Next Cambodia's Finest Voice Sat 17 Oct

Rank the songs

last seen in 2025

Iceland at Eurovision

Iceland first sang at the Eurovision Song Contest in 1986 and has entered 37 contests, the last of them in 2025. It has never won; its best result is 2nd place, in 1999 and 2009.

37
contests
0
wins
2nd
best
first song
1986
last song
2025
contests
37
wins
none
best result
2nd — 1999, 2009
second place
2 — 1999, 2009
last place
2 — 1989, 2001
nul points
1989
in the final
12 of 21 tries since semi-finals began in 2004
sung in
English (21), Icelandic (16)
not in the line-up
1998, 2002

Every song

All 38 entries, newest first. The year opens the story of that contest; the name opens the artist.

Year Artist Song Result Points
2025 Basel Væb “Róa” Icelandic 25th of 26 33
2024 Malmö Hera Björk “Scared of Heights” English Out in semi-final 1 (15th of 15) 3
2023 Liverpool Diljá “Power” English Out in semi-final 2 (11th of 16) 44
2022 Turin Systur “Með hækkandi sól” Icelandic 23rd of 25 20
2021 Rotterdam Daði og Gagnamagnið “10 Years” English 4th of 26 378
2020 Rotterdam Daði og Gagnamagnið “Think About Things” English Contest cancelled —
2019 Tel Aviv Hatari “Hatrið mun sigra” Icelandic 10th of 26 232
2018 Lisbon Ari Ólafsson “Our Choice” English Out in semi-final 1 (19th of 19) 15
2017 Kyiv Svala “Paper” English Out in semi-final 1 (15th of 18) 60
2016 Stockholm Greta Salóme “Hear Them Calling” English Out in semi-final 1 (14th of 18) 51
2015 Vienna Maria Olafs “Unbroken” English Out in semi-final 2 (15th of 17) 14
2014 Copenhagen Pollapönk “No Prejudice” English 15th of 26 58
2013 Malmö Eythor Ingi “Ég á líf” Icelandic 17th of 26 47
2012 Baku Greta Salóme and Jónsi “Never Forget” English 20th of 26 46
2011 Düsseldorf Sjonni's Friends “Coming Home” English 20th of 25 61
2010 Oslo Hera Björk “Je ne sais quoi” English 19th of 25 41
2009 Moscow Yohanna “Is It True?” English 2nd of 25 218
2008 Belgrade Euroband “This Is My Life” English 14th of 25 64
2007 Helsinki Eiríkur Hauksson “Valentine Lost” English Out in the semi-final (13th of 28) 77
2006 Athens Silvía Night “Congratulations” English Out in the semi-final (13th of 23) 62
2005 Kyiv Selma “If I Had Your Love” English Out in the semi-final (16th of 25) 52
2004 Istanbul Jónsi “Heaven” English 19th of 24 16
2003 Riga Birgitta “Open Your Heart” English 8th of 26 81
2001 Copenhagen Two Tricky “Angel” English 22nd of 23 3
2000 Stockholm August and Telma “Tell Me!” English 12th of 24 45
1999 Jerusalem Selma “All Out of Luck” English 2nd of 23 146
1997 Dublin Paul Oscar “Minn hinsti dans” Icelandic 20th of 25 18
1996 Oslo Anna Mjöll “Sjúbídú” Icelandic 13th of 23 51
1995 Dublin Bo Halldórsson “Núna” Icelandic 15th of 23 31
1994 Dublin Sigga “Nætur” Icelandic 12th of 25 49
1993 Millstreet Inga “Þá veistu svarið” Icelandic 13th of 25 42
1992 Malmö Heart 2 Heart “Nei eða já” Icelandic 7th of 23 80
1991 Rome Stefán and Eyfi “Nína” Icelandic 15th of 22 26
1990 Zagreb Stjórnin “Eitt lag enn” Icelandic 4th of 22 124
1989 Lausanne Daníel “Það sem enginn sér” Icelandic 22nd of 22 0
1988 Dublin Beathoven “Sókrates” Icelandic 16th of 21 20
1987 Brussels Halla Margrét “Hægt og hljótt” Icelandic 16th of 22 28
1986 Bergen ICY “Gleðibankinn” Icelandic 16th of 20 19

Points for a song that went out in a semi-final are its semi-final points. Before 2004 there were no semi-finals: every song sang on the one night.

Sent more than once

The five acts Iceland has sent to more than one contest.

On air at home

The channels that carried the contest in Iceland, year by year, and who commentated where our source names them. Newest first.

  1. 2026
    • RÚV 2 Guðrún Dís Emilsdóttir
    • RÚV (semi-finals) Guðrún Dís Emilsdóttir
  2. 2025
    • RÚV Guðrún Dís Emilsdóttir
    • RÚV 2 (semi-final 1 and final) Icelandic Sign Language interpretation
    • Rás 2 (semi-final 1) Guðrún Dís Emilsdóttir
    • Rás 2 (final) Guðrún Dís Emilsdóttir and Gunnar Birgisson
  3. 2024
    • RÚV Guðrún Dís Emilsdóttir
    • RÚV 2 Icelandic Sign Language: various interpreters
    • Rás 2 (semi-final 1, final) Guðrún Dís Emilsdóttir
  4. 2023
    • RÚV Gísli Marteinn Baldursson
    • RÚV 2 Sign language: Various interpreters
  5. 2022
    • RÚV, RÚV 2 Gísli Marteinn Baldursson
    • Rás 2 (final) Gísli Marteinn Baldursson
  6. 2021
    • RÚV Gísli Marteinn Baldursson
    • RUV.is Alex Elliott
    • RÚV 2 (semi-finals) Alex Elliott
    • RÚV 2 (final) Sign language: Elsa G. Björnsdóttir
    • Rás 2 (semi-final 2 and final)
  7. 2019
    • RÚV Gísli Marteinn Baldursson
    • RÚV 2 (semi-finals) Alex Elliott
    • RÚV.is (final) Alex Elliott
  8. 2018
    • RÚV Gísli Marteinn Baldursson
  9. 2016
    • RÚV, Rás 2 Gísli Marteinn Baldursson
  10. 2015
    • RÚV, Rás 2 Felix Bergsson
  11. 2014
    • RÚV, Rás 2 Felix Bergsson
  12. 2013
    • RÚV, Rás 2 Felix Bergsson
  13. 2012
    • Sjónvarpið Hrafnhildur Halldorsdóttir
  14. 2011
    • Sjónvarpið Hrafnhildur Halldorsdóttir
  15. 2010
    • Sjónvarpið, Rás 2 Sigmar Guðmundsson
  16. 2009
    • Sjónvarpið, Rás 2 Sigmar Guðmundsson
  17. 2008
    • Sjónvarpið Sigmar Guðmundsson
  18. 2007
    • Sjónvarpið Sigmar Guðmundsson
    • Rás 2 (semi-final)
  19. 2006
    • Sjónvarpið Sigmar Guðmundsson
    • Rás 1 (semi-final) Sigmar Guðmundsson
    • Rás 2 (final) Sigmar Guðmundsson
  20. 2005
    • Sjónvarpið, Rás 2 Gísli Marteinn Baldursson
  21. 2004
    • Sjónvarpið, Rás 2 Gísli Marteinn Baldursson
  22. 2003
    • Sjónvarpið Gísli Marteinn Baldursson
    • Rás 2
  23. 2002
    • Sjónvarpið, Rás 2 Logi Bergmann Eiðsson
  24. 2001
    • Sjónvarpið Gísli Marteinn Baldursson
  25. 2000
    • Sjónvarpið Gísli Marteinn Baldursson
  26. 1999
    • Sjónvarpið, Rás 2 Gísli Marteinn Baldursson
  27. 1998
    • Sjónvarpið, Rás 2 Páll Óskar Hjálmtýsson
  28. 1997
    • Sjónvarpið, Rás 2 Jakob Frímann Magnússon
  29. 1996
    • Sjónvarpið, Rás 2 Jakob Frímann Magnússon
  30. 1995
    • Sjónvarpið Jakob Frímann Magnússon
  31. 1994
    • Sjónvarpið, Rás 2 Jakob Frímann Magnússon
  32. 1993
    • Sjónvarpið Jakob Frímann Magnússon
  33. 1992
    • Sjónvarpið, Rás 2 Árni Snævarr
  34. 1991
    • Sjónvarpið, Rás 2 Arthúr Björgvin Bollason
  35. 1990
    • Sjónvarpið, Rás 1 Arthúr Björgvin Bollason
  36. 1989
    • Sjónvarpið, Rás 1 Arthúr Björgvin Bollason
  37. 1988
    • Sjónvarpið, Rás 1 Hermann Gunnarsson
  38. 1987
    • Sjónvarpið, Rás 1 Kolbrún Halldórsdóttir
  39. 1986
    • Sjónvarpið, Rás 1 Þorgeir Ástvaldsson
  40. 1985
    • Sjónvarpið Hinrik Bjarnason
  41. 1984
    • Sjónvarpið
  42. 1983
    • Sjónvarpið
  43. 1982
    • Sjónvarpið Pálmi Jóhannesson
  44. 1981
    • Sjónvarpið Dóra Hafsteinsdóttir
  45. 1980
    • Sjónvarpið Björn Baldursson
  46. 1979
    • Sjónvarpið Björn Baldursson
  47. 1978
    • Sjónvarpið Ragna Ragnars
  48. 1977
    • Sjónvarpið
  49. 1976
    • Sjónvarpið Jón Skaptason
  50. 1975
    • Sjónvarpið Dóra Hafsteinsdóttir
  51. 1974
    • Sjónvarpið Kristmann Eiðsson
  52. 1973
    • Sjónvarpið Jón O. Edwald
  53. 1972
    • Sjónvarpið Björn Matthíasson
  54. 1971
    • Sjónvarpið Björn Matthíasson
  55. 1970
    • Sjónvarpið

In our contest stories

Lines about Iceland from our story of each contest. Follow a link for the rest of that night.

  • 1986 Twenty-two become twenty

    Iceland entered for the first time, and the Netherlands and Yugoslavia came back.

  • 1986 Twenty-two become twenty

    Iceland's debut finished sixteenth.

  • 1989 The result

    Iceland, in its fourth contest, finished last without a point.

  • 1990 The result

    Iceland came fourth, its best result yet.

  • 1997 Paul Oscar

    Iceland's singer, Paul Oscar, was the first openly gay artist chosen to compete as a lead performer at the contest.

  • 1999 The result

    Charlotte Nilsson's "Take Me to Your Heaven" finished on 163 points, seventeen ahead of Iceland, whose second place for Selma was the best result it had ever had.

  • 2002 Relegated

    The bottom five of 2001 were sent down: Iceland, Ireland, the Netherlands, Norway and Poland.

  • 2009 The result

    Iceland, in second place, had 218.

  • 2019 Madonna, and Iceland

    While the public's points were being read out, the cameras cut to Iceland's band, Hatari, in the green room.

  • 2019 Madonna, and Iceland

    Iceland's broadcaster was later fined.

  • 2020 What happened instead

    Several countries ran their own votes on the songs that would have competed. Both Sweden's and Australia's were won by the same one: Iceland's "Think About Things", by Daði og Gagnamagnið.

  • 2025 Israel

    Slovenia's broadcaster formally demanded that Israel be excluded. Those of Spain, Ireland, Iceland and Flemish Belgium asked for a wider discussion among the EBU's members.

  • 2025 The vote, questioned

    Afterwards a string of broadcasters, among them those of Spain, Belgium, Iceland, Finland, Norway, Ireland and the Netherlands, called for the televoting system to be reworked.

  • 2026 The boycott

    Iceland joined them on 10 December.

Results as published by the European Broadcasting Union. “Not in the line-up” means no song from Iceland was in that year’s contest, whatever the reason. Spotted a mistake? Tell us and we’ll fix it.