AwlaVision Song Contest 18

AwlaVision Song Contest 18, often referred to as ASC#18, was the eighteenth edition of AwlaVision Song Contest, held in Glasgow, Scotland. The edition started the 03rd May 2017, and ended the 24th May 2017.

42 countries took part in this edition. No one debuted in this edition. Andorra and Kazakhstan withdrew from ASC. No one returned to the competition. Ana Mena ft. CNCO from Spain won the contest with the song "Ahora lloras tú" receiving a total of 379 points, 128 point ahead the runner-up, Poland. Norway finished in third place with 239 points. The host country, Scotland achieved a 11th place with 92 points. The last place was for Albania, that got 0 points.

Organisation
After Scotland's victory in AwlaVision Song Contest 17, BBC Scotland and ABU had to decide where to organise the contest this time. The projects were from Glasgow (SSE Hydro and Emirates Arena), Ayr (Ayr Ice Rink) and Renfrewshire (Braehead Arena). Finally, BBC Scotland and ABU chose Glasgow as the host city of ASC18.

BBC Scotland decided to use popular and professionals people as presenters. Finally Alesha Goddard and Christina Parie were selected.

SSE Hydro
The SSE Hydro is a multi-purpose indoor arena located within the Scottish Event Campus in Glasgow, Scotland. The arena was initially named The Hydro after its main sponsor, energy company Scottish & Southern Energy subsidiary Scottish Hydro. The company then re-branded itself and its subsidiary companies as SSE, however the Hydro name was retained despite it no longer being a trading name. The arena was designed by the London-based architects Foster + Partners and officially opened on 30 September 2013, with a concert by Rod Stewart. The arena handled 751,487 ticket sales in 2016, making it the eighth-busiest music arena in the world in terms of ticket sales. It also hosted the UFC's first event in Scotland - an event which was impossible to hold in any other arena in the country.

The SECC identified the need for a new arena in which sports and other public events could be held. Previously, such events were held in Concert Hall 4, in the SECC main building. However, the venue's audience capacity is limited, seating just over 10,000. Therefore, it is unable to accommodate the high attendance typically associated with large-scale performance events, such as rock concerts and children’s shows. The new arena is located with the SEC Centre and the SEC Armadillo and hosts international musical stars, global entertainment and sporting events, with an aim to attract one million visitors each year. Planning for the SSE Hydro began some time in 2001 as the second redevelopment of the Queens Dock in Glasgow. By 2003, a plan had been unveiled for a £125 million entertainment arena, holding 12,000 seated audience members and 1,000 standing. London-based architects Foster and Partners were appointed as the design team for the Hydro by 2004 with Glasgow-based Elphinsone additionally appointed as the preferred developer for the site. The design of the arena was finally released to the press by 2005, and the SECC gained full planning consent for the arena by 2006. Construction for the arena finally began in February 2011 by construction company Lend Lease. By November 2011, building work for the roof of the arena had begun, which was completed by April 2013. The arena's signature translucent outer cushions were installed in May 2013, along with the seating inside of the arena, marking construction of the arena completed, taking two years to complete. At approximately 3:20 pm on 8 June 2013, flames were reported to be coming from the domed roof of the partially completed building. Forty fire fighters from the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service attended the blaze. It was determined that the fire was caused by ongoing welding work on the building's roof. On 18 June, the venue's operator revealed that despite additional challenges, work on the venue was still on track.

On December 14, 2014 the BBC Sports Personality of the Year Award ceremony was held at the venue. During the 2014 Commonwealth Games the SSE Hydro was home to the netball and gymnastic events. On July 18, 2015 the UFC held their inaugural Scottish event UFC Fight Night: Bisping vs. Leites at the Hydro. From October 23 to November 1, 2015 the SSE Hydro hosted the Artistic gymnastics world championships. The SSE Hydro was host to the largest televised debate seen in Scotland's history, Scotland Decides: The Big, Big Debate, held on September 11, 2014 towards the end of the Scottish independence referendum, 2014 campaign. The Mentorn/BBC Scotland organised debate, in which every secondary school in Scotland was invited to take part, involved around 7,500 first time voters and was broadcast on BBC One during the evening of 11 September 2014 and was presented by James Cook.

Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland, and third largest in the United Kingdom. Historically part of Lanarkshire, it is now one of the 32 council areas of Scotland. It is situated on the River Clyde in the country's West Central Lowlands. Inhabitants of the city are referred to as Glaswegians.

Glasgow grew from a small rural settlement on the River Clyde to become the largest seaport in Britain. Expanding from the medieval bishopric and royal burgh, and the later establishment of the University of Glasgow in the 15th century, it became a major centre of the Scottish Enlightenment in the 18th century. From the 18th century the city also grew as one of Great Britain's main hubs of transatlantic trade with North America and the West Indies. With the onset of the Industrial Revolution, the population and economy of Glasgow and the surrounding region expanded rapidly to become one of the world's pre-eminent centres of chemicals, textiles and engineering; most notably in the shipbuilding and marine engineering industry, which produced many innovative and famous vessels. Glasgow was the "Second City of the British Empire" for much of the Victorian era and Edwardian period, although many cities argue the title was theirs. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries Glasgow grew in population, reaching a peak of 1,127,825 in 1938. Comprehensive urban renewal projects in the 1960s, resulting in large-scale relocation of people to new towns and peripheral suburbs, followed by successive boundary changes, reduced the population of the City of Glasgow council area to 599,650 with 1,209,143 people living in the Greater Glasgow urban area. The entire region surrounding the conurbation covers about 2.3 million people, 41% of Scotland's population. At the 2011 census, Glasgow had a population density of 8,790/sq mi (3,390/km2), the highest of any Scottish city.

Despite its northerly latitude, similar to that of Moscow, Glasgow's climate is classified as oceanic. Temperatures are usually higher than most places of equal latitude away from the UK, due to the warming influence of the Gulf Stream. However, this results in less distinct seasons as compared to much of Western Europe. Since 2000 Glasgow has experienced few very cold, snowy and harsh winters where temperatures have fallen much below freezing. The most extreme instances have however seen temperatures around −12 °C in the area. Snowfall accumulation is infrequent and short-lived. The spring months (March to May) are usually mild and often quite pleasant. Overcast and humid conditions without rain are frequent. Generally the weather pattern is quite unsettled and erratic during these months, with only occasional heatwaves. The warmest month is usually July, with average highs above 20 °C. Summer days can occasionally reach up to 27 °C, and very rarely exceed 30 °C.

This is the first time in the contest that AwlaVision Song Contest is held in Scotland.

Participants
42 countries took part in the edition.

Withdrawing countries
Bellow a list of all withdrawing countries:

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

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