Evovision Song Contest 06

Final date
 Venue
 Presenter(s)
Hanne Mjøen
 Entries
 Debuting
 Honduras
 Indonesia
 Iraq
 Northern Ireland
 Oman
 Philippines
 Returning
 Canada
 Kazakhstan
 Malta
 Morocco
 Netherlands
 Poland
 Romania
 Withdrawing
 Antigua & Barbuda
 Australia
 Austria
 Belgium
 India
 Latvia
 Malaysia
 Russia
 Slovakia
 Slovenia
 South Africa
 Sudan
 Trinidad & Tobago
 Turkey
 Uganda
 System

The **Evovision Song Contest 06**, also known as Evovision 06 or EVOSC 06, was the 6th edition of the Evovision Song Contest. It took place in Norway. Organised by the Evo Broadcasting Union (EVOBU) and host broadcaster NRK, the contest was held in the Oslo Spektrum in Oslo, and consisted of two Semi-Finals and a Grand Final.

## Location

### Norway

**Norway**, officially the **Kingdom of Norway**, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard also form part of Norway. Bouvet Island, located in the Subantarctic, is a dependency of Norway; it also lays claims to the Antarctic territories of Peter I Island and Queen Maud Land. The capital and largest city in Norway is Oslo.

Norway has a total area of 385,207 square kilometres (148,729 sq mi) and had a population of 5,385,300 in November 2020. The country shares a long eastern border with Sweden at a length of 1,619 km or 1,006 mi. It is bordered by Finland and Russia to the north-east and the Skagerrak strait to the south, on the other side of which are Denmark and the United Kingdom. Norway has an extensive coastline, facing the North Atlantic Ocean and the Barents Sea. The maritime influence dominates Norway's climate, with mild lowland temperatures on the sea coasts; the interior, while colder, is also a lot milder than areas elsewhere in the world on such northerly latitudes. Even during polar night in the north, temperatures above freezing are commonplace on the coastline. The maritime influence brings high rainfall and snowfall to some areas of the country.

Harald V of the House of Glücksburg is the current King of Norway. Jonas Gahr Støre has been prime minister since 2021, replacing Erna Solberg. As a unitary sovereign state with a constitutional monarchy, Norway divides state power between the parliament, the cabinet and the supreme court, as determined by the 1814 constitution. The kingdom was established in 872 as a merger of many petty kingdoms and has existed continuously for 1,149 years. From 1537 to 1814, Norway was a part of the Kingdom of Denmark–Norway, and from 1814 to 1905, it was in a personal union with the Kingdom of Sweden. Norway was neutral during the First World War and remained so until April 1940 when the country was invaded and occupied by Germany until the end of World War II.

### Oslo

**Oslo** is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. As of 30 September 2021, the municipality of Oslo had a population of 698,660, while the population of the city's greater urban area was 1,019,513, as of 4 November 2019. The metropolitan area had an estimated population of 1.71 million.

During the Viking Age the area was part of Viken. Oslo was founded as a city at the end of the Viking Age in the year 1040 under the name **Ánslo**, and established as a *kaupstad* or trading place in 1048 by Harald Hardrada. The city was elevated to a bishopric in 1070 and a capital under Haakon V of Norway around 1300. Personal unions with Denmark from 1397 to 1523 and again from 1536 to 1814 reduced its influence. After being destroyed by a fire in 1624, during the reign of King Christian IV, a new city was built closer to Akershus Fortress and named **Christiania** in honour of the king. It became a municipality (*formannskapsdistrikt*) on 1 January 1838. The city functioned as the capital of Norway during the 1814–1905 union between Sweden and Norway. From 1877, the city's name was spelled **Kristiania** in government usage, a spelling that was adopted by the municipal authorities in 1897. In 1925, the city, after incorporating the village retaining its former name, was renamed Oslo. In 1948 Oslo merged with Aker, a municipality which surrounded the capital and which was 27 times larger, thus creating the modern, much larger Oslo municipality.

Oslo is the economic and governmental centre of Norway. The city is also a hub of Norwegian trade, banking, industry and shipping. It is an important centre for maritime industries and maritime trade in Europe. The city is home to many companies within the maritime sector, some of which are among the world's largest shipping companies, shipbrokers and maritime insurance brokers. Oslo is a pilot city of the Council of Europe and the European Commission intercultural cities programme.

### Oslo Spektrum

**Oslo Spektrum** is a multi-purpose indoor arena located in east central Oslo, Norway that opened in December 1990. It is currently owned and operated by Norges Varemesse. Oslo Spektrum is primarily known for hosting major events such as the annual Nobel Peace Prize Concert, the Eurovision Song Contest 1996, and concerts by artists of national and international fame.

Artists such as Toto, Frank Sinatra, Whitney Houston, Shirley Bassey, Tina Turner, Cher, Mariah Carey, Diana Ross, Britney Spears, Backstreet Boys, Kylie Minogue, Janet Jackson, Shania Twain, Westlife, Selena Gomez, Christina Aguilera, Anastacia, Spice Girls, Lady Gaga, Michael Bublé, Lana Del Rey, Metallica, Muse, Rammstein, a-ha, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Snoop Dogg, Ariana Grande, Nicki Minaj and Marcus & Martinus have performed at the venue.

### **Bidding Phase**

After Norway accepted the hosting of the sixth Evovision Song Contest multiple cities applied to host, on 5 December 2021 it was announced that 5 cities had been shortlisted to host the contest

 Hammar
 Lillehammar
 Oslo
 Stavenger

# Participating Countries

The fifth edition had 38 countries participating. 8 countries made their debut, 9 countries returned and 17 countries withdrew.

# Returning Artists

Although she did not participate in the contest, Fia Moon (reprersenting  Ireland) was a host of the Third Edition in Dublin.

## Format

Each Semi-Final has 16 participating countries. 6 countries are automatically qualified to the Final.

The Semi-Finals each country would be participating in was chosen using a randomiser. A randomiser also dictated which half each country would participate in for all 3 shows.

## Semi-Finals

### First Semi-Final

 Norway,  Sweden and  Ukraine also voted in this Semi-Final.

### Second Semi-Final

 England,  Finland and  North Korea also voted in this Semi-Final.