Acceptance
As the sixth edition of the contest, it was previously decided on the Council Meeting that the previous champion would host the following season of the contest. Rabat was the chosen city to host the contest, being indicated by Morocco's Head of Delegation. The 32 participating countries had almost a week before the closure of the previous season and the opening of the current season to send their entries and the Management Team could organize the Official Playlist for the voting. Most of the delegations sent their entries with their final votes.

Motto
Morocco was the first EFV host city which didn't want to carry a motto to represent the contest. The Management Team delegates the choice of a motto to the host country, which is optional.

Visual Identity
Considering that Morocco is the first country with arabian influence in the contest, the Management Team decided on a mix of conservative use of Morocco's national colours (green and red) combined with a lansdcape of the traditional Hassan Tower, in Rabat.

Artists & Entries
Here you can find a list with the 32 entries in the competition. The winner is listed in bold/italic.

Semifinals Running Order & Voting
Due to the number of contestants, EFV had the use of Semifinals and Final Rounds. All countries were drawn and allocated in two semifinals. The Top 3 countries were also allocated to vote in the Semifinals, but they would only perform in the Grand Final.

Grand Final Running Order & Voting
Right after the host country Morocco failed to vote in the semifinal it was allocated to vote, the Management Team decided to preserve the 20 positions in the Final Round replacing the host country and also relocating the Final Round according to the approved rules. The Final Round took place in Luxembourg-Ville, capital city of Luxembourg (Runner Up in the previous season). All visual identity logos were changed in time for the Final Round to be held in a new atmosphere.

Winner Acceptance
Right after the disqualification of Finland, Canada and Philippines for failing to vote, EFV didn't have any problems to declare Luxembourg winner, receiving 96 points.

Curiosities & Notes

 * 1) If four countries hadn't failed to vote in the Final Round, the results would have been totally different, with Finland, Canada and Philippines composing the following Top 3 countries.
 * 2) It was the first time that a song in German was placed inside the Top 3 songs.
 * 3) Considering that the Final Round was moved to a second country (Luxembourg) which won the contest right after the votes, it is possible to say that Luxembourg is the first winner that celebrated a victory "at home".
 * 4) Among the finalists of the season, there was only one previous winner (Chile).