NRK announce rule changes, and opens submissions for, Melodi Grand Prix 2024.
The Norwegian broadcaster has announced a major rule change coming to the 2024 edition of Melodi Grand Prix, as the submissions window has officially opened.
All songs that have been released from September 1st 2023 onwards, are now eligble to participate in Melodi Grand Prix 2024, meaning that all artists entering the contest can release their music before the shows begin.
In previous years, all of the competing songs would be released in the week leading up to the show on the Saturday evening, and couldn’t be released any earlier.
Why this change?
NRK explain that the reason they have decided to bring in this rule change is to create a larger window of opportunity for more good songs and artists to apply for Melodi Grand Prix, and that potentially, it will also create increased commitment to new Norwegian music and to Melodi Grand Prix.
The broadcaster goes on to mention that this new rule change will give fans the opportunity to put pressure on artists and the Melodi Grand Prix editors, to request specific songs or artists for the contest.
The rest of the rules state that each songwiter / artist / producer can submit a maximum of three songs, which should ideally have at least one Norwegian songwriter. All artists must be at least 16 years old by April 2024. The artists themselves must be at least 16 years old by April 2024.
All songs can be submitted here.
Italian-Norwegian singer/songwriter Alessandra Mele won Melodi Grand Prix 2023, topping both the jury vote and the televote. She took “Queen of Kings” all the way to the Eurovision final on May 13th, where she finished in 5th place overall, getting Norway back into the top 5 for the first time since 2014.
What are your thoughts on this rule change for Melodi Grand Prix 2024? Which Norwegian artists would you like to see participating? Let us know in the comments below!
Photo credit: NRK