Iceland in the Eurovision Song Contest 2012

Söngvakeppni Sjónvarpsins 2012 was the national final format developed by RÚV in order to select Iceland's entry for the Eurovision Song Contest 2012. The four shows in the competition and all took place in Reykjavík: the three semi-finals were held at the RÚV studios and hosted by Brynja Þorgeirsdóttir and the final took place at the Harpa and hosted by Brynja Þorgeirsdóttir and Paul Oscar.

Fifteen songs in total competed in Söngvakeppni Sjónvarpsins 2012 where the winner was determined after three semi-finals and a final. Five songs competed in each semi-final on 14, 21 and 28 January 2012. The top two songs from each semi-final qualified to the final which took place on 11 February 2012.[3] A wildcard act was selected by a jury for the final out of the remaining non-qualifying acts from the semi-finals. The results of all shows were determined by 50/50 public televoting and jury voting.[4]

On 9 September 2011, RÚV opened the submission period for interested songwriters to submit their entries until the deadline on 10 October 2011. Songwriters were required to be Icelandic, possess Icelandic citizenship or have permanent residency in Iceland, and had the right to submit up to three entries. However, exceptions would be made for minor collaborations with foreign songwriters. All songs were required to be submitted in Icelandic. At the close of the submission deadline, 150 entries were received.[5] A selection committee was formed in order to select the top fifteen entries, with the identity of the songwriters remaining a secret to avoid biased decisions.[6] Among the competing artists are previous Icelandic Eurovision entrants Jónsi, who represented Iceland in 2004, and Regína Ósk, who represented Iceland in 2008 as part of Eurobandið.

The first semi-final took place on 14 January 2012 where five competing acts presented their entries. The five competing artists and songs were previously revealed by RÚV on 9 January 2012.[7] Votes from a jury panel (50%) and public televoting (50%) determined the top two entries to proceed to the final. "Mundu eftir mér" performed by Gréta Salóme & Jónsi and "Stattu upp" performed by Blár Ópal were the qualifiers.

The second semi-final took place on 21 January 2012 where five competing acts presented their entries. The five competing artists and songs were previously revealed by RÚV on 16 January 2012.[8] Votes from a jury panel (50%) and public televoting (50%) determined the top two entries to proceed to the final. "Hjartað brennur" performed by Regína Ósk and "Hey" performed by Simbi & Hrútspungarnir were the qualifiers. The jury wildcard was awarded to an entry from the second semi-final: "Stund með þér" performed by Rósa Birgitta Ísfeld.

The third semi-final took place on 28 January 2012 where five competing acts presented their entries. The five competing artists and songs were previously revealed by RÚV on 23 January 2012.[9] Votes from a jury panel (50%) and public televoting (50%) determined the top two entries to proceed to the final. "Hugarró" performed by Magni Ásgeirsson and "Aldrei sleppir mér" performed by Gréta Salóme, Heiða & Guðrún Árný were the qualifiers.

The final took place on 11 February 2012 where the six entries that qualified from the preceding three semi-finals and a jury wildcard selected from the remaining non-qualified entries competed. The winner, "Mundu eftir mér" performed by Gréta Salóme & Jónsi, was determined by votes from a jury panel (50%) and public televoting (50%).

• In the Semi-final 1 Iceland came 8th with 75 points: the public awarded Iceland 8th place with 79 points and the jury awarded 11th place with 70 points.
• In the Final Iceland came 20th with 46 points: the public awarded Iceland 19th place with 39 points and the jury awarded 19th place with 53 points.