Junior Eurovision: Norway considers a comeback!
There has been some truly fascinating news from northern Europe. Having last competed in Junior Eurovision in 2005, Norway -one of the initial participants- seems to be considering a comeback to the competition.
Not only was Norway one of the sixteen nations that supported the children’s competition in its inaugural edition, but it was also one of the inspirations behind the contest’s creation. Junior Eurovision was born out of the MGP Nordic, a children’s competition hosted in the Nordic region, where Norway was taking place. But three years into the competition, Norway and Denmark made the decision to pull out in protest of the excessive pressure being placed on the singers.
The demand for a pressure-free song contest for children remains strong in Norway and in all Nordic countries that remain absent from the competition. While Junior Eurovision is now more competitive than ever, NRK intends to return to the contest in the best-case scenario in 2025.
A potential return in 2025 with a new national final
During the country’s brief Junior Eurovision run, Melodi Grand Prix Junior (MGPjr) served as the national selection format. Regardless of non participating at Junior Eurovision since 2005, MGPjr was held until 2022, when it was last broadcasted.
NRK intends on redesigning the children’s contest and producing a new national final is a strong condition for the country’s return. According to NRK Super, NRK’s children’s and youth channel, “a new national final is the first step toward possibly participating again in the Junior Eurovision Song Contest in 2025.”
Norway hosted the show in 2004 and its best placement came in 2005, when Malin with “Sommer Og Skolefri” placed third.
