Special Melody Contest
The Special Melody Contest (often shortened to SMC or Special Melody) is a competition of thematic seasons with special conditions for applications.
Origins and history
The Special Melody was conceived and implemented in order to diversify song competitions by adding various requirements and rules to them, making the selection of applications more difficult, however, the conditions of the competition change every quarter and have its own special theme (in each episode of the competition). This idea was implemented in July 2023, but was invented back in April 2023 by the current curator of Portugal
Visual Identity
It was decided by the IECO that the contest shall follow a simple style with no theme and a permanent logo. Permanent logo was designed and presented to the IECO prior to the contest and got instantly approved. It comprises with the cursive wording of the wordmark "Special" where letter S shapes a heart and a music treble clef, followed by a country flag inside the heart and sans-serif geometric writing "Melody". Each year the heart changes flag to the host nation
-
Q3-23 -
Q1-24 -
Q2-24
Format
The format of the competition is the organization in one stage - the final. The uniqueness of the competition is the use of a specific theme for each season. The theme of the season is determined by the side of the organizers of the competition (supervisor and, if any, assistant supervisor, and the host side of the season (curator of the country). Until season Q1-2025, the limit on the number of participating countries is up to 20, however, during the process of organizing season Q2-2025, assistant supervisor of the competition Denis Vorobyov said that the competition can accept up to 26 countries, which removed the limit of 20 countries per season. Formally, the maximum number of participating countries is not specified, but there is also a format of the competition in one final, which clearly sets a limit of 26 participating countries in one season.
Participation
Further information: Countries of the Special Melody Contest
Any accredited country IECO can participate in the competition. The maximum limit on the number of countries in a quarter is 20 countries.
Twenty-nine countries have participated at least once. These are listed here alongside the year in which they made their debut:
Hosting
The venue for the first season was selected from among the countries that confirmed their participation in the season. Of the 16 participating countries, 6 candidates were approved by the IECO Council: Denmark, Greece, Hungary, Kazakhstan, Norway and Thailand. During the discussions and voting, the right to host the first season went to Thailand. The host city was Bangkok - the capital of the chosen country.The venue for the competition was the Impact Arena Bangkok
In the second episode of the competition, instead of Canada, which won the last episode, the competition was hosted by South Korea, which took 2nd place, due to the fact that Canada was unable to host the second episode of the competition
In the third episode of the competition hosted by Greece, winner of second episode Special Melody.The host city was Thessaloniki. The venue for the competition was the PAOK Arena
In the fourth and fifth episodes of the competition hosted by Australia, winner of third and fourth episodes Special Melody. The host city of fourth episode was Perth with venue was RAC Arena. The host city of fifth episode was Brisbane with venue was Brisbane Entertainment Centre
In the six epsode of the competition hosted by Israel
Rules
Further information: Rules of the Special Melody Contest
Voting
Winning entries
| Season | Date | Host City & Theme | Countries | Winner | Language(s) | Points | Runner-up | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| I | Q3-23 | 7.08.2023 |  BangkokGeographical Names |
16 |  CanadaThe Hardkiss - Antarctica |
Ukrainian | 120 |  South Korea
|
| II | Q4-23 | 15.12.2023 | Gangneung Rock Bangers |
18 |  GreeceAgainst The Current - Weapon |
English | 110 |  Japan
|
| III | Q1-24 | 28.01.2024 | Thessaloniki Cinematic Beats |
20 |  AustraliaStan Walker - I Am |
English, Maori | 103 |  Switzerland
|
| IV | Q2-24 | 6.05.2024 | Perth Mystery Forces |
20 | Australia Darin - Electric |
English | 103 | Thailand
|
| V | Q3-24 | 27.10.2024 | Brisbane Underrated Gems |
18 |  IsraelJude York - Monaco |
English | 117 |  Denmark
|
| VI | Q4-24 | 5.02.2025 | Haifa Diversity of Languages |
18 |  United KingdomTeodora - Most Na Adi |
Serbian | 110 | Denmark
|
| VII | Q1-25 | 14.06.2025 | Glasgow Contest Favorites |
20 |  LebanonNoa Kirel - Deja Vu |
Hebrew | 135 | Canada
|
| VIII | Q2-25 | 27.07.2025 | Beirut Genre Extravaganza |
22 | United Kingdom Jennie - Like Jennie |
English | 112 | Australia
|
| IX | Q3-25 | XX.09.2025 | Newcastle upon Tyne A Pair In Despair |
22 | Upcoming | |||
| X | Q4-25 | XX.11.2025 |  TBATBA |
TBA | Upcoming | |||