Norway in the Eurovision Song Contest
Norway has participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 62 times since making its debut in 1960 and has only been absent twice since then. In 1970, the country boycotted the contest over disagreements about the voting structure, and in 2002, they were relegated. The Norwegian participant broadcaster in the contest is Norsk rikskringkasting (NRK), which select its entrant with the national competition Melodi Grand Prix.
| Norway in the Eurovision Song Contest | |
|---|---|
| |
| Participating broadcaster | Norsk rikskringkasting (NRK) |
| Participation summary | |
| Appearances | 62 (59 finals) |
| First appearance | 1960 |
| Highest placement | 1st: 1985, 1995, 2009 |
| Host | 1986, 1996, 2010 |
| Related articles | |
| Melodi Grand Prix | |
| External links | |
| NRK page | |
Norway's page at Eurovision.tv  | |
 For the most recent participation seeNorway in the Eurovision Song Contest 2024 | |
Before 1985, Norway's best result in the contest was a third-place with "Intet er nytt under solen" by Åse Kleveland in 1966. Norway's three victories in the contest were achieved by "La det swinge" by Bobbysocks in 1985, "Nocturne" by Secret Garden in 1995, and "Fairytale" by Alexander Rybak in 2009. Norway also finished second at the 1996 contest, with "I evighet" by former Bobbysocks member Elisabeth Andreassen. Norway has finished last in twelve Eurovision finals, of which four times with "nul points". Norway has a total of 12 top-five results in the contest, the latest being a fifth place with "Queen of Kings" by Alessandra in 2023.
History
editNorsk rikskringkasting (NRK) is a full member of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), thus eligible to participate in the Eurovision Song Contest. It has participated in the contest representing Norway since its fifth edition in 1960.
NRK's first entrant in the contest was "Voi Voi" performed by Nora Brockstedt in 1960, who finished fourth; Brockstedt would return the next year with "Sommer i Palma", this time placing seventh. "Intet er nytt under solen" by Åse Kleveland then finished third in 1966, following which Norway would fail to reach the top ten in fourteen out of their next fifteen attempts, with the exception being seventh place finish with "It's Just a Game" by the Bendik Singers in 1973. Before 1985, Norway had only received a top-ten score in six out of twenty-four attempts, and had finished last the same number of times.
Bobbysocks gave the country its first victory in 1985, with the song "La det swinge". Norway went on to achieve two more top five results over the next ten years, with Karoline Krüger in 1988 and Silje Vige in 1993, who both finished fifth.
Norway's second victory came in 1995 with Secret Garden's mainly instrumental Celtic-influenced ethno-piece "Nocturne". In 1996, Elisabeth Andreassen, who had won the contest as one half of Bobbysocks, returned to the contest as a solo artist, finishing in second place. In 2003, Jostein Hasselgård came fourth.
Norway won for the third time in 2009, with Alexander Rybak and his song "Fairytale". The song's score of 387 points was the highest ever winning total under the 1975-2015 voting system, and also achieved the biggest ever margin of victory: 492 points in total were distributed between the competing countries in 2009, meaning "Fairytale" received 78.7% of the points that could be rewarded. Rybak later returned to the contest in 2018, performing "That's How You Write a Song"; he received the highest number of votes of the second semi-final, but ultimately placed fifteenth. He remains the only Norwegian entrant to have won a semi-final, as well as the only two-time semi-final winner in the history of the contest.
In 2024, Norway finished last in the final for the twelfth time. Norway has the dubious distinction of finishing last in the Eurovision final more than any other country, and along with Austria, has received "nul points" (zero points) in the contest on four occasions; in 1963, 1978, 1981 and 1997.
Since the introduction of the semi-final round in 2004, Norway has finished in the top ten eight times. Wig Wam finished ninth in 2005, Maria Haukaas Storeng was fifth in 2008, Alexander Rybak won in 2009, Margaret Berger was fourth in 2013, Carl Espen finished eighth in 2014, Mørland and Debrah Scarlett finished eighth in 2015, Jowst finished tenth in 2017, Keiino won the public vote and finished sixth overall in 2019, Subwoolfer finished tenth in 2022, and Alessandra finished fifth in 2023. In total, Norway has 12 top-five and 27 top-ten finishes in the contest.
Participation overview
edit| 1 | First place |
| 2 | Second place |
| 3 | Third place |
| ◁ | Last place |
| X | Entry selected but did not compete |
| † | Upcoming event |
Hostings
edit| Year | Location | Venue | Presenters |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1986 | Bergen | Grieghallen | Åse Kleveland |
| 1996 | Oslo | Oslo Spektrum | Ingvild Bryn and Morten Harket |
| 2010 | Telenor Arena | Nadia Hasnaoui, Haddy N'jie and Erik Solbakken |
Songs of Europe
edit| Year | Location | Venue | Presenters |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1981 | Mysen | Momarken | Rolf Kirkvaag and Titten Tei |
Awards
editMarcel Bezençon Awards
edit| Year | Category | Song | Composer(s) lyrics (l) / music (m) |
Performer | Final | Points | Host city | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Press Award | "Fairytale" | Alexander Rybak (m & l) | Alexander Rybak | 1 | 387 | ||
| 2015 | Composer Award | "A Monster Like Me" | Kjetil Mørland (m & l) | Mørland & Debrah Scarlett | 8 | 102 |
Winner by OGAE members
edit| Year | Song | Performer | Place | Points | Host city | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | "Fairytale" | Alexander Rybak | 1 | 387 |
Related involvement
editConductors
edit| Year | Conductor[d] | Musical director | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960 | Øivind Bergh | N/A | [5] | |
| 1961 | ||||
| 1962 | ||||
| 1963 | ||||
| 1964 | Karsten Andersen | |||
| 1965 | Øivind Bergh | |||
| 1966 | ||||
| 1967 | ||||
| 1968 | ||||
| 1969 | ||||
| 1971 | Arne Bendiksen | [e] | [6] | |
| 1972 | Carsten Klouman | |||
| 1973 | ||||
| 1974 | Frode Thingnæs | |||
| 1975 | Carsten Klouman | |||
| 1976 | Frode Thingnæs | [f] | ||
| 1977 | Carsten Klouman | |||
| 1978 | ||||
| 1979 | Sigurd Jansen | [g] | ||
| 1980 | [7] | |||
| 1981 | ||||
| 1982 | ||||
| 1983 | ||||
| 1984 | ||||
| 1985 | Terje Fjærn | |||
| 1986 | Egil Monn-Iversen | [h] | ||
| 1987 | Terje Fjærn | N/A | ||
| 1988 | Arild Stav | [i] | ||
| 1989 | Pete Knutsen | |||
| 1990 | ||||
| 1991 | ||||
| 1992 | Rolf Løvland | |||
| 1993 | ||||
| 1994 | Pete Knutsen | |||
| 1995 | Geir Langslet | |||
| 1996 | Frode Thingnæs | [j] | ||
| 1997 | Geir Langslet | N/A | ||
| 1998 | ||||
Additionally, there was an orchestra present at the 1999 national final, conducted by Geir Langslet (the winning song, however, was presented without orchestral accompaniment) and at the 2015 national final, conducted by Anders Eljas.
Heads of delegation
edit| Year | Head of delegation | Ref. |
|---|---|---|
| 1998–2005 | Jon Ola Sand | |
| 2006–2009, 2012–2015 | Stian Malme | |
| 2010–2011 | Skjalg Solstad | |
| 2016–2024 | Stig Karlsen | |
| 2025 | Mads Tørklep |
Supervisors
editList of supervisors of Melodi Grand Prix, better known as MGP-general or GP-general in Norway:
| Year | Head of delegation | Ref. |
|---|---|---|
| c. 2007–2012 | Per Sundnes | |
| 2013–2015 | Vivi Stenberg | |
| 2016–2017 | Jan Fredrik Karlsen | |
| 2018–2024 | Stig Karlsen | |
| 2025 | Tarjei Strøm |
Commentators and spokespersons
editThis section needs additional citations for verification. (March 2012) |
| Year | Commentator | Spokesperson | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1960 | Erik Diesen | Kari Borg Mannsåker | |
| 1961 | Leif Rustad | Mette Janson | |
| 1962 | Odd Grythe | Kari Borg Mannsåker | |
| 1963 | Øivind Johnsen | Roald Øyen | |
| 1964 | Odd Grythe | Sverre Christophersen | |
| 1965 | Erik Diesen | ||
| 1966 | Sverre Christophersen | Erik Diesen | |
| 1967 | Erik Diesen | Sverre Christophersen | |
| 1968 | Roald Øyen | ||
| 1969 | Sverre Christophersen | Janka Polanyi | |
| 1970 | No commentator | Did not participate | |
| 1971 | Sverre Christophersen | No spokesperson | |
| 1972 | Roald Øyen | ||
| 1973 | John Andreassen | ||
| 1974 | Sverre Christophersen | ||
| 1975 | |||
| 1976 | Jo Vestly | ||
| 1977 | John Andreassen | ||
| 1978 | Bjørn Scheele | Egil Teige | |
| 1979 | Egil Teige | Sverre Christophersen | |
| 1980 | Knut Aunbu | Roald Øyen | |
| 1981 | Sverre Christophersen | ||
| 1982 | Bjørn Scheele | Erik Diesen | |
| 1983 | Ivar Dyrhaug | ||
| 1984 | Roald Øyen | Egil Teige | |
| 1985 | Veslemøy Kjendsli | Erik Diesen | |
| 1986 | Knut Bjørnsen | Nina Matheson | |
| 1987 | John Andreassen and Tor Paulsen | Sverre Christophersen | |
| 1988 | John Andreassen | Andreas Diesen | |
| 1989 | Sverre Christophersen | ||
| 1990 | Leif Erik Forberg | ||
| 1991 | John Andreassen and Jahn Teigen | ||
| 1992 | John Andreassen | ||
| 1993 | Leif Erik Forberg | ||
| 1994 | Jostein Pedersen | ||
| 1995 | Annette Groth | ||
| 1996 | Jostein Pedersen | Ragnhild Sælthun Fjørtoft | |
| 1997 | |||
| 1998 | |||
| 1999 | |||
| 2000 | Marit Åslein | ||
| 2001 | Roald Øyen | ||
| 2002 | Did not participate | ||
| 2003 | Roald Øyen | ||
| 2004 | Ingvild Helljesen | ||
| 2005 | |||
| 2006 | |||
| 2007 | Per Sundnes | Synnøve Svabø | |
| 2008 | Hanne Hoftun | Stian Barsnes-Simonsen | |
| 2009 | Synnøve Svabø | ||
| 2010 | Olav Viksmo-Slettan | Anne Rimmen | |
| 2011 | Nadia Hasnaoui | ||
| 2012 | |||
| 2013 | Tooji | ||
| 2014 | Margrethe Røed | ||
| 2015 | |||
| 2016 | Elisabeth Andreassen | ||
| 2017 | Marcus & Martinus | ||
| 2018 | Aleksander Walmann and Jowst | ||
| 2019 | Alexander Rybak | ||
| Not announced before cancellation | |||
| 2021 | Marte Stokstad | Silje Skjemstad Cruz | |
| 2022 | Tix | ||
| 2023 | Ben Adams | ||
| 2024 | Ingvild Helljesen[k] |
Photo gallery
editSee also
edit- Melodi Grand Prix
- Norway in the Junior Eurovision Song Contest – Junior version of the Eurovision Song Contest.
- Norway in the Eurovision Young Dancers – A competition organised by the EBU for younger dancers aged between 16 and 21.
- Norway in the Eurovision Young Musicians – A competition organised by the EBU for musicians aged 18 years and younger.
Notes and references
editNotes
edit- ^ a b According to the then-Eurovision rules, the top ten non-Big Four countries from the previous year along with the Big Four automatically qualified for the Grand Final without having to compete in semi-finals. For example, if Germany and France placed inside the top ten, the 11th and 12th spots were advanced to next year's Grand Final along with all countries ranked in the top ten.
- ^ Performance contains uncredited live vocals from Aleksander Walmann
- ^ The 2020 contest was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
- ^ All conductors are of Norwegian nationality unless otherwise noted.
- ^ Conducted by Egil Monn-Iversen at the national finals.
- ^ Conducted by Helge Hurum at the national final.
- ^ Conducted by Egil Monn-Iversen at the national finals.
- ^ Also conducted the Danish entry. Fred Nøddelund conducted at the national final.
- ^ The song was performed without orchestral accompaniment at the national final.
- ^ Conducted by Geir Langslet at the national final.
- ^ Alessandra Mele was initially appointed as the Norwegian spokesperson, though she withdrew before the final and was replaced by Helljesen.
References
edit- ^ Øverdal, Astri Chatura (20 November 2024). "Blir MGP-programleder: – Trodde det var tull" [Becomes MGP presenter: - Thought it was nonsense] (in Norwegian Bokmål). NRK. Retrieved 20 November 2024.
- ^ Klier, Marcus (18 May 2009). "The Eurovision 2009 Marcel Bezençon Awards". esctoday.com. Retrieved 8 December 2019.
- ^ "Winners of the Marcel Bezençon Awards 2015". eurovision.tv. 25 May 2015. Retrieved 8 December 2019.
- ^ Cobb, Ryan (21 April 2017). "Analysing ten years of OGAE voting: "Underneath the fan favourite bias is a worthwhile indicator"". escxtra.com. Retrieved 8 December 2019.
- ^ Roxburgh, Gordon (2012). Songs for Europe: The United Kingdom at the Eurovision Song Contest. Vol. One: The 1950s and 1960s. Prestatyn: Telos Publishing. pp. 93–101. ISBN 978-1-84583-065-6.
- ^ Roxburgh, Gordon (2014). Songs for Europe: The United Kingdom at the Eurovision Song Contest. Vol. Two: The 1970s. Prestatyn: Telos Publishing. pp. 142–168. ISBN 978-1-84583-093-9.
- ^ Roxburgh, Gordon (2016). Songs for Europe: The United Kingdom at the Eurovision Song Contest. Vol. Three: The 1980s. Prestatyn: Telos Publishing. ISBN 978-1-84583-118-9.
- ^ "Executive Supervisor". eurovision.tv. Retrieved 2 January 2020.
- ^ a b c "Se hele finalen her". 3 April 2020. Retrieved 3 April 2020.
- ^ a b Vedeler, Linda Marie (19 August 2024). "Ferdig i Melodi Grand Prix". NRK (in Norwegian Bokmål). Retrieved 19 August 2024.
- ^ a b Vedeler, Linda Marie (29 October 2024). "Tarjei Strøm blir ny musikksjef for MGP". NRK (in Norwegian Bokmål). Retrieved 1 November 2024.
- ^ GP-general Per Sundnes slutter i NRK
- ^ – Skulle veldig gjerne hatt en seier i beltet før jeg gir meg
- ^ a b Gir seg som MGP-general
- ^ Norli, Kristin (18 May 2009). "Klagerekord mot Svabø" [Complaint record against Svabø]. Aftenposten (in Norwegian). Archived from the original on 19 May 2009. Retrieved 21 February 2020.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Granger, Anthony (20 February 2020). "Norway: Olav Viksmo-Slettan Steps Down as Commentator After Ten Contests". Eurovoix. Retrieved 21 February 2020.
- ^ Hondal, Victor (26 May 2012). "EBU announces voting order". ESCToday. Retrieved 21 February 2020.
- ^ Granger, Anthony (12 May 2013). "Malmo'13: All The Spokespersons Announced". Eurovoix. Retrieved 21 February 2020.
- ^ Granger, Anthony (10 May 2014). "ESC'14: Voting Order Announced". Eurovoix. Retrieved 21 February 2020.
- ^ Doyle, Daniel (23 May 2015). "Vienna Calling: Spokespersons revealed". ESCToday. Retrieved 21 February 2020.
- ^ Granger, Anthony (14 May 2016). "ESC'16: 42 Spokespersons Revealed For Tonight". Eurovoix. Retrieved 21 February 2020.
- ^ Granger, Anthony (9 May 2017). "Norway: Marcus & Martinus Announcing The Jury Points". Eurovoix. Retrieved 7 December 2019.
- ^ Granger, Anthony (9 May 2018). "Norway: JOWST & Aleksander Walmann To Reveal Norwegian Jury Points". Eurovoix. Retrieved 21 February 2020.
- ^ Herbert, Emily (13 May 2019). "Norway: Alexander Rybak Revealed as Eurovision 2019 Spokesperson". Eurovoix. Retrieved 21 February 2020.
- ^ Sand, Camilla (17 April 2020). "Marte Stokstad blir ny kommentator for Eurovision Song Contest" (in Norwegian). Retrieved 17 April 2020.
- ^ Hagen, Knut-Øyvind (17 April 2020). "Slik blir årets alternative Eurovision Song Contest". NRK (in Norwegian).
- ^ Farren, Neil (31 March 2022). "Norway: Adresse Torino Schedule and Jurors Announced". Eurovoix. Retrieved 31 March 2022.
- ^ "Eurovision 2022, tante eurostars fra chi annuncerà i voti: l'elenco completo". Eurofestival News (in Italian). 14 May 2022. Retrieved 14 May 2022.
- ^ Sand, Camilla (15 March 2023). "Adresse Liverpool". nrk.no (in Norwegian Bokmål). NRK. Retrieved 16 March 2023.
- ^ Granger, Anthony (16 March 2023). "Norway: Adresse Liverpool Celebrity Panel Announced". Eurovoix. Retrieved 16 March 2023.
- ^ "Ben Adams med ærefullt Eurovision-oppdrag" (in Norwegian). Verdens Gang. 10 May 2023. Retrieved 10 May 2023.
- ^ Nielsen, Vetle; Gjestad Frog, Heidi (18 April 2024). "Eurovision Song Contest 2024". NRK Presse (in Norwegian Bokmål). NRK. Retrieved 29 April 2024.
- ^ Løland, Tuva Mathilde (10 May 2024). "Alessandra Mele deler ut Norges stemmer i Eurovision". Nettavisen (in Norwegian Bokmål). Retrieved 10 May 2024.
- ^ Ness Aksnes, Elise Violeta; Gaathaug Nielsen, Jonathan; Ryland, Ørjan (11 May 2024). "Trekker seg" (in Norwegian Bokmål). Dagbladet. Retrieved 11 May 2024.
External links
edit- Melodi Grand Prix
- Points to and from Norway eurovisioncovers.co.uk