Norway

Norway has taken part in nearly every Eurovision Song Contest since 1960 and holds multiple records, though not all of them are for particularly impressive achievements. For starters, Norway has come last more often than any other country – a whopping eleven times. That’s not all; four out of these eleven times Norway finished with zero points, setting another less-than-impressive record.

However, Norway has won Eurovision three times. First in 1985 with La det swinge (Let It Swing) by Bobbysocks, then in 1995 with Nocturne by Secret Garden. The most recent victory came in 2009, breaking another (this time more positive) record: Alexander Rybak achieved the highest score ever recorded in the history of Eurovision with his song Fairytale. Rybak was awarded 387 points, which included sixteen of the famed maximum ‘twelve point’ scores. Rybak’s score remains the highest-ever score achieved under the voting system that was in place from 1975-2015, which was based on combining scores submitted both via televoting and by each country’s individual judging panel.

Norway chooses their Eurovision representative on their TV show Melodi Grand Prix. Legendary Norwegian singer Jahn Teigen has participated in the show thirteen times, and won three times, each victory earning him a place in the Eurovision Song Contest. He first appeared on Eurovision in 1978 where he earned one of Norway’s infamous zero-point scores. This gained him instant fame, of course, and also inspired the name of the album he released shortly after taking part in the competition, which was entitled This year’s loser.

(T: Matthew Prestage)