Norway’s national broadcaster NRK has just announced major changes in the format, as well as the rules of this year’s edition of Melodi Grand Prix. The Final which will take place on the 4th of February will move out of Oslo, and will take place in Trondheim.
Unlike in the previous couple of years, MGP 2023 will consist of four shows only – three semi finals, and one Grand Final. There will be no Second Chance round, and no show will feature any duels. Another major change here is that no act is guaranteed a place in the Final – every act will have to go through the semi finals. Stig Karlsen stated:
There were several good reasons for the solution with pre-qualified acts, but MGP is in constant development. We are now going for a competition model that is easier to understand, and where all the artists compete with the same starting point. More is at stake for everyone from day one.
Program Manager Arianrhod Engebø added:
It becomes even clearer that it is a Eurovision golden ticket. I particularly like that no one is pre-qualified, and that there are no duels. That way, everyone gets to shine equally.
Seven acts will compete in each semi final, and the public across Norway will decide on which three acts in each semi will qualify for the Grand Final. In the Grand Final, the international jury will be reintroduced, and their votes will count as 50% of the final result – the other 50% will be coming from televoting.
Stig Karlsen added:
A model with both expert jury and audience votes also gives us a better basis for creating a more exciting MGP. We are ready to create a TV party again from the middle of the country to the whole of Norway.
Even though there are already lots of rumours going around about the participating acts (and the comebacks of KEiiNO and Ulrikke), the 21 competing acts will be presented during a press conference on the 4th of January. The three semi finals will follow on the 14th, 21st and 28th of January, and the Final on the 4th of February. The shows will be hosted by Arian Engebø and Stian ‘Staysman’ Thorbjørnsen.
Earlier this February, Subwoolfer won Melodi Grand Prix 2022 and went on to represent Norway in Eurovision in Turin with their song “Give That Wolf A Banana”. In the Eurovision Grand Final, they finished in 10th place:
