OMSC 1

Online Music Song Contest 1, often referred to as OMSC 1, was the first edition of Online Music Song Contest, held in Naples, Italy.

The Final of OMSC 1 occured on the 12ᵗʰ September 2020. Eighteen countries participated in the very first edition of the contest, under the slogan “Do It With Music!”.

Jiydesh Idirisova from Kyrgyzstan won the contest with the song "Narinay (Наринай)" receving a total of 93 points. Ukraine finished in second place, with Crimea finishing in third place. They were followed by Slovenia, which reached the fourth place and the Faroe Islands which reached the fifth place.

Location
The broadcaster RAI chose to host the contest in the third-largest city of Italy, Naples. Naples is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 965,000. Its province-level municipality is the third-most populous metropolitan area in Italy with a population of 3,115,000 residents, and its continuously built-up metropolitan area is the second-most populous metropolitan area in Italy and the seventh-most populous urban area in the European Union.

First settled by Greeks in the first millennium BC, Naples is one of the oldest continuously inhabited urban areas in the world. In the ninth century BC, a colony known as Parthenope was established and in the sixth century BC, it was refounded as Neápolis. The city was an important part of Magna Graecia, played a major role in the merging of Greek and Roman society, and was a significant cultural centre under the Romans.

It served as the capital of the Duchy of Naples, then of the Kingdom of Naples, and finally of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies until the unification of Italy in 1861. Naples is also considered a capital of the Baroque, beginning with the artist Caravaggio’s career in the seventeenth century, and the artistic revolution he inspired. At the beginning of the twentieth century, Naples was expanded and upgraded by Benito Mussolini’s government but during the later years of World War II, it sustained severe damage from bombing and it received extensive post-war reconstruction work.

Nowadays Naples is having a significant economic growth and is the third-largest urban economy in Italy, after Milan and Rome. The Port of Naples is one of the most important in Europe. In addition to commercial activities, it is home to the Allied Joint Force Command Naples, the NATO body that oversees North Africa, the Sahel and Middle East.

Naples’ historic city centre is the largest in Europe and has been designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. A wide range of culturally and historically significant sites are nearby, including the Palace of Caserta and the Roman ruins of Pompeii and Herculaneum. Naples is also known for its natural beauties, such as Posillipo, Phlegraean Fields, Nisida, and Vesuvius. Neapolitan cuisine is noted for its association with pizza, which originated in the city, as well as numerous other local dishes.

Participants
Eighteen countries participated in the first ever contest: nine European countries (Belgium, Crimea, Denmark, Faroe Islands, France, Luxembourg, Poland, Slovenia, Ukraine), three Asian countries (Japan, Kyrgyzstan, South Korea), four American countries (Canada, United States of America, United States' Virgin Islands, Uruguay), one Oceanian country (Australia) and one African country (Chad).

Two more countries, Kazakhstan and New Zealand, were also expected to take part in the contest, but they respectively missed the submission deadline and withdrew at the last moment due to unknown reasons and therefore could not take part.

Other Countries
• Kazakhstan – Kazakhstan was set to participate as they confirmed their participation on the 29ᵗʰ August 2020, however they missed the submission deadline and therefore could not take part.

• New Zealand – New Zealand's broadcaster TVNZ confirmed New Zealand's debut in the contest on the 29ᵗʰ August 2020, however, the broadcaster announced their withdrawal from the competition on the 1ˢᵗ September 2020 due to unknown reasons.

• United Kingdom – On the 29ᵗʰ August 2020, the British broadcaster British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) announced that they were planning a debut in OMSC 1. However, it was later confirmed on the 31ˢᵗ August that the country would not debut in this edition of the contest.