Member station RÚV First appearance 1986 | Appearances 29 (24 finals) Best result 2nd: 1999, 2009 | |
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National selection events National final
Söngvakeppni Sjónvarpsins
1986–1994
2000–2001
2003
2006–present
Internal Selection
1995–1997
1999
2004–2005 Worst result Last: 1989, 2001
Nul points: 1989 | ||
Iceland has participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 29 times since its debut in 1986, missing only two contests since then, in 1998 and 2002, when prevented from competing due to finishing outside qualification places the preceding years. The country's best result is two second-place finishes, with Selma in 1999 and Yohanna in 2009. As of 2016, Iceland is the only Northern European country that has yet to win the Eurovision Song Contest.
Contents
History
Iceland's best position at the contest is second place, which they have achieved twice: in 1999 when Selma represented Iceland with the song "All Out of Luck", and came second to Sweden's Charlotte Nilsson and in 2009 when Yohanna came second to Norway's Alexander Rybak with the ballad "Is It True?".
In contrast Iceland's worst result is last place, which has been achieved twice to date: In 1989 when Daníel Ágúst got nul points for his entry "Það sem enginn sér" and in 2001 when Two Tricky received 3 points for their performance of "Angel".
With the introduction of semi-finals in 2004, Iceland automatically qualified for the final that year thanks to Birgitta's 8th place the previous year. In 2008, Iceland reached the final for the first time since then, when Euroband sang "This Is My Life". Since the two semi-final system was introduced in 2008, Iceland has qualified for the final in seven straight contests; however, it failed to qualify for the final in 2015 and in 2016.
Despite these mixed fortunes, Iceland is the second most successful country never to win the contest (behind only Malta).
Sigríður Beinteinsdóttir has participated four times (as a member of a group in 1990 and 1992, as a solo artist in 1994, and as a background vocalist in 2007). Hera Björk has participated four times (as background vocalist in 2008, 2009 and 2015 and as solo artist in 2010). Stefán Hilmarsson has participated twice (as a member of a group in 1988 and as a member of a duo 1991), as have Selma Björnsdóttir (1999 and 2005), Eiríkur Hauksson (as a member of a group in 1986 and as a solo artist in 2007), Jón Jósep Snæbjörnsson (as a solo artist in 2004 and member of a duo in 2012) and Gréta Salóme Stefánsdóttir (as member of a duo in 2012 and solo artist in 2016).
The Icelandic broadcaster for the contest is Ríkisútvarpið (RÚV).
Contestants
Voting history
As of 2016, Iceland's voting history is as follows:
Commentators and spokespersons
Iceland has broadcast the show since 1970. The first to be broadcast live was the 1983 edition after the plan to broadcast the 1982 contest failed. Since 1985, RÚV has broadcast the contest on the radio using same commentator for TV and radio and the Internet broadcast since early 2000s.