Maia Song Contest

The Maia Song Contest, abbreviated as MSC, was a televised song contest held between countries represented in the Maia Broadcasting Union between May 2016 and April 2020. It was succeeded by the current Avalon Song Contest.

Like the Avalon Song Contest, eligible participants submitted original songs and cast points to their favourite songs. The winner was the country with the most points at the end of voting, who also earned the right to 'host' the next edition. There were thirty-two editions of the contest in total, spanning over the course of four years.

History
On 29 May 2016, the Maia Broadcasting Union was formed, and the Maia Song Contest was created. The first edition consisted of just 24 participants, and was won by Oxenryd, who scored 111 points over runner-up Kashykia. Between the second and thirty-first editions, there were between 40-48 countries, with a format of two semi-finals and the grand final. The thirty-second edition was the final edition of the contest, which consisted of one grand final with 27 participating countries.

In total, there were thirty-two editions, and the contest had a record of 48 participants in the seventh edition. Arkaystia won the contest a record five times, followed closely by Loafousia on four wins. Björnska held the record for most runner-up positions, coming second on four occasions, including three times consecutively. The most points achieved by an entry was also held by Arkaystia, the song "Shame on You" by MARUV achieving 199 points, beating the record held by Cordence when group BlackPink received 198 points in the fourth edition, the previous record for twenty editions. The lowest points achieved in a grand final was when Kaohportia received just 12 points in the first edition, for the song "Perfect World" by Maan ft. Hardwell. Though no country ever received 'nul points' in the main contest, Klapaucius failed to gain a single point in the second edition of spin-off contest Mascvision, with the song "Me Gusta" by GALIN receiving 0 points. Arkaystia was the only country to feature in every final, never failing to qualify, with Suelta holding the record of longest non-qualification streak - failing to reach the final on thirteen consecutive occasions.

Contest logo and theme
The generic logo was introduced in the first edition, designed by the host, to create a consistent visual identity. It consisted of the contest name and also contained the trademark contest diamond. The hosting country's flag traditionally appeared within the diamond of the generic logo. Each edition of the contest, the host country collaborated with the MBU to create a theme, with graphics and designs created alongside.

Spin-offs
A number of spin-offs of the Maia Song Contest also took place. These include;


 * Christmas in Maia, a one-off edition organised by TSBN for Christmas-themed music, held between members of the Maia Broadcasting Union.
 * CupcakKeFest, a one-off edition organized by TSBN for CupcakKe remixes and mashups, held between members of the Maia Broadcasting Union.
 * Maia Mainstream Song Contest, a one-off edition organised by IZT for mainstream entries not allowed in the main contest.
 * MaiAnime Song Contest, a one-off edition organized by ORBN for Anime and J-Pop themed songs
 * Maia Throwback Contest (90's), a contest based around songs released in the 1990's.
 * Mascvision Song Contest, a contest created by Lussantian broadcaster FLBS open exclusively to male artists.
 * Tears Song Contest, organised by the FLBS and limits participating countries to sad and/or slow songs.
 * Turbovision, held in Kashykia, held between MBU members (plus Ostana and Mischen), to promote music of the turbo-folk genre.