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Norway in the Eurovision Song Contest

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Norway in the Eurovision Song Contest
Norway
Participating broadcasterNorsk rikskringkasting (NRK)
Participation summary
Appearances62 (59 finals)
First appearance1960
Highest placement1st: 1985, 1995, 2009
Host1986, 1996, 2010
Participation history
Related articles
Melodi Grand Prix
External links
NRK page
Norway's page at Eurovision.tv Edit this at Wikidata
For the most recent participation see
Norway in the Eurovision Song Contest 2024

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.

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

[edit]

Norsk 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]
Table key
1 First place
2 Second place
3 Third place
◁ Last place
X Entry selected but did not compete
† Upcoming event
Year Artist Song Language Final Points Semi Points
1960 Nora Brockstedt "Voi-voi" Norwegian 4 11 No semi-finals
1961 Nora Brockstedt "Sommer i Palma" Norwegian 7 10
1962 Inger Jacobsen "Kom sol, kom regn" Norwegian 10 2
1963 Anita Thallaug "Solhverv" Norwegian 13 ◁ 0
1964 Arne Bendiksen "Spiral" Norwegian 8 6
1965 Kirsti Sparboe "Karusell" Norwegian 13 1
1966 Åse Kleveland "Intet er nytt under solen" Norwegian 3 15
1967 Kirsti Sparboe "Dukkemann" Norwegian 14 2
1968 Odd Børre "Stress" Norwegian 13 2
1969 Kirsti Sparboe "Oj, oj, oj, så glad jeg skal bli" Norwegian 16 ◁ 1
1971 Hanne Krogh "Lykken er" Norwegian 17 65
1972 Grethe Kausland and Benny Borg "Småting" Norwegian 14 73
1973 Bendik Singers "It's Just a Game" English, French 7 89
1974 Anne-Karine and the Bendik Singers "The First Day of Love" English 14 ◁ 3
1975 Ellen Nikolaysen "Touch My Life with Summer" English 18 11
1976 Anne-Karine Strøm "Mata Hari" English 18 ◁ 7
1977 Anita Skorgan "Casanova" Norwegian 14 18
1978 Jahn Teigen "Mil etter mil" Norwegian 20 ◁ 0
1979 Anita Skorgan "Oliver" Norwegian 11 57
1980 Sverre Kjelsberg and Mattis Hætta "Sámiid ædnan" Norwegian 16 15
1981 Finn Kalvik "Aldri i livet" Norwegian 20 ◁ 0
1982 Jahn Teigen and Anita Skorgan "Adieu" Norwegian 12 40
1983 Jahn Teigen "Do Re Mi" Norwegian 9 53
1984 Dollie de Luxe "Lenge leve livet" Norwegian 17 29
1985 Bobbysocks! "La det swinge" Norwegian 1 123
1986 Ketil Stokkan "Romeo" Norwegian 12 44
1987 Kate Gulbrandsen "Mitt liv" Norwegian 9 65
1988 Karoline Krüger "For vår jord" Norwegian 5 88
1989 Britt Synnøve Johansen "Venners nærhet" Norwegian 17 30
1990 Ketil Stokkan "Brandenburger Tor" Norwegian 21 ◁ 8
1991 Just 4 Fun "Mrs. Thompson" Norwegian 17 14
1992 Merethe Trøan "Visjoner" Norwegian 18 23
1993 Silje Vige "Alle mine tankar" Norwegian 5 120 Kvalifikacija za Millstreet
1994 Elisabeth Andreasson and Jan Werner Danielsen "Duett" Norwegian 6 76 No semi-finals
1995 Secret Garden "Nocturne" Norwegian 1 148
1996 Elisabeth Andreassen "I evighet" Norwegian 2 114 Host country
1997 Tor Endresen "San Francisco" Norwegian 24 ◁ 0 No semi-finals
1998 Lars A. Fredriksen "Alltid sommer" Norwegian 8 79
1999 Van Eijk "Living My Life Without You" English 14 35
2000 Charmed "My Heart Goes Boom" English 11 57
2001 Haldor Lægreid "On My Own" English 22 ◁ 3
2003 Jostein Hasselgård "I'm Not Afraid to Move On" English 4 123
2004 Knut Anders Sørum "High" English 24 ◁ 3 Top 11 in 2003 contest[a]
2005 Wig Wam "In My Dreams" English 9 125 6 164
2006 Christine Guldbrandsen "Alvedansen" Norwegian 14 36 Top 11 in 2005 final[a]
2007 Guri Schanke "Ven a bailar conmigo" English Failed to qualify 18 48
2008 Maria "Hold On Be Strong" English 5 182 4 106
2009 Alexander Rybak "Fairytale" English 1 387 1 201
2010 Didrik Solli-Tangen "My Heart Is Yours" English 20 35 Host country
2011 Stella Mwangi "Haba Haba" English, Swahili Failed to qualify 17 30
2012 Tooji "Stay" English 26 ◁ 7 10 45
2013 Margaret Berger "I Feed You My Love" English 4 191 3 120
2014 Carl Espen "Silent Storm" English 8 88 6 77
2015 Mørland and Debrah Scarlett "A Monster Like Me" English 8 102 4 123
2016 Agnete "Icebreaker" English Failed to qualify 13 63
2017 Jowst[b] "Grab the Moment" English 10 158 5 189
2018 Alexander Rybak "That's How You Write a Song" English 15 144 1 266
2019 Keiino "Spirit in the Sky" English 6 331 7 210
2020 Ulrikke "Attention" English Contest cancelled[c] X
2021 Tix "Fallen Angel" English 18 75 10 115
2022 Subwoolfer "Give That Wolf a Banana" English 10 182 6 177
2023 Alessandra "Queen of Kings" English 5 268 6 102
2024 Gåte "Ulveham" Norwegian 25 ◁ 16 10 43
2025 TBD 15 February 2025 †[1] Upcoming †

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

[edit]

Marcel Bezençon Awards

[edit]
Further information: Marcel Bezençon Awards
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 Russia Moscow
[2]
2015 Composer Award "A Monster Like Me" Kjetil Mørland (m & l) Mørland & Debrah Scarlett 8 102 Austria Vienna
[3]

Winner by OGAE members

[edit]
Further information: OGAE
Year Song Performer Place Points Host city Ref.
2009 "Fairytale" Alexander Rybak 1 387 Russia Moscow
[4]
[edit]

Conductors

[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
[8]
2006–2009, 2012–2015 Stian Malme
[9]
2010–2011 Skjalg Solstad
[9]
2016–2024 Stig Karlsen [no]
[9][10]
2025 Mads Tørklep
[11]

Supervisors

[edit]

List 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
[12]
2013–2015 Vivi Stenberg
[13]
2016–2017 Jan Fredrik Karlsen
[14]
2018–2024 Stig Karlsen [no]
[14][10]
2025 Tarjei Strøm
[11]

Commentators and spokespersons

[edit]
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
[15]
2010 Olav Viksmo-Slettan Anne Rimmen
[16]
2011 Nadia Hasnaoui
[16]
2012
[16][17]
2013 Tooji
[16][18]
2014 Margrethe Røed
[16][19]
2015
[16][20]
2016 Elisabeth Andreassen
[16][21]
2017 Marcus & Martinus
[16][22]
2018 Aleksander Walmann and Jowst
[16][23]
2019 Alexander Rybak
[16][24]
2020 Marte Stokstad Not announced before cancellation
[25]
2021 Marte Stokstad Silje Skjemstad Cruz
[26]
2022 Tix
[27][28]
2023 Ben Adams
[29][30][31]
2024 Ingvild Helljesen[k]
[32][33][34]
[edit]

See also

[edit]

Notes and references

[edit]

Notes

[edit]
  1. ^ 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.
  2. ^ Performance contains uncredited live vocals from Aleksander Walmann
  3. ^ The 2020 contest was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
  4. ^ All conductors are of Norwegian nationality unless otherwise noted.
  5. ^ Conducted by Egil Monn-Iversen at the national finals.
  6. ^ Conducted by Helge Hurum at the national final.
  7. ^ Conducted by Egil Monn-Iversen at the national finals.
  8. ^ Also conducted the Danish entry. Fred Nøddelund conducted at the national final.
  9. ^ The song was performed without orchestral accompaniment at the national final.
  10. ^ Conducted by Geir Langslet at the national final.
  11. ^ Alessandra Mele was initially appointed as the Norwegian spokesperson, though she withdrew before the final and was replaced by Helljesen.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ 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.
  2. ^ Klier, Marcus (18 May 2009). "The Eurovision 2009 Marcel Bezençon Awards". esctoday.com. Retrieved 8 December 2019.
  3. ^ "Winners of the Marcel Bezençon Awards 2015". eurovision.tv. 25 May 2015. Retrieved 8 December 2019.
  4. ^ 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.
  5. ^ 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.
  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.
  7. ^ 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.
  8. ^ "Executive Supervisor". eurovision.tv. Retrieved 2 January 2020.
  9. ^ a b c "Se hele finalen her". 3 April 2020. Retrieved 3 April 2020.
  10. ^ a b Vedeler, Linda Marie (19 August 2024). "Ferdig i Melodi Grand Prix". NRK (in Norwegian Bokmål). Retrieved 19 August 2024.
  11. ^ a b Vedeler, Linda Marie (29 October 2024). "Tarjei Strøm blir ny musikksjef for MGP". NRK (in Norwegian Bokmål). Retrieved 1 November 2024.
  12. ^ GP-general Per Sundnes slutter i NRK
  13. ^ – Skulle veldig gjerne hatt en seier i beltet før jeg gir meg
  14. ^ a b Gir seg som MGP-general
  15. ^ 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.
  16. ^ 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.
  17. ^ Hondal, Victor (26 May 2012). "EBU announces voting order". ESCToday. Retrieved 21 February 2020.
  18. ^ Granger, Anthony (12 May 2013). "Malmo'13: All The Spokespersons Announced". Eurovoix. Retrieved 21 February 2020.
  19. ^ Granger, Anthony (10 May 2014). "ESC'14: Voting Order Announced". Eurovoix. Retrieved 21 February 2020.
  20. ^ Doyle, Daniel (23 May 2015). "Vienna Calling: Spokespersons revealed". ESCToday. Retrieved 21 February 2020.
  21. ^ Granger, Anthony (14 May 2016). "ESC'16: 42 Spokespersons Revealed For Tonight". Eurovoix. Retrieved 21 February 2020.
  22. ^ Granger, Anthony (9 May 2017). "Norway: Marcus & Martinus Announcing The Jury Points". Eurovoix. Retrieved 7 December 2019.
  23. ^ Granger, Anthony (9 May 2018). "Norway: JOWST & Aleksander Walmann To Reveal Norwegian Jury Points". Eurovoix. Retrieved 21 February 2020.
  24. ^ Herbert, Emily (13 May 2019). "Norway: Alexander Rybak Revealed as Eurovision 2019 Spokesperson". Eurovoix. Retrieved 21 February 2020.
  25. ^ Sand, Camilla (17 April 2020). "Marte Stokstad blir ny kommentator for Eurovision Song Contest" (in Norwegian). Retrieved 17 April 2020.
  26. ^ Hagen, Knut-Øyvind (17 April 2020). "Slik blir årets alternative Eurovision Song Contest". NRK (in Norwegian).
  27. ^ Farren, Neil (31 March 2022). "Norway: Adresse Torino Schedule and Jurors Announced". Eurovoix. Retrieved 31 March 2022.
  28. ^ "Eurovision 2022, tante eurostars fra chi annuncerà i voti: l'elenco completo". Eurofestival News (in Italian). 14 May 2022. Retrieved 14 May 2022.
  29. ^ Sand, Camilla (15 March 2023). "Adresse Liverpool". nrk.no (in Norwegian Bokmål). NRK. Retrieved 16 March 2023.
  30. ^ Granger, Anthony (16 March 2023). "Norway: Adresse Liverpool Celebrity Panel Announced". Eurovoix. Retrieved 16 March 2023.
  31. ^ "Ben Adams med ærefullt Eurovision-oppdrag" (in Norwegian). Verdens Gang. 10 May 2023. Retrieved 10 May 2023.
  32. ^ Nielsen, Vetle; Gjestad Frog, Heidi (18 April 2024). "Eurovision Song Contest 2024". NRK Presse (in Norwegian Bokmål). NRK. Retrieved 29 April 2024.
  33. ^ Løland, Tuva Mathilde (10 May 2024). "Alessandra Mele deler ut Norges stemmer i Eurovision". Nettavisen (in Norwegian Bokmål). Retrieved 10 May 2024.
  34. ^ Ness Aksnes, Elise Violeta; Gaathaug Nielsen, Jonathan; Ryland, Ørjan (11 May 2024). "Trekker seg" (in Norwegian Bokmål). Dagbladet. Retrieved 11 May 2024.
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