Chummervision Song Contest 2017

The Chummervision Song Contest 2017 will be the 11th edition of the Chummervision Song Contest and the first edition to take place annually, succeeding the former bi-annual format.

Format
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Venue
Five venues from three cities put forward a bid to host the 2017 contest. The deadline for venues to submit their bid was February 6 2017. The voting process began taking place in April 2017, with a preliminary round taking place on 20 April to decide a final two. The host city was unintentionally confirmed as Gasgar, due to coincidentally being the location of both final two venues.

The winning venue was selected on 24 April. The Beats Stadium won in a vote of 52-48 between CBU delegates. Despite disapproval from many delegates towards a brand name venue, the majority were in agreement that the venue was in a suitable place "in the heart of Gasgar" and "with the spirit of Swogervia, and the spirit of the Chummervision Song Contest. It is highly suitable to host the biggest song contest in Chummerope."

Semi-final allocation draw
The draw that will determine the semi-final allocation was held on 28 July 2017 at the CBU conference centre in Swogervia. The participating countries, excluding the automatic finalists (Aitze, Dandenia, Glass, Sia, Swogervia and UOCT Republic), were split into 5 pots in total based on voting patterns from previous contests and geographic location. From these pots, 19 were allocated to compete in the first semi-final on 16 August 2017 and 19 were allocated to compete in the second semi-final on 18 August 2017.

Semi-Final 1
The first semi-final will take place on 16 August. Aitze, Glass and Sia will vote and perform in this semi-final.

Semi-Final 2
The second semi-final will take place on 18 August. Dandenia, Swogervia and UOCT Republic will vote and perform in this semi-final.

Returning Artists
While there were no returning artists from previous contests, Judah & The Lion represented Moona in the Chummervision Radio Festival 2017 Unplugged.

Suspension of W'ree
In March 2017, the W'reean government declared war on Chummerope and immediately annexed Sveesveer. Sveesveer became a claimed dominion of W'ree and was immediately renamed to Sveesveeristan. Due to the conflict and rise of W'ree as a potential threat to Chummerope, the CBU decided to forcibly suspend them from the contest, meaning they would not be able to take part in 2017 or any future contests until further notice or a change in the political situation. Many questions were raised over what impact this would have on the contest, on the remaining Big 4 countries, and on whether or not Sveesveeristan would also still take part. The CBU stated that there were no sanctions on Sveesveeristan taking part in the contest, and they would be allowed to continue participating if they wished. Ultimately, Sveesveeristan chose to take part in the contest, revealing their participation and entry in July 2017.

CBU reached out to potential 'Big' countries which had not yet taken part in the contest, Glass and Sia. Both countries accepted a formal invitation and made their debut for 2017.

Illuminatia's participation
Illuminatia announced their debut in April 2017, following acceptance of a formal invitation from the CBU. The invitation from the CBU was sent to the entire nation of Glass, however due to a loophole, Illuminatia was able to accept the invitation outright and take part as a single nation. This sparked controversy in Glass, where Illuminatia is claimed as a shrapnel and is not a sovereign nation. As its status as a disputed nation, Illuminatia should not have been able to take part in the contest. There was a lot of speculation over their debut potentially being a conspiracy, with many believing it to be the work of the Illuminati, The Bilderberg Group, and Illuminatian president George Soros. Ultimately these claims were refuted vehemently by the CBU and Soros TV.

The upset in Glass caused many to believe the CBU were making a political statement, promoting Illuminatia as a sovereign nation rather than being a part of Glass itself. Glass announced their debut two months after Illuminatia. A spokesperson for GRTN stated that it was necessary to 'legitimise' what was seen as a 'debut of part of Glass without the entire country being present'. A debut by Glass was stated as 'inevitable' should any shrapnel illegitimately take part in a contest as a sovereign nation without full sovereignty.

Boiztamin's entry
On 24 July 2017, Grammy award winning multi-platinum selling artist Chance The Rapper was announced as Boiztamin's representative. It was revealed through leaks that a multi-million deal had been struck in order to acquire him, sparking controversy from many who saw it as a publicity stunt that undermined the nature of the contest. Boiztamani broadcaster B2 defended the choice, stating "We are very lucky to get someone like Chance The Rapper on board. He is one of our finest artists, and he is the perfect representative for our country. We have wanted someone like him for a long time". In spite of this, many fan groups called for Boiztamin to withdraw their entry and choose someone unknown instead. The CBU ultimately stated that Boiztamin would not withdraw their artist and Chance The Rapper would be allowed to compete.

Debuting countries

 * - On June 26 2017, Glisten broadcaster GRTN confirmed they would be entering the contest for 2017. A spokesperson confirmed in an interview "OK let's do this. We're gonna bring some shiny Glass to the Chummervision stage. Illuminatia aren't getting away with this one."
 * - In March 2017, speculations arose that Illumiantia could make their debut for the 2017 contest. As a disputed shrapnel of Glass, it was unknown if they would be allowed to participate as they would need to apply for special CBU membership. On April 5th 2017, it was confirmed Illuminatia had been invited to the contest by the CBU, which was later accepted by Illuminatia's local broadcaster Soros TV. It is possible they may not be allowed to participate if the Glisten government intervenes, however no representative of Glass has commented on the situation thus far.
 * - On March 16th 2017, following W'ree's withdrawal from the contest, it was confirmed the CBU had invited Sia to take part in the contest instead. In July 2017, after seemingly declining all previous invitations, Sia shocked Chummerope by accepting and revealing their entry on the final day of admission.

Withdrawing countries

 * - On March 16th 2017, following the annexation of Sveesveer, declaration of war against Sia and threats to conquer Chummerope, it was confirmed by the CBU that W'ree was indefinitely suspended from participating in the Chummervision Song Contest, citing disapproval at the country's actions.

Returning countries

 * - Gaer was suspended from taking part in the contest from Summer 2015 to Winter 2016. The suspension was lifted in Summer 2016, however they did not return. On March 25 2017, it was confirmed by an OMG! spokesperson that Gaer would make their return for the 2017 contest, stating "Bitches are NOT ready ;) We are about to slay honey x"

Former countries

 * - Gibberland has been suspended from the contest since Winter 2016 due to ongoing human rights abuse investigations. On April 24 2017, it was confirmed by a CBU spokesperson that they would not be making their return to the contest for 2017.