Norway will not participate in Eurovision Young Musicians for the first time since the contest was created in 1982.
NRK has confirmed to ESC Spot in a statement that it will not be competing in Eurovision Young Musicians 2026 in Yerevan, Armenia. The confirmation means that the host broadcaster of the last competition in 2024, and the nation which had the most appearances in the contest, will be absent for the first time from a contest.
Ragnhild Veire, the Head of Classical Music at NRK, explained that:
NRK has decided not to take part in the upcoming edition of the competition. NRK is focusing on developing our national competition, Virtuos, and a broadcaster talent initaive in classical music to ensure an even stronger platform for young musicians in Norway.
We continue to value our collaboration within the European Broadcasting Union and remain open to returning to Eurovision Young Musicians in the future.
Norway has competed in all bar one edition of Eurovision Young Musicians, missing the 1984 contest as Norway jointly competed with the Nordic countries between 1982 and 1984 and Finland was the Nordic entry in 1984. They would host the competition twice, the first time in Bergen in 2000 and then again in Bodø in 2024. Norway’s best result came in 2012 when Eivind Holtsmark Ringstad took victory in Vienna, Austria. Sebastian Egebakken Svenøy represented Norway on home soil in the 2024 competition. He opened the contest by performing Piano Concerto No. 5, 3rd movement, Norway did not place in the top three musicians.
Eurovision Young Musicians 2026 will take place on June 6 in Yerevan. This will be the third time that a Eurovision contest has been held in the city.
Armenia first participated in Eurovision Young Musicians in 2012 and returned to the contest in 2024, where they were represented by oboist Hayk Hekekyan. To date, the following countries have confirmed participation:
Eurovision Young Musicians
Eurovision Young Musicians is a contest for musicians between the ages of 12 and 21. It has been held since 1982, as the first spin-off contest of the Eurovision Song Contest. The event celebrated its 20th edition in 2022, when Montpellier hosted the competition.
A total of 42 countries have competed over 21 editions of the contest. Norway has competed in 20 out of the 21 contests, tied with Austria. Austria is the most successful country, having won six editions and competed in 17 finals. Leonhard Baumgartner from Austria is the latest winner of the contest, taking victory in Bodø in 2024.
Image Source: Celina Øier / NRK | Source: ESC Spot
