Iceland in the Eurovision Song Contest 2024
| Eurovision Song Contest 2024 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Country |  Iceland | |||
| National selection | ||||
| Selection process | Söngvakeppnin 2024 | |||
| Selection date(s) |
| |||
| Iceland in the Eurovision Song Contest | ||||
| ||||
Iceland is set to participate in the Eurovision Song Contest 2024 in Malmö, Sweden. The Icelandic broadcaster Ríkisútvarpið (RÚV) will organise the national final Söngvakeppnin 2024 in order to select the Icelandic entry for the contest.
Background
Prior to the 2024 contest, Iceland has participated in the Eurovision Song Contest thirty-nine times since its first entry in 1986.[1] Iceland's best placing in the contest to this point is second, which it achieved on two occasions: in 1999 with the song "All Out of Luck" performed by Selma and in 2009 with the song "Is It True?" performed by Yohanna. The country also reached two more top-5 positions: in 1990 with the song "Eitt lag enn" performed by Stjórnin and in 2021 with the song "10 Years" performed by Daði og Gagnamagnið, ending fourth on both occasions. Since the introduction of semi-finals in 2004, Iceland has failed to qualify to the final eight times, including in 2023, when the country placed 11th in the second semi-final with the song "Power" performed by Diljá.[1]
The Icelandic national broadcaster, Ríkisútvarpið (RÚV), broadcasts the event within Iceland and organises the selection process for the nation's entry. From 2006 to 2020 and again since 2022, Iceland's entry has been selected through Söngvakeppnin, a televised national competition. RÚV confirmed its intention to participate in the 2024 contest on 30 May 2023, while also confirming Söngvakeppnin as its national selection method.[2]
Before Eurovision
Söngvakeppnin 2024
Söngvakeppnin 2024 will be the national final organised by RÚV in order to select Iceland's entry for the Eurovision Song Contest 2024. It will consist of two semi-finals on 17 and 24 February 2024 at Truenorth Studio, and a final on 2 March 2024 at Laugardalshöll – both located in Reykjavík. The shows will be presented by Ragnhildur Steinunn Jónsdóttir, Sigurður Þorri Gunnarsson, and Unnsteinn Manuel Stefánsson.[3][4]
Competing entries
On 15 June 2023, RÚV opened the period for interested songwriters to submit their entries, lasting until 10 September;[2][3] at the closing of the submission window, 118 entries had been received.[4] In addition to reviewing the submissions, the broadcaster will also directly invite established artists to compete. The ten selected entries will be revealed on 27 January 2024.[3][4][5]
At Eurovision
According to Eurovision rules, all nations with the exceptions of the host country and the "Big Five" (France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom) are required to qualify from one of two semi-finals in order to compete for the final; the top 10 countries from each semi-final progress to the final. The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) split up the competing countries into six different pots based on voting patterns from previous contests, with countries with favourable voting histories put into the same pot. On 30 January 2024, an allocation draw will be held, which placed each country into one of the two semi-finals, and determined which half of the show they would perform in; the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) splits up the competing countries into different pots based on voting patterns from previous contests, with countries with favourable voting histories put into the same pot.[6]
References
- ^ a b "Iceland". Eurovision.tv. European Broadcasting Union (EBU). Retrieved 9 August 2023.
- ^ a b Granger, Anthony (31 May 2023). "Iceland: Eurovision 2024 Participation Confirmed". Eurovoix. Retrieved 31 May 2023.
- ^ a b c Kristjánsson, Atli Sigurður (15 June 2023). "Opnað fyrir lög í Söngvakeppnina 2024" [Opening song submissions for Söngvakeppnin 2024]. ruv.is (in Icelandic). RÚV. Retrieved 15 June 2023.
- ^ a b c Adam, Darren (13 October 2023). "Söngvakeppnin back in Laugardalshöll". ruv.is. RÚV. Retrieved 13 October 2023.
- ^ Ruas, Tiago (17 June 2023). "RÚV opens song submissions for Söngvakeppnin 2024". ESCXTRA. Retrieved 14 August 2023.
- ^ Van Dijk, Sem Anne (13 December 2023). "Eurovision 2024: Semi-Final Allocation Draw on January 30". Eurovoix. Retrieved 13 December 2023.