AwlaVision Song Contest 11

AwlaVision Song Contest 11, often referred to as ASC#11, was the eleventh edition of AwlaVision Song Contest, held in Ruse, Bulgaria. The edition started the 2nd October 2016, and ended the 27th October 2016.

37 countries took part in this edition. Austria, Belarus and Slovakia debuted in this edition. Kazakhstan withdraw from ASC. Iceland returned to the competition. Sibel Redzep from Macedonia won the contest with the song "Our generation" receiving a total of 203 points, 9 points ahead the runner-up, Sweden. Germany finished in third place with 190 points. The host country, Bulgaria achieved a 22nd place with 20 points. The last place was for Croatia, that got only 2 points.

Organisation
After Bulgaria's victory in AwlaVision Song Contest 10, BNT and ABU had to decide where to organise the contest this time. The projects were from Sofia (Arena Armeec), Plovdiv (Kolodruma), Varna (Palace of Culture and Sports) and Ruse (Bulstrad Arena). Finally, BNT and ABU chose Ruse as the host city of ASC11.

BNT decided to use popular and professionals people as presenters. Finally Poli Genova and Gery-Nikol were selected.

Bulstrad Arena
The Bulstrad Arena is an indoor arena located in Ruse, Bulgaria. It is one of the most modern venues in Southeastern Europe with a seating capacity of 5,100 spectators. Positioned in a convenient location beside the city stadium, the arena is within walking distance of the city center and only 1.5 km away from the Ruse Central railway station. An underground parking facility for 150 vehicles is available. There are plans for the construction of a shopping mall and a five-star hotel near the arena in the future.

Projects for the sports hall were first established in 1972 and construction commenced four years later. Work was suspended on numerous occasions throughout the 80s and the end of the socialist period completely terminated all efforts to finish the indoor arena. Works were unfrozen in 2007 when Ruse Municipality signed a contract for the completion of the sports hall with a private investor. The Bobokovi brothers, well known for their industrial businesses in the country were the private investor. They planned to build a grand shopping mall, as well as a five-star hotel in the area near the sports complex. Construction proceeded rapidly and virtually all ground works and the concrete base of the building were completed. A second, shorter period of inactivity began in 2010 and lasted three years.

Ruse Municipality agreed to purchase the multiple-floor underground parking of the sports hall in 2013 and financed construction with BGN 11 million provided by the national budget. Finishing works to the arena continued for nearly two years. After numerous postponements, the mayor of the city announced an opening date of July 23, 2015 with a concert by renowned Bulgarian singer Lili Ivanova.

Ruse
Ruse is the fifth largest city in Bulgaria. Ruse is located in the northeastern part of the country, on the right bank of the Danube, opposite the Romanian city of Giurgiu, approximately 75 km south of Bucharest, Romania's capital, 200 km from the Bulgarian Black Sea Coast and 300 km from the capital Sofia. It is the most significant Bulgarian river port, serving an important part of the international trade of the country.

Ruse is known for its 19th- and 20th-century Neo-Baroque and Neo-Rococo architecture, which attracts many tourists. It is often called the Little Vienna. The Ruse-Giurgiu Friendship Bridge, until 14th June 2013 the only one in the shared Bulgarian-Romanian section of the Danube, crosses the river here.

Ruse has a continental climate with very hot summers and relatively cold winters. Owing to its position on the Danubian Plain, the city's winters can get windy. Winter temperatures often dip below 0 °C, sometimes even to −20 °C. In summer, the average temperature is 25 °C. Temperatures frequently reach 35 to 40 °C in mid-summer in the city centre and stay as low as 18 to 20 °C (64 to 68 °F) during the nights. During spring and autumn, daytime temperatures vary between 17 to 22 °C, and precipitation during this time tends to be higher than in summer, with more frequent yet milder periods of rain. The highest temperature ever recorded was 44.0 C and the lowest was −22.8 C.

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

Participants
37 countries took part in the edition.

Debuting countries
Bellow a list of all debuting countries:

Withdrawing countries
Bellow a list of all withdrawing countries:

Returning countries
Bellow a list of all returning countries:

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

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