Söngvakeppnin
Icelandic Eurovision Song Contest preselection
title: "Söngvakeppnin" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["söngvakeppnin", "eurovision-song-contest-selection-events", "iceland-in-the-eurovision-song-contest", "music-of-iceland", "annual-events-in-iceland"] description: "Icelandic Eurovision Song Contest preselection" topic_path: "arts" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Söngvakeppnin" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::summary Icelandic Eurovision Song Contest preselection ::
::data[format=table title="Infobox music festival"]
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| name | Söngvakeppnin |
| location | Iceland |
| years_active | 1981–2025 |
| founders | Ríkisútvarpið (RÚV) |
| genre | Various |
| website | Official website |
| :: |
| name = Söngvakeppnin | image = | caption = | location = Iceland | years_active = 1981–2025 | founders = Ríkisútvarpið (RÚV) | dates = | genre = Various | attendance = | capacity = | website = Official website
Söngvakeppnin (known from 1986–1989 as Söngvakeppni sjónvarpsstöðva and in 1981, 1983 and 1990–2012 as Söngvakeppni sjónvarpsins, ) was an annual music competition organised by Icelandic public broadcaster Ríkisútvarpið (RÚV) to determine for the Eurovision Song Contest.
Format
The contest was first organised in 1981, although neither it nor its subsequent 1983 edition were used to determine any representatives for the Eurovision Song Contest until Iceland made its debut in the . Since then, RÚV has used Söngvakeppni sjónvarpsins to select the Icelandic entry, but has also used an internal selection at times, between 1995 and 1999, and in 2004, 2005, and 2021.
Söngvakeppni sjónvarpsins has consisted of a multi-artist competition, with between five and ten songs competing. Most contests in the past have been a one-night event. From 2006 to 2025, the contest consisted of a number of semi-finals aired before a final.
It was known for RÚV to change the performers for Eurovision. This can be seen in 1986, when winner Pálmi Gunnarsson was joined by Eiríkur Hauksson and Helga Möller to form ICY for Eurovision. In 1994, RÚV was not happy with the winning song, and so enlisted Frank McNamara to rearrange the entry and select a new singer.
Songs at Söngvakeppni sjónvarpsins were previously only allowed to be performed in Icelandic. However, the winning songs were normally translated into English for Eurovision. This rule was abolished in 2008, when English-language songs were allowed to compete for the first time. The rules were later changed again in 2015, and the same was still used until the contest's cancellation in 2026. The rules now require that in the semi-finals, the songs must be performed in Icelandic. In the final, the finalists will be asked to determine the language they will perform their song in Eurovision.
Winners
The winners of Söngvakeppnin since 1986 have gone on to represent Iceland at the Eurovision Song Contest. Iceland has never won the contest, being the only Nordic country never to do so, but it has finished second twice: in 1999 (when an internal selection was used), losing to , and in 2009, when it lost to .
2020 was the first time in history where the winner of Söngvakeppnin, in this case Daði og Gagnamagnið, did not advance to Eurovision, as that event was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Instead, RÚV internally re-selected Daði og Gagnamagnið to represent the country in , with the song also chosen internally.
::data[format=table title="Table key"]
| † | Upcoming event |
|---|---|
| :: |
::data[format=table title="List of ''Söngvakeppnin'' winners"]
| Year | Artist | Song | Songwriter(s) | At Eurovision | Final | Points | Semi | Points | 1981 | 1983 | 1986 | 1987 | 1988 | 1989 | 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 2000 | 2001 | 2003 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2020 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pálmi Gunnarsson | "Af litlum neista" | Guðmundur Ingólfsson, Magnús Haraldsson | Did not compete}} X | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sigríður Gröndal | The contest was a classical singing competition.}} | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Pálmi Gunnarsson | "Gleðibankinn" | Magnús Eiríksson | 16th | 19 | No semi-finals}} | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Halla Margrét Árnadóttir | "Hægt og hljótt" | 16th | 28 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sverrir Stormsker and Stefán Hilmarsson | "Þú og þeir (Sókrates)" | Sverrir Stormsker | 16th | 20 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Daníel Ágúst Haraldsson | "Það sem enginn sér" | Valgeir Guðjónsson | 22nd ◁ | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sigríður Beinteinsdóttir and | "Eitt lag enn" | , Hörður G. Ólafsson | 4th | 124 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Stefán Hilmarsson and | "Draumur um Nínu" | Eyjólfur Kristjánsson | 15th | 26 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sigríður Beinteinsdóttir and | "Nei eða já" | Friðrik Karlsson, Grétar Örvarsson, Stefán Hilmarsson | 7th | 80 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "Þá veistu svarið" | Friðrik Sturluson, Jon Kjell Seljeseth | 13th | 42 | Kvalifikacija za Millstreet}} | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sigrún Eva Ármannsdóttir | "Nætur" | Friðrik Karlsson, Stefán Hilmarsson | 12th | 49 | No semi-finals}} | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Einar Ágúst Víðisson and | "Hvert sem er" | Örlygur Smári, Sigurður Örn Jónsson | 12th | 45 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Kristján Gíslason and Gunnar Ólason | "Birta" | Einar Bárðarson, | 22nd ◁ | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Birgitta Haukdal | "Segðu mér allt" | Birgitta Haukdal Brynjarsdóttir, Hallgrímur Óskarsson | 8th | 81 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Silvía Nótt | "Til hamingju Ísland" | Ágústa Eva Erlendsdóttir, | Failed to qualify}} | 13th | 62 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Eiríkur Hauksson | "Ég les í lófa þínum" | Kristján Hreinsson, Sveinn Rúnar Sigurðsson | 13th | 77 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Eurobandið | "This was My Life" | Örlygur Smári, Páll Óskar Hjálmtýsson, Peter Fenner | 14th | 64 | 8th | 68 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Jóhanna Guðrún Jónsdóttir | "Is It True?" | Chris Neil, Óskar Páll Sveinsson, Tinatin Japaridze | 2nd | 218 | 1st | 174 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Hera Björk | "Je ne sais quoi" | Hera Björk Þórhallsdóttir, Örlygur Smári | 19th | 41 | 3rd | 123 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sigurjón's Friends | "Aftur heim" | Sigurjón Brink, Þórunn Erna Clausen | 20th | 61 | 4th | 100 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Greta Salóme and Jónsi | "Mundu eftir mér" | Greta Salóme Stefánsdóttir | 20th | 46 | 8th | 75 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Eyþór Ingi Gunnlaugsson | "Ég á líf" | Örlygur Smári, Pétur Örn Guðmundsson | 17th | 47 | 6th | 72 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Pollapönk | "No Prejudice" | John William Grant, Haraldur F. Gíslason, Heiðar Örn Kristjánsson | 15th | 58 | 8th | 61 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| María Ólafsdóttir | "Unbroken" | Ásgeir Orri Ásgeirsson, Pálmi Ragnar Ásgeirsson, Sæþór Kristjánsson | Failed to qualify}} | 15th | 14 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Greta Salóme | "Hear Them Calling" | Greta Salóme Stefánsdóttir | 14th | 51 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Svala | "Paper" | Einar Egilsson, Lester Mendez, Lily Elise, Svala Björgvinsdóttir | 15th | 60 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Ari Ólafsson | "Our Choice" | Þórunn Erna Clausen | 19th ◁ | 15 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Hatari | "Hatrið mun sigra" | Einar Hrafn Stefánsson, Klemens Nikulásson Hannigan, Matthías Tryggvi Haraldsson | 10th | 232 | 3rd | 221 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Daði og Gagnamagnið | "Think About Things" | Daði Freyr Pétursson | Contest cancelled}} X | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sigga, Beta and Elin | "Með hækkandi sól" | Lovísa Elísabet Sigrúnardóttir | 23rd | 20 | 10th | 103 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Diljá | "Power" | Diljá Pétursdóttir, Pálmi Ragnar Ásgeirsson | Failed to qualify}} | 11th | 44 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Hera Björk | "Scared of Heights" | Ásdís María Viðarsdóttir, Ferras Alqaisi, Jaro Omar, Michael Burek | 15th ◁ | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Væb | "Róa" | Matthías Davíð Matthíasson, Hálfdán Helgi Matthíasson, Ingi Þór Garðarsson | 25th | 33 | 6th | 97 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| :: |
Performers and songwriters with multiple wins
The following individuals have won Söngvakeppnin as a performer or songwriter more than once. ::data[format=table title="Individuals with multiple ''Söngvakeppnin'' wins"]
| Wins | Name | Wins as performer | Wins as songwriter | 4 | 2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stefán Hilmarsson | 1988, 1991 | 1992, 1994 | |||
| Örlygur Smári | 2000, 2008, 2010, 2013 | ||||
| Greta Salóme Stefánsdóttir | 2012, 2016 | ||||
| Hera Björk | 2010, 2024 | 2010 | |||
| Gunnar Ólason | 2001, 2011 (as part of Sigurjón's Friends) | rowspan="4" | |||
| Pálmi Gunnarsson | 1981, 1986 | ||||
| Sigríður Beinteinsdóttir | 1990, 1992 | ||||
| 1992, 1994 | |||||
| Friðrik Karlsson | rowspan="4" | 1992, 1994 | |||
| Pálmi Ragnar Ásgeirsson | 2015, 2023 | ||||
| Þórunn Erna Clausen | 2011, 2018 | ||||
| 1987, 1989 | |||||
| :: |
''Söngvakeppnin'' Hall of Fame
Heiðurshöll Söngvakeppninnar or the Söngvakeppnin Hall of Fame was introduced in to acknowledge artists who have outstanding contributions to the competition.
::data[format=table]
| Year | Artist | Ref. |
|---|---|---|
| Sigríður Beinteinsdóttir | ||
| Björgvin Halldórsson | {{cite web | last=Aradóttir |
| Jóhanna Guðrún | ||
| :: |
Notes
References
References
- Kristjánsson, Jónas. (1981-03-07). "Bikarúrslitaleikurinn í körfu og svigkeppni".
- [http://natfinals.50webs.com/90s_00s/Iceland1994.html Icelandic National Final 1994]
- Friðjónsdóttir, Hólmfríður Dagný. (2026-01-10). "RÚV hættir við Söngvakeppnina og skoðar hvað kemur í staðinn - RÚV.is".
- (2015-02-12). "Iceland: Songvakeppnin running order and language rules revealed".
- "Participants of Jerusalem 1999". [[European Broadcasting Union]].
- "Participants of Moscow 2009". [[European Broadcasting Union]].
- (2020-04-06). "Official EBU statement & FAQ on Eurovision 2020 cancellation". [[European Broadcasting Union]].
- Smith, Thomas. (2020-11-10). "Daði Freyr on Iceland Airwaves, Hot Chip's influence and next year's Eurovision song".
- "BBC Cardiff Singer of the World - Performers A-Z".
- Björnsdóttir, Anna María. (2024-02-18). "VÆB og Aníta áfram í úrslit Söngvakeppninnar". [[RÚV]].
- Björnsdóttir, Anna María. (2024-02-22). "Sigga Beinteins heiðruð á Söngvakeppninni". [[RÚV]].
- (15 February 2025). "Júlí og Dísa, Bjarni Arason og Tinna í úrslit Söngvakeppninnar". [[RÚV]].
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