The Eurovision Song Contest 2012 was the 57th edition of the annual Eurovision Song Contest. The contest took place in the city of Baku, Azerbaijan, following Ell & Nikki's victory at the 2011 contest with the song "Running Scared"—marking the first time that the country had won the contest. The contest was held at the newly constructed Baku Crystal Hall, with semi-finals held on 22 and 24 May 2012, followed by the final held on 26 May 2012. Forty-two countries competed in the contest, with Montenegro returning for the first time since 2009, and the withdrawal of Armenia due to security concerns in relation to ongoing conflicts with Azerbaijan over the Nagorno-Karabakh region, and Poland due to financial concerns.