According to Eurovision rules, all nations with the exceptions of the host country and the "
Big Five" (France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom) are required to qualify from one of two semi-finals in order to compete for the final; the top ten countries from each semi-final progress to the final. The
European Broadcasting Union (EBU) split up the competing countries into six different pots based on voting patterns from previous contests, with countries with favourable voting histories put into the same pot. On 20 January 2014, an allocation draw was held which placed each country into one of the two semi-finals, as well as which half of the show they would perform in. Norway was placed into the second semi-final, to be held on 8 May 2014, and was scheduled to perform in the first half of the show. Once all the competing songs for the 2014 contest had been released, the running order for the semi-finals was decided by the shows' producers rather than through another draw, so that similar songs were not placed next to each other. Norway was set to perform in position 3, following the entry from
Israel and before the entry from
Georgia. In Norway, the two semi-finals and the final were broadcast on
NRK1 with commentary by
Olav Viksmo-Slettan. An alternative broadcast of the final was also televised on
NRK3 with commentary by the hosts of the
NRK P3 radio show
P3morgen Ronny Brede Aase, Silje Reiten Nordnes and Line Elvsåshagen. The Norwegian spokesperson, who announced the Norwegian votes during the final, was
Margrethe Røed.
Semi-final Carl Espen took part in technical rehearsals on 29 April and 3 May, followed by dress rehearsals on 7 and 8 May. This included the jury show on 7 May where the professional juries of each country watched and voted on the competing entries. The Norwegian performance featured Carl Espen performing on stage in a black suit and blue shirt together with a pianist and four violinists that stood on a sloped pedestal. The stage transitioned from a dark setting with a spotlight on Espen at the beginning of the performance to a brighter scenery before transitioning back to a dark setting with lights centred on Carl Espen at the end. The LED screens displayed dark moving waves, and the performance also featured smoke on the stage floor at the beginning, which later disappeared with the use of a wind machine. The four violinists on stage with Carl Espen were: Ane Emilie Vold Mickelsson, Isa Caroline Holmesland,
Madeleine Ossum and Sara Veronika Ulstrup. The pianist was Stian Aarstad. At the end of the show, Norway was announced as having finished in the top 10 and subsequently qualifying for the grand final. It was later revealed that Norway placed sixth in the semi-final, receiving a total of 77 points.
Final Shortly after the second semi-final, a winners' press conference was held for the ten qualifying countries. As part of this press conference, the qualifying artists took part in a draw to determine which half of the grand final they would subsequently participate in. This draw was done in the order the countries were announced during the semi-final. Norway was drawn to compete in the first half. Following this draw, the shows' producers decided upon the running order of the final, as they had done for the semi-finals. Norway was subsequently placed to perform in position 5, following the entry from
Iceland and before the entry from
Romania. Carl Espen once again took part in dress rehearsals on 9 and 10 May before the final, including the jury final where the professional juries cast their final votes before the live show. Carl Espen performed a repeat of his semi-final performance during the final on 10 May. Norway placed eighth in the final, scoring 88 points.
Voting Voting during the three shows consisted of 50 percent public televoting and 50 percent from a jury deliberation. The jury consisted of five music industry professionals who were citizens of the country they represent, with their names published before the contest to ensure transparency. This jury was asked to judge each contestant based on: vocal capacity; the stage performance; the song's composition and originality; and the overall impression by the act. In addition, no member of a national jury could be related in any way to any of the competing acts in such a way that they cannot vote impartially and independently. The individual rankings of each jury member were released shortly after the grand final. Following the release of the full split voting by the EBU after the conclusion of the competition, it was revealed that Norway had placed sixteenth with the public televote and ninth with the jury vote in the final. In the public vote, Norway scored 39 points, while with the jury vote, Norway scored 102 points. In the second semi-final, Norway placed eighth with the public televote with 55 points and fourth with the jury vote, scoring 100 points. Below is a breakdown of points awarded to Norway and awarded by Norway in the second semi-final and grand final of the contest, and the breakdown of the jury voting and televoting conducted during the two shows:
Points awarded to Norway Points awarded by Norway Detailed voting results The following members comprised the Norwegian jury: • Ahmed Ashraf (jury chairperson)music and culture journalist • Jonas BrennaHead of publishing • Jan Holmlundentertainment journalist • Rannveig Sundelinvocalist • Monica Johansenartist, songwriter, DJ ==References==