| Söngvakeppnin | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Various |
| Location | Iceland |
| Years active | 1981–2025 |
| Founders | Ríkisútvarpið (RÚV) |
| Website | Official website |
Söngvakeppnin (known from 1986–1989 asSöngvakeppni sjónvarpsstöðva and in 1981, 1983 and 1990–2012 asSöngvakeppni sjónvarpsins,lit. 'the Television's Song Contest') was an annualmusic competition organised byIcelandic public broadcasterRíkisútvarpið (RÚV) to determineits entry for theEurovision Song Contest.
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 the1986 contest.[1] Since then,RÚV has usedSöngvakeppni 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 byEiríkur Hauksson and Helga Möller to formICY for Eurovision. In 1994, RÚV was not happy with the winning song, and so enlistedFrank McNamara to rearrange the entry and select a new singer.[2]
Songs atSöngvakeppni sjónvarpsins were previously only allowed to be performed inIcelandic. 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[3]. 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.[4]
The winners ofSöngvakeppnin since 1986 have gone on to represent Iceland at the Eurovision Song Contest. Iceland has never won the contest, being the onlyNordic country never to do so, but it has finished second twice: in 1999 (when an internal selection was used), losing toSweden, and in 2009, when it lost toNorway.[5][6]
2020 was the first time in history where the winner ofSöngvakeppnin, in this caseDaðiog Gagnamagnið, did not advance to Eurovision, as that event was cancelled due to theCOVID-19 pandemic.[7] Instead, RÚV internally re-selected Daði og Gagnamagnið to represent the country in2021, with the song also chosen internally.[8]
| 1 | First place |
| 2 | Second place |
| 3 | Third place |
| ◁ | Last place |
| X | Entry selected but did not compete |
| † | Upcoming event |
| Year | Artist | Song | Songwriter(s) | At Eurovision | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Final | Points | Semi | Points | ||||
| 1981 | Pálmi Gunnarsson | "Af litlum neista" | Guðmundur Ingólfsson, Magnús Haraldsson | Did not compete[a]X | |||
| 1983 | Sigríður Gröndal | N/a[b] | |||||
| 1986 | Pálmi Gunnarsson | "Gleðibankinn" | Magnús Eiríksson | 16th[c] | 19 | No semi-finals | |
| 1987 | Halla Margrét Árnadóttir | "Hægt og hljótt" | Valgeir Guðjónsson [is] | 16th | 28 | ||
| 1988 | Sverrir Stormsker andStefán Hilmarsson | "Þú og þeir (Sókrates)" | Sverrir Stormsker | 16th[d] | 20 | ||
| 1989 | Daníel Ágúst Haraldsson | "Það sem enginn sér" | Valgeir Guðjónsson | 22nd ◁ | 0 | ||
| 1990 | Sigríður Beinteinsdóttir andGrétar Örvarsson [is] | "Eitt lag enn" | Aðalsteinn Ásberg Sigurðsson [is], Hörður G. Ólafsson | 4th[e] | 124 | ||
| 1991 | Stefán Hilmarsson andEyjólfur Kristjánsson [is] | "Draumur um Nínu" | Eyjólfur Kristjánsson | 15th[f] | 26 | ||
| 1992 | Sigríður Beinteinsdóttir andSigrún Eva Ármannsdottir [is] | "Nei eða já" | Friðrik Karlsson, Grétar Örvarsson, Stefán Hilmarsson | 7th[g] | 80 | ||
| 1993 | Ingibjörg Stefánsdóttir [is] | "Þá veistu svarið" | Friðrik Sturluson, Jon Kjell Seljeseth | 13th[h] | 42 | Kvalifikacija za Millstreet | |
| 1994 | Sigrún Eva Ármannsdóttir | "Nætur" | Friðrik Karlsson, Stefán Hilmarsson | 12th[i] | 49 | No semi-finals | |
| 2000 | Einar Ágúst Víðisson andTelma Ágústsdóttir [is] | "Hvert sem er" | Örlygur Smári, Sigurður Örn Jónsson | 12th[j] | 45 | ||
| 2001 | Kristján Gíslason andGunnar Ólason | "Birta" | Einar Bárðarson,Magnús Þór Sigmundsson [is] | 22nd[k] ◁ | 3 | ||
| 2003 | Birgitta Haukdal | "Segðu mér allt" | Birgitta Haukdal Brynjarsdóttir, Hallgrímur Óskarsson | 8th[l] | 81 | ||
| 2006 | Silvía Nótt | "Til hamingju Ísland" | Ágústa Eva Erlendsdóttir,Þorvaldur Bjarni Þorvaldsson [is] | Failed to qualify | 13th[m] | 62 | |
| 2007 | Eiríkur Hauksson | "Ég les í lófa þínum" | Kristján Hreinsson,Sveinn Rúnar Sigurðsson | 13th[n] | 77 | ||
| 2008 | Eurobandið | "This was My Life" | Örlygur Smári,Páll Óskar Hjálmtýsson, Peter Fenner | 14th | 64 | 8th | 68 |
| 2009 | Jóhanna Guðrún Jónsdóttir | "Is It True?" | Chris Neil,Óskar Páll Sveinsson, Tinatin Japaridze | 2nd[o] | 218 | 1st | 174 |
| 2010 | Hera Björk | "Je ne sais quoi" | Hera Björk Þórhallsdóttir, Örlygur Smári | 19th | 41 | 3rd | 123 |
| 2011 | Sigurjón's Friends | "Aftur heim" | Sigurjón Brink,Þórunn Erna Clausen | 20th[p] | 61 | 4th | 100 |
| 2012 | Greta Salóme andJónsi | "Mundu eftir mér" | Greta Salóme Stefánsdóttir | 20th[q] | 46 | 8th | 75 |
| 2013 | Eyþór Ingi Gunnlaugsson | "Ég á líf" | Örlygur Smári, Pétur Örn Guðmundsson | 17th[r] | 47 | 6th | 72 |
| 2014 | Pollapönk | "No Prejudice" | John William Grant, Haraldur F. Gíslason, Heiðar Örn Kristjánsson | 15th | 58 | 8th | 61 |
| 2015 | María Ólafsdóttir | "Unbroken" | Ásgeir Orri Ásgeirsson, Pálmi Ragnar Ásgeirsson, Sæþór Kristjánsson | Failed to qualify | 15th[s] | 14 | |
| 2016 | Greta Salóme | "Hear Them Calling" | Greta Salóme Stefánsdóttir | 14th | 51 | ||
| 2017 | Svala | "Paper" | Einar Egilsson,Lester Mendez, Lily Elise, Svala Björgvinsdóttir | 15th | 60 | ||
| 2018 | Ari Ólafsson | "Our Choice" | Þórunn Erna Clausen | 19th ◁ | 15 | ||
| 2019 | Hatari | "Hatrið mun sigra" | Einar Hrafn Stefánsson, Klemens Nikulásson Hannigan, Matthías Tryggvi Haraldsson | 10th | 232 | 3rd | 221 |
| 2020 | Daðiog Gagnamagnið | "Think About Things" | Daði Freyr Pétursson | Contest cancelled[t]X | |||
| 2022 | Sigga, Beta and Elin | "Með hækkandi sól" | Lovísa Elísabet Sigrúnardóttir | 23rd[u] | 20 | 10th | 103 |
| 2023 | Diljá | "Power" | Diljá Pétursdóttir, Pálmi Ragnar Ásgeirsson | Failed to qualify | 11th | 44 | |
| 2024 | Hera Björk | "Scared of Heights" | Ásdís María Viðarsdóttir,Ferras Alqaisi, Jaro Omar, Michael Burek | 15th ◁ | 3 | ||
| 2025 | Væb | "Róa" | Matthías Davíð Matthíasson, Hálfdán Helgi Matthíasson, Ingi Þór Garðarsson | 25th | 33 | 6th | 97 |
The following individuals have wonSöngvakeppnin as a performer or songwriter more than once.
| Wins | Name | Wins as performer | Wins as songwriter |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | Stefán Hilmarsson | 1988,1991 | 1992,1994 |
| Örlygur Smári | N/a | 2000,2008,2010,2013 | |
| 2 | Greta Salóme Stefánsdóttir | 2012,2016 | |
| Hera Björk | 2010,2024 | 2010 | |
| Gunnar Ólason | 2001,2011(as part ofSigurjón's Friends) | N/a | |
| Pálmi Gunnarsson | 1981,1986 | ||
| Sigríður Beinteinsdóttir | 1990,1992 | ||
| Sigrún Eva Ármannsdottir [is] | 1992,1994 | ||
| Friðrik Karlsson | N/a | 1992,1994 | |
| Pálmi Ragnar Ásgeirsson | 2015,2023 | ||
| Þórunn Erna Clausen | 2011,2018 | ||
| Valgeir Guðjónsson [is] | 1987,1989 | ||
Heiðurshöll Söngvakeppninnar or theSöngvakeppnin Hall of Fame was introduced in2024 to acknowledge artists who have outstanding contributions to the competition.[10]
| Year | Artist | Ref. |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Sigríður Beinteinsdóttir | [11] |
| Björgvin Halldórsson | [12] | |
| 2025 | Jóhanna Guðrún | [13] |
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