For the third consecutive year, the Norwegian national broadcaster Norsk ringsringkasting (NRK) has announced that it has received a larger number of songs wishing to participate in the forthcoming Norwegian Eurovision national selection Melodi Grand Prix (MGP), in comparison to the previous year. According to the broadcaster, approximately 1,200 songs were submitted just before the submission period concluded.

This national competition is going to select the country’s representative in the Eurovision Song Contest 2018. The growing number of song submissions shows the high interest of both artists and the Norwegian audience in Eurovision.

A demanding procedure is underway

From the circa 1,200 submitted songs, only 10 will qualify to compete in next year’s MGP. The Grand Prix will be taking place at the Oslo Spektrum, the venue of the 41st Eurovision Song Contest, in 1996. NRK is yet to announce the date of the national final, but it will probably be in February or March 2018.

Impressed by the vast number of submissions, the producer and music director for MGP, Stig Karlsen states:

There are many talented people wishing to take part in next year’s MGP. It’s going to be very difficult to pick out only ten songs and artists who will fight to represent Norway during the Eurovision Song Contest in Lisbon.

As is custom every year, NRK is expected to release the complete lineup of the selected songs in January 2018.

Norway at Eurovision

The Scandinavian country has been participating in Eurovision since 1960. So far, Norway has achieved 3 victories, with the last being the triumphant victory of Alexander Rybak in 2009, with his entry Fairytale. Rybak had scored 387 points, the highest amount of points ever achieved with the former voting system. However, the country also holds the record of the most last placings; 11 in total.

In 2017, JOWST feat. Alexander Walmann won the MGP, thus earning the right to represent Norway at Kyiv in May. Their song Grab the moment reached a respectable 10th place with 158 points.

Will the Norwegians pick winning artist and song for 2018? Will the Norwegian entry make it to the TOP 10 in Lisbon?