Melodi Grand Prix Junior, also spelled as MGPjr, is a Norwegian television song competition for aspiring singers between the ages of 8 and 15 that was held annually between 2002 and 2022. The competing songs are written by the participants themselves and are sung primarily in Norwegian, and on several occasions, there were songs in Northern Sami, another language of Norway.
Many past winners went on to become stars, such as 2002's Nicolay Ramm, 2005's Malin Reitan, 2007's Celine Helgemo, 2009's Jørgen Dahl Moe, 2012's Marcus & Martinus, 2014's Mathea-Mari Glittenberg, and 2017's Oselie Henden.
History The idea was taken from the Danish broadcaster Danmarks Radio, who launched a song contest for aspiring singers aged 8 to 15 in spring 2000. The format was a success and caught the attention of Norway and Sweden in 2002.
From 2003 to 2005, the contest used to select the Norwegian entry for the Junior Eurovision Song Contest (JESC). In 2006 Norway withdrew from the contest to participate in MGP Nordic and the contest used to select the entry for the Scandinavian counterpart until 2009. MGPjr is still held annually, but it's not used to select an entry for any contest. Shortly after Junior Eurovision 2021, NRK revealed that a delegation was sent to Paris to watch how much the contest evolved, raising questions about a possible return in 2022.
A few days after the 2022 edition of MGPjr ended, NRK announced that the format would likely be put on hold for at least a year. After not being held between 2023 and 2026, in June 2026, NRK confirmed that MGPjr would be revived in 2027.
Presenters
Thomas Numme (2002) Stian Barsnes-Simonsen (2002–08) Nadia Hasnaoui (2004–06) Kåre Magnus Bergh (2009–10) (2009) (2010, 2016) Margrethe Røed (2011–15) (2011) Tooji (2012–14) Nicolay Ramm (2016–17) (2017–19) (2018–19) Selma Ibrahim Karlsen (2020–22) (2020–21) (2027) (2027)
Winners YearDateVenueArtistReal Name(s)Song Other contests2002February 23Oslo SpektrumNicolay Ramm, Christoffer B. Claussen"Paybacktime"MGP Nordic 20022003September 62UCharlot Daysh, "Sinnsykt gal forelsket" Junior Eurovision Song Contest 20032004June 12@lek"En stjerne skal jeg bli" Junior Eurovision Song Contest 20042005May 28MalinMalin Reitan"Sommer og skolefri" Junior Eurovision Song Contest 20052006April 22Ole Runar"Fotball e supert" MGP Nordic 20062007June 2CelineCeline Helgemo"Bæstevænna" MGP Nordic 20072008September 5The BlackSheepsAgnete Johnsen, Emelie Nilsen, Alexander Touryguin, Viktoria Eriksen"Oro jaska, beana" MGP Nordic 20082009September 5Jørgen"Din egen vei" MGP Nordic 20092010September 4Torstein"Svikter aldri igjen" rowspan="13" 2011September 3SvalSval Rosenløw Eeg"Trenger deg" 2012September 1Marcus & MartinusMarcus Gunnarsen, Martinus Gunnarsen"To dråper vann" 2013August 31Unik 4Audun Rørmark, Simen Bakkåker, Annika Momrak, Eline Nesje"Så sur da" 2014August 30Mathea-MariMathea-Mari Glittenberg"#online"2015November 7TheaThea Floer Kulseng"Du gjør mæ så gla" 2016November 5Vilde & AnnaVilde Hjelle, Anna Naustdal"Vestlandet" 2017November 4Telenor ArenaOselieOselie Henden"Verda vår" 2018November 34everUEline Roa Gran, Savannah Løver, Maria Elisabeth Heitmann, Bettina Ranvik"Forandring" 2019May 25Anna & EmmaAnna Vestreheim, Emma H. Ylvisåker"Kloden er syk" 2020August 22Oslo SpektrumHennikaHennika Eggum Huuse"Kan ikke la deg gå" 2021May 29Josefine & OskarJosefine Westgaard, Oskar Armandus Høgetveit"Smitte deg med glede" 2022May 28Telenor ArenaWilliamWilliam Alexander Høyem Ribe"Tusen tanker" 2027Upcoming edition
See also MGP Junior, Denmark's national MGP competition Lilla Melodifestivalen, Sweden's national MGP competition MGP Nordic, extinct pan-Scandinavian competition Junior Eurovision Song Contest, pan-European competition
References