It has been over a week since RÚV closed the submissions for its Eurovision 2023 selection Söngvakeppnin. The broadcaster has confirmed that it has received 118 submissions for the 2024 edition of its national selection.
Söngvakeppnin 2024
RÚV will once again use its national final Söngvakeppnin to select its Eurovision 2024 entry. The semi-finals will take place on the 17th and 24th of February, while the final will take place on the 4th of March. Ten songs will compete for four places in the final. The producers reserve the right to select a fifth song to compete in the final after the semi-finals are complete, which it has done for the past few years.
The submissions received by RÚV are currently being assessed, with the participants of next year’s competition to be revealed via its preview show Lögin í Söngvakeppnninn, on the 27th of January.
In addition to this, RÚV has also revealed further details about next year’s competition, by confirming that Ragnhildur Steinunn Jónsdóttir, Sigurður Þorri Gunnarsson and Unnsteinn Manuel Stefánsson will be the hosts for next year’s competition, after undertaking the role in 2023, whilst Högni Egilsson, Selma Björnsdóttir, Samúel Bjarki Pétursson and Gunnar Páll Ólafsson will be the artistic directors.
Meanwhile, the shows will take place in two different venues. The semi-finals will take place in the Truenorth Studio in Fossaleyni, whilst the final will take place in Laugardalshöllin.
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 35 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 Diljá, singing “Power” in Liverpool. At the close of the voting, Diljá finished 11th in the semi-final with 44 points from the televote. This meant that Iceland missed out on qualifying for the final.
What do you think of the news from Iceland? What can RÚV do to bring Eurovision to Reykjavik? As always, let us know what you think by commenting below. Also, be sure to follow “That Eurovision Site” on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Tiktok, Threads and Bluesky as we start gearing up for next year’s Contest!
News Source: RÚV
Photo Credit: Sarah Louise Bennett / EBU
