61st edition of Melodi Grand Prix
 "2023" was the 61st edition of (MGP), the annual Norwegian music competition that serves as the country's preselection for the Eurovision Song Contest. It was organised by Norway's public broadcaster NRK, and consisted of three semi-finals and a final, held throughout January and February 2023. The winner of the competition, Alessandra with "Queen of Kings", went on to represent Norway in the Eurovision Song Contest 2023 in Liverpool, United Kingdom in May 2023.
Format.
The contest consisted of three semi-finals at Screen Studios in Nydalen, and a final at Trondheim Spektrum. From 2020 to 2022, a number of artists were formerly pre-qualified for the final, but this was no longer the case in 2023. Moreover, there were no duels nor a "last chance" round, and voting began once all of the artists have performed. A total of 21 entries competed, with seven songs for each semi-final. The three performers who obtain the most votes qualified for the final. In addition, the international jury was re-introduced in the final, consisting of industry professionals from multiple countries. The jury and the public each contributed 50% to the final result.
According to Stig Karlsen, who is in charge of the organization of the event for NRK, the contest would "now [be] going for a competition model that is easier to understand, and where all the artists compete with the same starting point."
In October 2022, it was announced that the contest would be hosted by Arian Engebø and Stian Thorbjørnsen.
Competing entries.
About one month after the Eurovision Song Contest 2022, NRK officially opened submissions for songwriters to submit entries for Melodi Grand Prix 2023. The submission window closed on 18 September 2022.
The competition is open to all songwriters, and each songwriter can submit up to three songs. Each song should have at least one Norwegian contributor, in order to "prioritise and promote the Norwegian music scene". In addition to the open submission, NRK also looked for possible entries through targeted search and direct dialogue with the Norwegian music industry, and through songwriting camps held in August 2022.
In October 2022, it was announced that 21 entries were selected to take part in the contest. The competing artists were announced on 4 January, with the respective entries to be released on a weekly basis, starting from 9 January. Among the competing artists are Kate Gulbrandsen, Stig van Eijk, Jowst and Ulrikke Brandstorp, winners of Melodi Grand Prix in 1987, 1999, 2017 and 2020, respectively.
Semi-finals.
Semi-final 1.
The first semi-final took place on 14 January 2023.
Semi-final 2.
The second semi-final took place on 21 January 2023.
Semi-final 3.
The third semi-final took place on 28 January 2023.
Final.
The final took place on 4 February 2023. The winner was selected by a 50/50 combination of public televoting and ten international juries. In addition to the competing entries, Subwoolfer, who represented Norway in the Eurovision Song Contest 2022, also performed as an interval act.
References.
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