AwlaVision Song Contest 30

AwlaVision Song Contest 30, often referred to as ASC#30, was the thirtieth edition of AwlaVision Song Contest, held in Rotterdam, Netherlands. The edition started the 04th May 2018, and ended the 30th May 2018.

46 countries took part in this edition. Turkey debuted in this edition. No one withdrew from ASC. Slovenia returned to the competition. Billie Eilish ft. Khalid from Germany won the contest with the song "Lovely" receiving a total of 336 points, 24 point ahead the runner-up, Latvia. Albania finished in third place with 275 points. The host country, Netherlands achieved a 10th place with 96 points. The last place was for United Kingdom, that got 2 points.

Organisation
After Netherlands' victory in AwlaVision Song Contest 29, AVROTROS and ABU had to decide where to organise the contest this time. AVROTROS organised a public competition for choosing the host city between all applicant cities. Several cities presented their applications and the organisation had to decide which one was the best. Finally, AVROTROS and ABU chose Rotterdam as the host city of ASC30.

AVROTROS decided to use popular and professionals people as presenters. Finally Josje Huisman and Douwe Bob were selected.

Ahoy Rotterdam
The Ahoy Rotterdam is a convention centre and arena located in Rotterdam, Netherlands. Since opening in 1950, the centre has hosted many exhibitions, concerts and sporting events. The centre consists of three main parts: the "Beurs- & Evenementenhallen", "Congres- & Vergadercentrum" and "Ahoy Arena". The main concert venue, the Ahoy Arena, opened on 15 January 1971.

The basis of the present Ahoy was laid in 1950. After the devastation caused by the Second World War, the city of Rotterdam had worked on reconstruction and Rotterdam port was virtually complete. To mark the occasion, the Rotterdam Ahoy! exhibition was held in a purpose-built hall on the site where the medical faculty of the Erasmus University now stands.

The exhibition hall was called the Ahoy'-Hal. The apostrophe is a remnant of the original exclamation mark. The hall was used for a series of national and international events, such as the exhibition of the architect Frank Lloyd Wright’s work. During the North Sea flood of 1953 the hall also proved its worth as a reception centre for victims.

Ahoy Rotterdam, in its current form, was built in 1970. The complex’s striking design won various national and international awards for its special steel structures. The design of the venue took inspiration from the water, with the building laid out like a ship. The first event to be held there was the Femina family exhibition. Since then, Ahoy has been expanded on a number of occasions, and was renovated and refurbished in 1998 to create today’s multifunctional venue.

Rotterdam
Rotterdam is a city in the Netherlands, located in South Holland, within the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt river delta at the North Sea. Its history goes back to 1270 when a dam was constructed in the Rotte river by people settled around it for safety. In 1340 Rotterdam was granted city rights by the Count of Holland and slowly grew into a major logistic and economic centre. Nowadays it is home to Europe's largest port and has a population of 633,471, ranking second in the Netherlands. The Greater Rijnmond area is home to approximately 1.4 million people and the Rotterdam The Hague Metropolitan Area makes for the 168th most populous urban area in the world. Rotterdam is part of the yet larger Randstad conurbation with a total population of 7,100,000.

The city of Rotterdam is known for the Erasmus University, riverside setting, lively cultural life and its maritime heritage. The near-complete destruction of Rotterdam's city centre during World War II (known as the Rotterdam Blitz) has resulted in a varied architectural landscape including sky-scrapers, which are an uncommon sight in other Dutch cities. Rotterdam is home to some world-famous architecture from renowned architects like Rem Koolhaas, Piet Blom, Ben van Berkel and others. Recently Rotterdam was listed eighth in The Rough Guide Top 10 Cities to Visit and fifth in Lonely Planet's Best in Travel 2016 and was voted 2015 European City of the Year by the Academy of Urbanism.

The port of Rotterdam is the largest cargo port in Europe and the 10th largest in the world. Rotterdam's logistic success is based on its strategic location on the North Sea, directly at the mouth of the Nieuwe Maas (New Meuse) channel leading into the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta. The rivers Rhine, Meuse, and Scheldt give waterway access into the heart of Western Europe, including the highly industrialized Ruhr region. The extensive distribution system including rail, roads and waterways have earned Rotterdam the nickname "Gateway to Europe", and, conversely; "Gateway to the World" in Europe.

This is the second time in the contest that AwlaVision Song Contest is held in Netherlands. Actually, in ASC13 it was organized in the same city and arena.

Participants
46 countries took part in the edition.

Debuting countries
Bellow a list of all debuting countries:

Returning countries
Bellow a list of all returning countries:

First Semifinal
Jury
 * (Host)
 * (Finalist)
 * (Finalist)

Second Semifinal
Jury
 * (Finalist)
 * (Finalist)
 * (Finalist)