OMSC 35

sOnline Music Song Contest 35, often referred to as OMSC 35, was the thirty-fifth edition of Online Music Song Contest, held in Suva, after Fiji won the previous edition of the contest.

The Pre-Qualification Round of OMSC 35 occured on the 8ᵗʰ January 2023, the Semi-Finals on the 15ᵗʰ January 2023 while the Final occured on the 22ⁿᵈ January 2023. Fifty countries participated in the thirty-fifth contest, under the slogan “Beyond Horizons!”.

Austria won the contest with the song "Funke, Flächenbrand", sung entirely in German, receving a total of 126 points. Ghana finished in second place with a margin of just one point from the winner, while Poland finished in third place. They were followed by Romania, which reached the fourth place and China which reached the fifth place.

Location
After it’s victory in the previous edition, the broadcaster FBC chose to host the contest in the capital and largest city of Fiji, Suva, which has a population of almost 95,000 inhabitants. It is located on the southeast coast of the island of Viti Levu, on a hilly peninsula. The mountains to its north and west catch the southeast trade winds, producing year-round moist conditions. Although Suva is on a peninsula, and almost surrounded by sea, its coast is lined with mangrove swampland.

In 1868, when Suva was still a small village, the Bauan chieftain, Seru Epenisa Cakobau, granted 5,000 km² of land to the Australian-based Polynesia Company, in exchange for the company's promise to pay off debts owed to the United States. More than a tenth of this land area was located near Suva. The company's original intention was to develop a cotton farming industry, but the land and climate proved unsuitable. In 1874, control of the Fiji Islands was ceded to the United Kingdom. In 1877, the colonial authorities decided to move the capital to Suva from Levuka because Levuka's location between a steep mountain and the sea made any expansion of the town impractical. In 1875 Suva was designed as the new capital and transferred officially in 1882.

In 1910, Suva acquired the status of a municipality, under the Municipal Constitution Ordinance of 1909. Its area remained one square mile until 1952 when Suva annexed the Muanikau and Samabula wards. In October of that year, Suva was officially designated a city, the first in Fiji. Suva later annexed Tamavua. Most recently, Suva further extended its boundaries by incorporating the Cunningham area at its northern edge. Since then, urban sprawl has led to the growth of a number of suburbs. Suva hosted the South Pacific Games in 2003 for the third time in the event's 40-year history. In preparation for hosting the event, the Fijian government, with the help of a $16 million aid package from the People's Republic of China, funded the construction of an indoor sports centre, swimming pool, stadium, and a field hockey pitch in the area around Suva.

Nowadays, Suva is the political, economic, and cultural centre of Fiji. It is also the economic and cultural capital of the South Pacific, hosting the majority of the regional headquarters of major international corporations, international agencies, and diplomatic missions. The city also has a thriving arts and performance scene, and a growing reputation as the region's fashion capital.

Participants
Fifty countries participated in the thirty-fifth edition of the contest: fifteen European countries (Åland Islands, Austria, Croatia, Greece, Italy, Lithuania, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Romania, San Marino, Spain, Sweden, Ukraine), twelve Asian countries (Armenia, China, Indonesia, Iran, Israel, Japan, Lebanon, Malaysia, Mongolia, North Korea, South Korea, Syria), eight American countries (Canada, Cuba, Mexico, Panama, Puerto Rico, Turks and Caicos Islands, United States of America, United States’ Virgin Islands), nine Oceanian countries (American Samoa, Australia, Fiji, Kiribati, Nauru, New Zealand, Palau, Tonga, Tuvalu) and six African countries (Central African Republic, Gambia, Ghana, Mali, Mozambique, South Africa).

In this edition the Central African Republic and Panama participated for the first time.

Other Countries
• Comoros – On the 23ʳᵈ December 2022, rumours about a debut of the Comoros in OMSC 35 arose. However, it was later confirmed that the island nation would not debut in this edition of the contest denying the rumours spread.

• Isle of Man – On the 26ᵗʰ December 2022, the the Isle of Man's broadcaster Manx Radio announced that they were planning a debut again in OMSC 35, after their previous attempts in OMSC 28, OMSC 29 and OMSC 34. However, it was confirmed later on the 29ᵗʰ December 2022 that the country would not debut in this edition of the contest either.