Norway: International jury returns to national final

Norwegian broadcaster NRK has announced that it will change their format of the national final to pick their song for the Eurovision Song Contest 2017. They will once again use a system with an international jury, which they did two times before: In 1985 and 1995, when Norway turned out to win the contest.

Which countries will give out points in the Norwegian final is not known yet. The system is a game-changer, according to project leader Stig Karlsen: “What we’re doing this time is to involve an international jury. We put over 10-12 countries in Europe under the Norwegian ESC final to select the right track,” says Karlsen.

Submitting an entry for Melodi Grand Prix 2017 is possible until the 11th of September. Both Norwegian and foreign songwriters can participate, although the editors especially encourage Norwegian composers to submit entries. In November, broadcaster NRK will then pick ten songs to compete in the final.