WorldVision Song Contest 83 | OOC | SIGNUPS CLOSED

[Ertzei Kishim]

I would have thought "semi-regular" would be, well... less frequent than that. I was thinking around 15-20 editions (2 years or so).

Can't there be an option for us to throw both of these out, especially if neither of these satisfy the Yes voters?

Because after our consultation those who voted "Yes" achieved a huge majority, we didn't see the need to include an option to reject the idea of special editions because an overwhelming number of people expressed a desire to continue with them.

If you are referring to an alternative answer to the frequency at which they take place, we have discarded options that had little or no other support (such as your suggestion of per 25 editions), and those where the time frame was extremely similar (so every 6 months and every 5 editions, where there is 6 weeks difference). Particularly in the case of the latter, because the majority of people had no preference to the calendar schedule or WorldVision schedule, we decided on the committee it would be easier for us to plan if we worked on a system per edition.

[Mister X]

I would have thought "semi-regular" would be, well... less frequent than that. I was thinking around 15-20 editions (2 years or so).

Can't there be an option for us to throw both of these out, especially if neither of these satisfy the Yes voters?

Because after our consultation those who voted "Yes" achieved a huge majority, we didn't see the need to include an option to reject the idea of special editions because an overwhelming number of people expressed a desire to continue with them.

That's not quite what I meant... will of the people etc...

If you are referring to an alternative answer to the frequency at which they take place, we have discarded options that had little or no other support (such as your suggestion of per 25 editions), and those where the time frame was extremely similar (so every 6 months and every 5 editions, where there is 6 weeks difference). Particularly in the case of the latter, because the majority of people had no preference to the calendar schedule or WorldVision schedule, we decided on the committee it would be easier for us to plan if we worked on a system per edition.

I understand, but I'm not wholly sure that adequately responds to what I was saying, because it depends exactly how many ideas were thrown out, and whether those rejected suggestions made up more than 50% of the respondents - unless 50% backed either 5 or 10 editions (6m/12m), which would be one guaranteed way of settling it (mainly because I'd be stunned into silence, since I find it quite difficult to believe that). To that extent anyone backing 11 or more edition cycles (or 18 months, 2 years, bwoah) is kinda being thrown out altogether, especially if that represents a large amount of people. A third option doesn't even need to be specific: could well just be "neither, reopen consultation", "longer", "formal abstention"...

I do think the current two options are almost too similar to each other in any case, and as a result there needs to be a quorate to enact the 5/10 difference, so that a (say) 4-3 vote can't be binding).

[Ethane]

Committee Announcement

Hello everyone! So as you know we have just finished a very successful special edition, WorldVision: The Teams! In response to this, we asked your opinions on the future of the special editions in WorldVision. We thank everyone who responded and participated! This is our official response, in which we will be proposing two options to the community regarding the future of the special editions.

Firstly I would like to open with the overall Yes/No votes for the continuation of semi-regular special editions. The question and voting result was:

Do you support the idea of semi-regular "Special Editions" of the WorldVision Song Contest?
"Yes" - 83.3% / "No" - 13.7%

snip

This consultation was never announced on the forums here. This is the first I've heard of it. Recently I've been active on the forums but haven't been so active on Discord. As far as I am aware, WV is a Nationstates competition, not a Discord competition. I would have liked to have been consulted on this - I do like the idea of special editions for your information. This doesn't help with the WV community. It creates this barrier between those who are consistently active on discord and those that don't check the WV discord all the time (like me at this moment in time). It is essential that everything that is announced or discussed on the discord is also discussed on the forums, otherwise you exclude some members of the community.

It's harmful to WV's presence on the forums, it's harmful for people joining, and it creates this notion of hierarchy in participants - those who get consulted are active on discord and those who are not active often miss out on key discussions about the future of WV eg special editions. I've obviously been on discord before so I'm not complaining I'm a victim here, I'm just trying to remind everyone that there are users in WV that may not frequent the discord. Thus, we should make a concerted effort to bring some of the discussion and consultation on WV to the forums, so everyone can participate.

(obvs I didn't participate in Teams due to IRL time issues, but I am still interested in special editions in the future...)

[Besen]

Committee Announcement

Hello everyone! So as you know we have just finished a very successful special edition, WorldVision: The Teams! In response to this, we asked your opinions on the future of the special editions in WorldVision. We thank everyone who responded and participated! This is our official response, in which we will be proposing two options to the community regarding the future of the special editions.

Firstly I would like to open with the overall Yes/No votes for the continuation of semi-regular special editions. The question and voting result was:

Do you support the idea of semi-regular "Special Editions" of the WorldVision Song Contest?
"Yes" - 83.3% / "No" - 13.7%

snip

This consultation was never announced on the forums here. This is the first I've heard of it. Recently I've been active on the forums but haven't been so active on Discord. As far as I am aware, WV is a Nationstates competition, not a Discord competition. I would have liked to have been consulted on this - I do like the idea of special editions for your information. This doesn't help with the WV community. It creates this barrier between those who are consistently active on discord and those that don't check the WV discord all the time (like me at this moment in time). It is essential that everything that is announced or discussed on the discord is also discussed on the forums, otherwise you exclude some members of the community.

It's harmful to WV's presence on the forums, it's harmful for people joining, and it creates this notion of hierarchy in participants - those who get consulted are active on discord and those who are not active often miss out on key discussions about the future of WV eg special editions. I've obviously been on discord before so I'm not complaining I'm a victim here, I'm just trying to remind everyone that there are users in WV that may not frequent the discord. Thus, we should make a concerted effort to bring some of the discussion and consultation on WV to the forums, so everyone can participate.

(obvs I didn't participate in Teams due to IRL time issues, but I am still interested in special editions in the future...)

We were sad to miss you in the previous special edition of the Worldvision Song Contest - Worldvision: Teams. It was a great time and a big success as I'm sure you know.
Following on from it, a lot of discussion took place on the discord server as that is where the vast majority of this community resides - the participates who really enjoyed the contest and showed real, genuine interest put their opinions in, and there was a consultation open to these people, just to grab a sense of who was ready and rearing to go for another one - in a regular sense. Unfortunately, you aren't active right now on the server and I deeply regret that but if you care that much about special editions, please do come in and say something! Or as you clearly prefer, write a little message here on the forums about how you feel about it!
Me and my fellow committee members do hope you join in for the vote (up on the OOC right now!), in which two options are up - both following the massive and overwhelming support of these contests and that they should continue regularly.

[Ertzei Kishim]

Hi Ethane (not quoting because I am on mobile),

The consultation was specifically framed as one based on reflections from the special edition we recently completed (WorldVision: The Teams). Thus, we wanted to hear from those who had participated, commentated, and generally taken an interest in the event. All the above mentioned people are active on discord, and many of them submitted their thoughts on how it went, and from this we made our current proposals.

Of course we value everyone’s opinion, which is why we are putting it to a vote, in which you’re free and encouraged to participate. If you had found your way to discord and read our announcements, you would have of course also been free to fill in our consultation form on the Special Editions, but ultimately you have not competed in WorldVision in a long time, and you had not taken any interest in the previous special edition, and we specifically wanted to hear from people who had participated in that and had first hand experience in how it was run.

Tl;dr - the form being placed solely on discord served its purpose and reached who it was supposed to.

[Mister X]

snip

This consultation was never announced on the forums here. This is the first I've heard of it. Recently I've been active on the forums but haven't been so active on Discord. As far as I am aware, WV is a Nationstates competition, not a Discord competition. I would have liked to have been consulted on this - I do like the idea of special editions for your information. This doesn't help with the WV community. It creates this barrier between those who are consistently active on discord and those that don't check the WV discord all the time (like me at this moment in time). It is essential that everything that is announced or discussed on the discord is also discussed on the forums, otherwise you exclude some members of the community.

It's harmful to WV's presence on the forums, it's harmful for people joining, and it creates this notion of hierarchy in participants - those who get consulted are active on discord and those who are not active often miss out on key discussions about the future of WV eg special editions. I've obviously been on discord before so I'm not complaining I'm a victim here, I'm just trying to remind everyone that there are users in WV that may not frequent the discord. Thus, we should make a concerted effort to bring some of the discussion and consultation on WV to the forums, so everyone can participate.

(obvs I didn't participate in Teams due to IRL time issues, but I am still interested in special editions in the future...)

This is not only a perfectly reasonable and valid point, but one I have been in full agreement with for quite some time now. Indeed, it's precisely why I replied to that on here rather than Discord, not least because of its importance but the nature of the Discord server meaning that any point I made would be virtually unreadable thanks to time zones and spam by the (British) morning (it's 2:25am here now).

Ethane also made that point in Discord (making his first Discord post in over 10 days) and what followed was a lot of belittling, spam, and being reduced to a hot mess of a "conversation", if you can even call it that. Again, I'm posting this here so that it's actually noted by people who weren't in that conversation.

The "converstion" started here: https://discordapp.com/channels/2654551 ... 0769438731

[Ethane]

Thanks for the replies. I can understand why the consultation was only posted on discord, albeit I do disagree with the reasoning behind it as I feel consultations on something within the WV community that would be open to all WV users and other users should be open to all users in WV. But I understand why the decision was made.

I do think there is the issue with discord holding primacy over the forum here sometimes that needs to be addressed; a balance needs to be found between the better flow of conversation on discord versus the accessibility of NS, especially in regard to new users - discord is great, but ultimately NS is where WV actually takes place. Part of that was reflected in the conversation. I also think that the way we approach conversations needs to change, even on discord. Ultimately, some failed to 'see my point' and some just said some opinions were not welcome. I'm not using this to attack anyone, I don't mean it in this way. The community can be a great place to hang out and chat on discord or on the forums. But we must remember that we are not faceless. Everyone who is on the internet is a person with inherent worth and whose opinions hold value, and they deserve to be respected and listened to. Please, when we do get into heated discussions, remember that we aren't here to ruin WV or anything, we are just pointing out where we believe improvements can be made. I didn't want to start an argument; I wanted to make a constructive point which could be used to improve WV in the future - through better accessibility and communication on the forums.

I want to thank the committee for their initial response; they have taken my complaint on board and have responded to it. I disagree with the decision they made at the time, but that decision has past. What I hope to see from now is a tangible improvement in the way the community approaches the discord/forum divide, so that those who are not always active on discord can be heard and involved more too. That's not just on the committee - albeit the main flashpoint for this was a decision made by the committee to post a consultation only on discord. That's for the whole community to engage in - think: would what I'm saying on discoed have value in being posted on the forum too?

Thanks, and I look forward to participating in WV with you all (I'm excited to be back properly after my year abroad).

[Estana and Thaos]

Tesero to Worldvision!

Nation Name: Estana and Thaos
Official Broadcaster: SEB
Song Title: TBA
Artist(s) Name(s): Tesero

[Besen]

^ confirmed

[El Kadsreian Brazil]

Nation Name: Republic of El Kadsreian Brazil
Official Broadcaster: El Kadsre Radio Television /Ел Кадсре Радио телевизија (EKRT EKPT)
Song Title: God is a El Kadsreian The IC Song title goes here.
Artist(s) Name(s): Vladmir Povich ,Novislav Đajić , and Nenad Tintor The name of your act goes here.

Tune: Serbia Strong https://youtu.be/BD1G9BNx3q4 The real-life tune you're basing your song on goes here.

[La Montevideo]

Nation Name: The United Federal Kingdom of La Montevideo
Official Broadcaster: LABU (Latin American Broadcast Union)
Song Title: Time In Imperfectness
Artist(s) Name(s): Eberhard Moreno, Francis Amor, Teo Palmer, & Julia Martinez. (Era Nova)*

Tune: Music using ONLY sounds from Windows XP and 98! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dsU3B0W3TMs

*Band Name In Parentheses
Performed In Spanish

[Mister X]

Nation Name: The United Federal Kingdom of La Montevideo
Official Broadcaster: LABU (Latin American Broadcast Union)
Song Title: Time In Imperfectness
Artist(s) Name(s): Eberhard Moreno, Francis Amor, Teo Palmer, & Julia Martinez. (Era Nova)*

Tune: Music using ONLY sounds from Windows XP and 98! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dsU3B0W3TMs

*Band Name In Parentheses

Looks like my idea for a 90s throwback edition is more popular than I thought...

[Kalosia]

Kalosia:
Surprise national final!

I had confirmed which tunes I was using this edition but there's this song I can't stop thinking about so I'll call a national final.

Like some of our past national finals, they will be OOC only. All competing tunes have been internally selected, it's simply a question of which order these tunes are sent. Winner goes to WV83, runner up to WV84.

Song A
performed in English to the tune of ADN — Tal

Song B
performed in English to the tune of You & I — Asmik Shiroyan

Given that people have ample time on their hands these days, I'll give it til next Thursday. Do not TG/DM me your votes.

Vote here!
Gražia!

NF closed, Song B has won. Therefore:

You & I shall be the tune I send to WV83;

ADN shall be the tune I send to WV84.

Thanks for everyone who voted and see you soon!

[Malta Comino Gozo]

WorldVision Song Contest 83
Valletta, Malta Comino Gozo

MCG 1 would like to welcome you all back to Valletta, the stunning beautiful capital city of Malta Comino Gozo. MCG 1 successfully hosted the 78th addition of the Worldvision Song Contest. Malta Comino Gozo has established itself as a successful nation at the Worldvision, hosting its first contest after only two editions of competing as well as achieving four top ten placings.


Valletta is the financial heart and cultural heart of MCG. The city serves as a meeting point between old and new. It is home to the seat of government for the entire country, contrary to popular belief, the King does not live in Valletta, he and his family reside in Hafna Palace in the town of Runbett. They do have a palace at Maxket House in Valletta which they split their time between.Valletta proper is split into two distinct areas, Valletta old town which dates back to 1455, with hidden gems on every street. Boasting Palaces to beautiful government buildings, to sun washed gardens to its famous city walls, stunning cathedrals, baroque architecture and winding back alleys, and Valletta Downtown, the new modern purpose built financial heart of the capital, home to the MCG Mall and Casino, Valletta Clock tower, Valletta Yacht Club and its breathtaking sea front district on Victoria Street. Layfayette Park is a newer district incorporated into Valletta Metropolitan area in 2008, is home to the CBD. Malta Comino Gozo has a population of 495,559 of which nearly 130,000 live in and around the Valletta Metropolitan area making it the biggest urban area in the country. The city is mostly made up of around 95% ethnic Malta Comino Gozoans but is home to a small number of Polkopian and Elejamians. Maltese is the official language as well as English, so don't threat, you will have no trouble getting around.



As the largest metropolitan area in Malta Comino Gozo, the city serves as a beating hub for history, culture and creativity. “Paint Your Own Music” encapsulates Valletta perfectly. With the city's beautiful golden sandy beaches, historical old town, fine Mediterranean cuisine, and some of the worlds best nightlife, there’s always something to see and do. Old or young you'll fall in love with this fine place.

Valletta as the cultural hub of the country is also the transport hub. Every road leads back to Valletta and the public transport is no exception. Catch a passenger ferry from Valletta Marina to the Main Harbour Town of Dahlet-Marsa Gozo every hour and from there onto the tiny un-spoilt island of Comino and its port, home to only 300 inhabitants. Famous for its large sandy beaches, crystal clear water and wild forests. Ferries leave every 20 minutes. Gozo and Comino are much more rural than the main Island and should not be missed. Gozo with its stunning rolling hills, forests, beautiful hilltop villages. Dahlet-Marsa is a quaint harbour town with a beautiful sea front and thriving fishing industry and excellent night life and Cittadel is a 15th century walled fortress town overlooking the entire island. The port of Ghaxrin (Ash-reen) also offers a passenger ferry shuttle to and from Valletta only.



Gozo can only be reached by car if you journey on the ferry but it can also be reached by train. Valletta has two main stations Victoria Street, in Downtown and Valletta East situated outside the old city walls. Trains shuttle from Mosatra in the west all the way Cittadel in Gozo. Trains from Valletta to Cittadel take around 30 mins and leave every 15 mins. Valletta to Mosatra takes 20 mins. You can really explore the entire country and be back in the capital for dinner time.


For all delegations arriving by plane, all arrivals will arrive at the country's one and only Airport Malta Comino Gozo International. All delegations arriving by Ship will arrive at the Creek Cruise Ship Port. All delegations will be shuttled to and from the Airport and cruise ship port by Private Shuttle Cars. There will be a private car for every delegation. Each car is electric helping to keep carbon emissions down. Malta Comino Gozo is also Covid-19 free, with an extremely low outbreak which miraculously affected only 49 people, all of which were kept in a ICU unit at one hospital.The country has since reopened and remains Covid free. Every arrival is screened upon entering. Before arrival please be sure to check which category your country falls into. The MCG government has issued that,

Level 1- Countries with zero to very localised outbreaks can fly to MCG and upon arrival will NOT have to self isolate.
Level 2- Countries with a low to medium rate of cases will have to self isolate upon arrival for 7 days.
Level 3- Countries with medium to a high rate of cases will have to self isolate upon arrival for 14 days.



Hand sanitiser is present at every station, port,bus stop and tram station and people are advised to wear masks.


The Stadium


The venue is the Fed- Ex Forum arena in the heart of Downtown Valletta, it is currently used as an indoor entertainment venue for both concerts and sports. For now it is geared towards hosting the biggest international concert, the WorldVision Song Contest. The arena can accommodate around 17,800 people, distributed as 600 standing and 17,200 seated. There is also a substantial green room space for the numerous competing acts. Alongside the arena, is plenty of car parking and transport links and its situated right across the street from the grand MCG Casino and the stunning MCG mall.

The Hosts


The Stage


The stage has been designed by famous Malta Comino Gozoan designer Lukas Emon. “It’s a very flexible and easy to use stage, its large LED background and floor are the blank canvas on which the delegations can paint and tell their story”. The stage will sit at the back of the arena with the audience to the left right and centre of the stage. It offers a 9m high and 28m wide, high resolution curved LED wall. Each side of the LED wall has 5 large led boxes which stick out slightly from the main wall itself, these are too add a 3D element to the background.The smaller 10m in width, raised 3 headed shaped stage has a high res LED floor.
One catwalk sticks out from the stage into the audience and there are two stage doors for “on and off” access. The huge detached LED curve at the outward top edge of the stage, the circular ring of 50 thin LED Screens which encircles the stage, as well as the suspended circle of spotlights can be raised and lowered for each performance to add more dramatics and character to each song.
The stage includes all the standard extras that performances use such as mist, pyro's, wind fans and smoke machines

Graphics

The Slogan " Paint Your Own Music" is around the idea that every artists is a painter and their song and performance is their canvas to do what they like. For such a cultural nation we feel this tagline encapsulates all of Malta Comino Gozo in all its forms. Each countries postcard will have a painted version of their flags colours to make it stand out from each other as well as too look like it was painted by the artists, as well as keeping the modern abstract colours in the background.




Various Activities

MCG 1 would like to encourage all competing artists to indulge and get to know the host country. All artists will be able to enjoy/ partake in up to 3 activities of their choosing across the islands.

Valletta
Jet Ski Riding
Sandcastle Championships
Banana boat
Beach Volleyball
Parasailing
Archery in the old city

Swatar Bay
Kayaking
Fishing Trips
Sauna
Beach Football
Nightlife
Surfing
Snorkelling

Ghallieha (A-lee-ah)
Church bell ringing
Horseriding
Rock climbing
Wine tasting

Dahlet-Marsa
Pottery
Sloth Bear Sanctuary
Canoeing
Kite Surfing
Diving

Comino
Wildlife trails
Hiking
Dolphin Tours
Surfing

Thank you for reading, MCG 1 is excited and humbled to welcome you all back for this fantastic cultural spectacle. Paint your own Music with us

[WorldVision Committee]

Committee Announcement

As some may or may not know, we have been having some discussions regarding the televote system which was used in the 82nd edition of WorldVision. We are excited to announce that we will be holding a vote (alongside host-bid voting) for the permanent implementation of the televote. To this end, we would like to hear people's suggestions on how to improve the televote system. We will take these suggestions into consideration, and then present an improved version of the televote concept to be put to a vote, opening on Monday. Please use the form below to anonymously suggest your improvements!

The form

Please note, this form is for suggestions only, not for people to dispute the existence of a televote, you will have that opportunity when we hold the vote on Monday.

[Izmedu]

Tonight, 9 songs and 9 artists competed for the right to represent Izmedu in the 83rd WorldVision Song Contest. With 11 international juries lending their voices to help determine our winner, we now have a winner upon us. After two semi-final rounds, a second chance round, and a grand final, we are proud to reveal that the winner of Izmepisma is...

Grupa Pisma-Ptisera - A Wild Heart Runs Free

Winning with 224 points (84 jury + 140 televote), the three-piece vocal group that is Grupa Pisma-Ptisera absolutely dominated the competition by leading both constituencies with a clear lead versus the runner-up. "A Wild Heart Runs Free" attained victory with a strong showing with the international juries. It is one of two songs in this edition of the contest that managed to attain votes from all international juries. 7 out of 11 juries placed the song in their top 3, ultimately achieving three sets of 12 points and heading into the domestic televote with a 19 point lead. Of course, it was in the televote where the song truly shined. The song was hailed as one to watch by bookies and pundits and it certainly alighted Izmedu by storm during the televoting rounds. That popularity paid off with a stunning 204,000 votes from the domestic vote (earning 29.6% of the vote) and earning 140 points, creating that domineering performance. Following the national final, Grupa Pisma-Ptisera have immediately agreed to represent Izmedu in the 83rd WorldVision Song Contest. In the following days, they will enter intensive rehearsals in preparation for the event.

Silvija's Aria, the runner-up, has stated she is interested in representing Izmedu in the World Hit Festival should the WHF team find her an appropriate choice to do so.

We thank each and every international jury that voted in Izmepisma. This would not have been possible without your participation.

[Ethane]

Should I bid to host? xd

[Kalosia]

Should I bid to host? xd

You sure you want to compete with the already-posted bids? Given the time left until the bidding deadline, I think saving your panic and putting more time to work on an 84 bid would be even sexier :thumbsup:

[Ethane]

Should I bid to host? xd

You sure you want to compete with the already-posted bids? Given the time left until the bidding deadline, I think saving your panic and putting more time to work on an 84 bid would be even sexier :thumbsup:

Don't worry, I'm only kidding. I will bid to host at some point though; never have actually hosted a WV before. Maybe the time is soon.

[La Montevideo]

You sure you want to compete with the already-posted bids? Given the time left until the bidding deadline, I think saving your panic and putting more time to work on an 84 bid would be even sexier :thumbsup:

Don't worry, I'm only kidding. I will bid to host at some point though; never have actually hosted a WV before. Maybe the time is soon.

Sure...

[Wack-i]

Can I still sign up?

[Scotatrova]

Can I still sign up?

There's still time so yes!

[Natanya]

Hi we're confirming lol

[Llalta]

~~~

Llalta Welcomes the World to...
"Wish Upon A Star!"

~~~



~~~

Only a mere WorldVision ago, upon the sunny sands of Tiferet, Ertzei Kishim, Esther Winterbourne made Llaltese history by winning the prestigious contest for the first time ever with her emotional song, "Fate". However, this edition, the tiny island nation wants to make WorldVision history once again; this time, to host, and bring the whole world together for one night with a show one will never forget.

Welcome to St. Christopher, the shining star upon the inky blue of the Atlantic Ocean! Home to 2,986 Llaltese, this port town serves as the cultural heart of Llalta, with buildings adorned with colourful murals, embraced with the beauties of nature and steeped in the distinct Llaltese culture. Each street and building painted with the community spirit the Llaltese hold so sacrosanct. For this WorldVision, Llalta hopes to bring the contest to the humble shores of St. Christopher, a town renowned for its passion of the arts, in all varieties including the medium of music. After all, in the midst of the sapphire ocean, St. Christopher remains not only a beacon for ships passing by but for the arts, with arts and culture running the the island's veins. With WorldVision, Llalta hopes to promote these arts, especially music as an experience of the ages, to bring the world together and to showcase all the sounds and cultures of the world lost in the ever quickening passage of time through WorldVision. And most importantly, to make the world's hopes and wishes come true, even if just for a night!

This WorldVision's theme and logo, picked through a vote held at the St. Christopher's Academy, with children aged 2 - 16, is,

"Wish Upon A Star!

This slogan has a crystal clear meaning, to wish upon a star and to always follow your dreams. However this rather dreamy, idealistic and optimistic slogan can be related to other meanings also such as the clear representation and ties to Llaltese folklores and ideologies that it connotes to, stars being both a symbol and a common source of myth and legend in Llaltese traditions and society. For example, the community of Llalta has many festivals related to stars, such as the 'Festival of the Stars' (on August 6th) among other festivals often relating to constellations and the stars themselves, relating to guidance, star navigation being the sole reason of Llalta's existence. Paid homage to by Llalta's origin story, a group of lost pilgrimage's who were lost at sea, dying and sick, who found Llalta's shores of safety and health, guided by a star that shone bright in the sky, also seen upon Llalta's flag. Furthermore, in Llalta, to wish upon a star is a part of Llaltese life, being one of the community's largest superstitions dating back to the island's conception. One festival even capitalizes on the superstition, 'The Festival of Pegasus', celebrates the yearly meteor shower of Pegasus, in which people write their dreams down upon lanterns and send them to the sky. Furthermore, there are many traditions and beliefs around stars, such as star elves and stars being stallions of the night. In short, the star is a sacrosanct symbol in Llalta, representing hopes, dreams and wishes. Llalta wishes to present the light of hope to the world, and to encourage to wish upon a star!

This bid will hopefully also present a couple initiatives the LBN would like to enforce if the host wins, such as:
- Promotion of all music and arts of every culture, so that this WorldVision can celebrate the differences of the world and the humans that inhabit it. To appreciate every culture no matter how different through the shared medium of music!
- To create a show that still remains eco friendly and sustainable, in line with the Llaltese way of life in which nature and the ways of the natural world and traditions are held sacrosanct even in this modern day climate crisis.
- To allow the world to 'Wish Upon A Star', and to make dreams come true!

~~~




Whale Bone Arch
View of St. Christopher's shore
View of the beach as well as the St. Esther Abbey Ruins
View of the harbour from St. Christopher
St. Esther's Abbey Ruins at dusk
Bridge of Aghelbwy
St. Christopher from above

As previously stated, St. Christopher is Llalta's beating heart, blossoming with life and beauty. The community spirit that Llalta is so renowned for shines the brightest within this colourful port town that glows like a star in the inky abyss of ocean. With a population of 2,986, St. Christopher is a town like no other, revolving around harvest, community and nature, many still living the life their ancestors lived many years ago. The town's buildings are as old as the nation itself, unchanged like the streets, bursting with history, painted by the present islanders words and paintings that adorn many of the buildings clustered upon the mouth of the River Albanthia, where St. Christopher is located. Traditions and culture prominent in the town's life. Where horse and cart can still be seen roaming the small cobbled streets, and markets every Thursday and Saturday source the majority of the populaces food, and technology seemingly scarce. However, that does not mean the town is stuck in the past, rather quite the opposite, a precipice where the past and future align. Nature and sustainability are held very close to Llaltese traditions and ways of life, providing a clear blueprint for a future of lowering climate change and reclamation of mother nature's lands. The town encourages recycling, a belief enforced throughout the hosting of WorldVision, with recycling bins present as where possible. Winding trees lining nearly every street and a flourish of green and flora with every direction you turn, the town is no stranger to the beauty of nature. One might even spot a deer or fox or bird along the hidden alleyways of St. Christopher, gentle interaction encouraged, as embracing nature is something of most importance in Llalta. Not to forget, but the Llaltese are no stranger to etiquette, kindness and a bit of chit chat! Make sure to say hi to all those you cross on the street, and they'd love to hear about the world, and different journeys and cultures. As while, cultural diversity upon the island is limited to only Llaltese culture, multiculturalism is met with open arms, as are strangers, friends and humans alike!

Llalta is also filled with many an activity to do, which can take advantage of the beauty and exploration of Llalta's vast landscapes of beauty and ancient history. The list includes:

- Skiing upon the snow peaked mountains of the mountain rage of Albanthia
- Diving in the deep blue seas and exploring the many lost treasures of sunken ships
- Hiking upon the many trails of the mountains and forests
- Exploring the ruins of the coal mines and factories dotted upon the north of the island
- Shopping on the market days of fresh produce and handmade garments, decorations and toys
- Rowing along the River Albanthia in which ends up at the mouth, where St. Christopher lays
- Skydiving above the clouds, and seeing a birds eye view of the island where nature still lives as it did many years ago
- Paragliding off the beautiful peaks and into the fields and meadows
- Painting the landscapes untouched by the tainted hands of man
- Frolicking in the wild flower meadows and dancing alongside the painted hues of nature
- Farming for a day alongside the traditional farmers of Llalta and helping with crops unseen and the friendly animals
- Riding a Horse or a Llaltese Llama through the many fields and valleys of Llalta or perhaps through history seeped town itself
- Embracing the distinct Llaltese culture and talking with the people who keep said cultures

Accommodation would be mostly reserved for the delegations and acts of the countries with few rooms for the fans and audience of WorldVision. However! If hosting, eco shelters and huts would be built close to the venue of the contest in alongside the fields and mountains in order to provide accommodation to the audience in an eco-friendly and sustainable way, with temporary sewage and necessities with the lack of environmental damage, keeping in line with the contests initiatives. Furthermore, camping will be encouraged, especially in the fields and mountains of Llalta. After all, camping truly encapsulates what makes Llalta what it is: in the midst of nature, with the fresh air of Llalta which will make you realise what you've been missing. Not to mention it's sustainability and allows the traveller to embrace the nature which Llalta revolves around first hand. To further experience the full Llaltese experience, eating at local restaurants and cafes is highly encouraged, made with 100% fresh Llaltese produce and local seafood to create an unseen experience which blends the flavours of the earth and the sea.

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The venue of this WorldVision is only a couple miles from the town itself to enhance the general experience of the contest, in a field which can easily be accessed by foot or by road. Furthermore, horse and carriages and busses will also be provided to transport the audience from St. Christopher and any other accommodation nearby. This WorldVision may be the first to be held in an outside venue, to truly encapsulate the spirit of Llalta! To breathe in the fresh Llaltese air and the landscapes that will be present behind the stage, and to be able to look up and see the stars above. Perhaps even a shooting star will appear!

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Full frontal view of the stage
Close up of the stage
Frontal close up of the stage
A close up from a different angle

The stage consists of a central stage area with a section jutting out the front to provide somewhere closer to the audience and able to create more impact. Though the stage has LED strips which can change colour, images cannot be projected upon the floor of the stage. However, upon the back and to the side of the stage are LED screens which are able to provide any image or animation the delegation desires and at any section, from the circular screen to the back, the thinner strips surrounding it or the screens either side of the stage. Furthermore, all the usuals of a WorldVision stage can be used, such as pyrotechnics, sparks and props. Being an outside stage, the is no roof leaving the dramatic backdrop of the Llaltese landscape and the night sky above able to be seen. However, in the case of rain or snow, common weather in Llalta, umbrellas will be provided as well as a large roof of waterproof fabric will be placed up. A more likely scenario however would be the event of cold, where complimentary blankets, heating pads and hot water bottles will be provided by our helpers.

Another aspect will be the audience. Unlike other Llaltese hosting, there will be a significantly larger amount possible, with an audience of 3,000 being possible, perhaps more given the large amount of space the field provides. With such a large audience comes a large amount of litter, tackled with the arrival of encouraging recycling and the placement of many bins in the field to which every audience member will have no longer than a 30 second walk to arrive to. Llaltese farmers, bakers and food producers will also help with selling food and refreshments throughout the show. After the show, the St. Christopher Academy will make sure to clean up any litter left over, so that there is no lasting ecological damage. The stage and venue will have many precautions in place to create a smooth, eco-friendly and amazing show where enjoyment will be of upmost importance!

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The chosen host is no stranger to the bizarre world of WorldVision, being a regular as a Llaltese spokesperson and commentator on the side. He has also hosted the World Hit Festival and is a full time commentator, popular due to his optimistic and sparky personality which is able to make the whole crowd laugh and cheer. His charisma and talent have also allowed him to be famous abroad to, having presented many shows in Llalta and Britonisea also, only growing as an international star due to his time on WorldVision. He has also dabbled many a time in acting, particularly comedy in which his skits on the Llaltese show, "Juicy With Milk!" has garnered him international recognition and many awards also. His presence upon the WorldVision stage will never fail to make a man smile, with his jokes, charisma and vibe which will be sure to enhance the experience of any WorldVision!

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The postcards this contest will truly encapsulate this editions theme: of wishes and dreams! Through the postcards a story will be told. As a result, the postcards will entail the story of someone who's life has not been of privileges and of ease, to shine light on an issue not so well known about and the story that they have led. Within the postcard, their upmost dream will come true with the help of an artist which will represent that country as a way of showing thanks and giving back to the world in which they have become successful in. After all, their dreams have come true with performing on the WorldVision stage and representing their nation; now it's time for someone else to wish upon a star and have their wishes come true! This WorldVision is about stories, wishes, hopes and dreams, and there is no better way to represent that than to allow someone's dreams to come true no matter the story!

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All graphics this year, including the logo and others have been co-designed by both the graphic designer Natalie Thales and the children of the St. Christopher Academy. For example, the scoreboard above is a shining example of the graphics which will be provided at the contest! It presents as an example of how this contest would be a community project for the Llaltese, who would build this contest together!

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We hoped you enjoyed the Llaltese bid and the message we want to put across! Remember,
"Wish Upon A Star!"
and Thank You!

[WorldVision Committee]

HOST VOTING

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Host voting has begun! Please TG your favorite choice to the WorldVision Committee, preferably on the same TG as your votes regarding the televote.

We have a total of 7 fabulous bids this edition, which are:

• Damansara, Antahbrantahstan
• Bridgeson, Caryton | Singing In The Rain!
• Carnise, Ekoz
• St Christopher, Llalta | Wish Upon a Star!
• Valletta, Malta Comino Gozo | Paint Your Own Music
• Slightly Rusty And Leaning To The Side, Merecendi
• Zafizamarrah, North Alezia | All Together Now

Reminder: Host bidders are not allowed to vote for their own bid.

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Committee Announcement

After a trial period in the 82nd WorldVision Song Contest, as well as numerous discussions and a public consultation, the committee has decided to propose to the community the implementation of a permanent televote as an inalienable part of the WorldVision voting system. This proposal will be voted on by our community with the simple majority result being the one the committee will uphold. To vote one must have participated in the last WorldVision Song Contest & be signed up for the current edition. The proposal is as follows:

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The Proposal: Televote

How it works

• Each nation will rank the other nations out of 10. Each number below 4 adds a scaled negative score whereas each number above 4 adds a scaled positive score (4 provides a neutral value). The complete score of each nation will be the total sum of the positive and negative scores. At this point, any nation with a negative score or 0 will be considered to have 0 televote points (this is unlikely but possible). The rest of the nations with a positive score will have this score then multiplied until the total scores are equal to the amount of points distributed through the points on the IC thread (this from now is the IC "Juries"). This multiplied number will then be the televote score for each nation.
  
• Unlike in the test-run, the committee will assume responsibility for the televote, that is its recording and maintenance. This info will be given to the host when all nations have voted on the IC thread or when the deadline passes. This will allow the vote to not be influenced by the host, and to make sure the formula used is accurate.
  
  • The committee will also be responsible for publishing the complete voting result overview at the end of the voting, including the individual votes of nations, as well as the overall voting breakdown.
• The committee will set a standard weighting system to be used at some point in the future. This will be the system used in future contests, however if the percentage of nations receiving 0 points in the televote exceeds 10% of the total competing nations that edition, the committee will reserve the right to change these percentages so that the percentage of nations receiving 0 points falls under 10% once again. In this case, weightings changes will be done so that it does not affect any position in the top 3.
  
• The host will be free to announce these results how they see fit, with the committee's strong recommendation to reveal them in the style of either of lowest to highest in the televote, or according to current standings after the jury vote.
  
• In the event of a tie, the jury vote takes precedence.

What this means for you

• In addition to the standard 12-1 points that we all post on the IC thread (which remains the same) there will also be an additional requirement. Each contestant must also submit a response to a google form in which they will rate each song from 1-10 (out of a maximum of 10) - with 1 to a song which they hated and 10 to a song they loved (and everything in between).
  
  • There are no restrictions on televoting - You can allocate scores in the televote however you wish, and you do not need this to be the same metric by which you measure your "jury" scores. Some suggestions may be to split your scores according to the Music/Lyrics/RP etc., but this is optional. We will still check for invalid votes, for example every nation being ranked the same, or in a specific "pattern", but this won't be an issue if one votes fairly.
  • You can give your puppet a maximum of 6 out of 10 in the televote and vice-versa to the main nation. If you have a puppet you will have to submit a second set of televoting points - however, you can submit a single set of points and include the ranking for both your main nation and puppet nation in the same form. You must inform the committee if you wish to do this in advance.
• If you do not submit a televote, you will receive a 25% penalty on your original televote score (which will then be redistributed among the rest of the nations according to their televoting score). It is strongly recommended that you submit a televote score.

Changes & Improvements
This current televote proposal is after numerous discussion as to how it can be improved, but succinctly, here is exactly what has been changed.

• The ranking system has been changed from 0-10 to 1-10, and the number of negative values have been reduced to produce more positive results and encourage more nations into the televote points in the future.
  
• The televote will be the committee's responsibility, not the host's. This will ensure the televote is being calculated fairly, and will also reduce the workload of the host and divide it between 5 members.
  
• The committee will reveal the full breakdown of the results after the contest.
  
• A limit on the number of 0 points allowed in the contest will give the televote greater flexibility, and alongside the first change mentioned, ensure that many nations receiving 0 points in the televote won't happen again. This will also mean the televote can adapt to generally weaker editions, while not affecting the amount of points being given out.
  
• Nations can use whatever parameters they wish to in order to produce their televoting rankings. This will give the televote a greater deal of unpredictability to change the voting.

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To vote on this proposal, send a TG to the committee expressing your support or opposition to the proposal. Words to the effect of "yes", "affirmative", "yeah" etc. will be taken as support for the televote if no other comment is clear, equally the same will be done with words of a negative meaning.

The deadline to vote for both host and televote is Monday 6th July, 20:00 BST

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Committee Announcement - Results of Specials Vote

We are pleased to announce that proposal 2 has been selected by the community, meaning the next WorldVision Special Edition will take place between 89 & 90. The full percentages are below:

Proposal 1: 20% / Proposal 2: 80%

~Kish