Iceland participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2000 with the song "Tell Me!" written by Örlygur Smári and Sigurður Örn Jónsson. The song was performed by August and Telma, which are the artistic names of singers Einar Ágúst Víðisson and Telma Ágústsdóttir. The Icelandic entry for the 2000 contest in Stockholm, Sweden was selected through the national final Söngvakeppni Sjónvarpsins 2000, organised by the Icelandic broadcaster Ríkisútvarpið (RÚV). Five songs competed in the selection which was held on 26 February 2000. "Hvert sem er" performed by Einar Ágúst Víðisson and Telma Ágústsdóttir emerged as the winner exclusively through public televoting. The song was later translated from Icelandic to English for the Eurovision Song Contest and was titled "Tell Me!".
| Eurovision Song Contest 2000 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Country |  Iceland | |||
| National selection | ||||
| Selection process | Söngvakeppni Sjónvarpsins 2000 | |||
| Selection date(s) | 26 February 2000 | |||
| Selected entrant | August and Telma | |||
| Selected song | "Tell Me!" | |||
| Selected songwriter(s) |
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| Finals performance | ||||
| Final result | 12th, 45 points | |||
| Iceland in the Eurovision Song Contest | ||||
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Iceland competed in the Eurovision Song Contest which took place on 13 May 2000. Performing as the opening entry for the show in position 2, Iceland placed twelfth out of the 24 participating countries, scoring 45 points.
Background edit
Prior to the 2000 Contest, Iceland had participated in the Eurovision Song Contest thirteen times since its first entry in 1986.[1] Iceland's best placing in the contest to this point was second, which it achieved in 1999 with the song "All Out of Luck" performed by Selma. The Icelandic national broadcaster, Ríkisútvarpið (RÚV), broadcasts the event within Iceland and organises the selection process for the nation's entry. Between 1995 and 1999, Iceland opted to internally select their entry for the Eurovision Song Contest. For 2000, RÚV announced along with their participation confirmation that a national final would be used for the first time since 1994 to select the Icelandic entry.
Before Eurovision edit
Söngvakeppni Sjónvarpsins 2000 edit
Söngvakeppni Sjónvarpsins 2000 was the national final format developed by RÚV in order to select Iceland's entry for the Eurovision Song Contest 2000. RÚV opened the submission period for interested songwriters to submit their entries until the deadline on 8 January 2000 and at the close of the submission deadline, 120 entries were received. A four-member selection committee consisting of Magnús Eiríksson, Eva Ásrún Albertsdóttir, Stefán Hilmarsson and Reynir Sigurðsson selected the top five entries, which were revealed by the broadcaster during the television programme Stutt í spunann between 22 January and 19 February 2000.[2] The final took place on 26 February 2000 during Stutt í spunann, hosted by Hjálmar Hjálmarsson and Hera Björk Þórhallsdóttir. The winner, "Hvert sem er" performed Einar Ágúst Víðisson and Telma Ágústsdóttir, was determined solely by televoting.[3] On 14 March 2000, it was revealed by the magazine Séð og heyrt that the song would be performed in English at the Eurovision Song Contest, titled "Tell Me!".[2][4]
| Draw | Artist | Song | Songwriter(s) | Televote | Place |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Halla Vilhjálmsdóttir | "Sta sta stam" | Sverrir Stromskjer | 1,216 | 3 |
| 2 | Örlygur Smári | "Segðu mér" | Sigurður Örn Jónsson, Örlygur Smári | 411 | 4 |
| 3 | Gúðrun Gunnarsdóttir | "Barnagæla" | Valgeir Skagfjörd | 183 | 5 |
| 4 | Einar Ágúst Víðisson and Telma Ágústsdóttir | "Hvert sem er" | Sigurður Örn Jónsson, Örlygur Smári | 4,318 | 1 |
| 5 | Páll Rósinkranz | "Söknuður" | Valgeir Skagfjörd | 1,358 | 2 |
At Eurovision edit
According to Eurovision rules, all nations with the exceptions of the bottom six countries in the 1999 contest competed in the final on 13 May 2000.[5] On 21 November 1999, an allocation draw was held which determined the running order and Iceland was set to perform in position 12, following the entry from Cyprus and before the entry from Spain.[6] Iceland finished in twelfth place with 45 points.[7]
The show was broadcast in Iceland on RÚV with commentary by Gísli Marteinn Baldursson.[8] The Icelandic spokesperson, who announced the results of the Icelandic televote during the final, was Ragnheiður Elín Clausen.
Voting edit
Below is a breakdown of points awarded to Iceland and awarded by Iceland in the contest. The nation awarded its 12 points to Denmark in the contest.[9]
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References edit
- ^ "Iceland Country Profile". EBU. Retrieved 3 October 2014.
- ^ a b "The Unofficial Icelandic Eurovision Songcontest Homepage". Archived from the original on 27 October 2000. Retrieved 21 November 2023.
- ^ ""Hvert sem er" fer til Stokkhólms". Morgunblaðið (in Icelandic). 26 February 2000. Retrieved 16 February 2022.
- ^ ESC National Finals database 2000
- ^ "Rules of the 45th Eurovision Song Contest, 2000" (PDF). European Broadcasting Union. Retrieved 12 April 2021.
- ^ "Eurovision Song Contest 2000 Details". Myledbury.co.uk. Retrieved 8 August 2022.
- ^ "Final of Stockholm 2000". European Broadcasting Union. Archived from the original on 10 April 2021. Retrieved 10 April 2021.
- ^ "Dagblaðið Vísir – DV, 13 May 2000". Timarit.is. Retrieved 9 August 2012.
- ^ ESC History - Iceland 2001
- ^ a b "Results of the Final of Stockholm 2000". European Broadcasting Union. Archived from the original on 10 April 2021. Retrieved 10 April 2021.