This week confirmations for Eurovision 2023 have been flying in. It has now been confirmed by broadcaster RÚV that Iceland will take part in next year’s contest, which will be held in the UK. This will be Iceland’s 35th appearance in the contest.
Iceland in 2023
As well as announcing their participation RÚV have also announced that their song submissions for 2023 are now open. It has also been announced that once again Iceland will use the national final Söngvakeppnin to select their Eurovision 2023 song. The semi-finals will take place on the 18th and 25th February, while the final will take place on March 4th 2023. Ten songs will compete for four places in the final, however, the jury reserves the right to select a fifth song to compete in the final after the semi-finals are complete.
Iceland’s Eurovision journey
Iceland made its debut on the Eurovision stage in 1986, finishing 16th with the song “Gleðibankinn” (Bank of fun) by ICY. In their 34 appearances, Iceland has finished in top 10 an impressive 7 times. Their best result to date is second place, which they have achieved twice. The first time was in 1999, where Selma Björnsdóttir received 146 points for her performance of “All out of luck”. The second time was in 2009, with Yohanna singing “Is It True” and receiving 218 points. Iceland’s most recent representative on the Eurovision stage was Systur, singing “Með hækkandi sól”, finishing 23rd with 20 points.
What do you make of Iceland’s confirmation for Eurovision 2023? Who would you like to see represent Iceland next year? Do you think they could improve on their results this year? As always, let us know what you think by commenting below. Also, be sure to follow “That Eurovision Site” on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and TikTok as we gear up for Eurovision 2023!
News Source: RÚV
Photo Credit: EBU/Sarah Louise Bennett
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