| Eurovision Song Contest 2008 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Country |  Norway | |||
| National selection | ||||
| Selection process | Melodi Grand Prix 2008 | |||
| Selection date(s) | Semi-finals: 12 January 2008 19 January 2008 26 January 2008 Last Chance: 6 February 2008 Final: 9 February 2008 | |||
| Selected artist(s) | Maria Haukaas Storeng | |||
| Selected song | "Hold On Be Strong" | |||
| Selected songwriter(s) | Mira Craig | |||
| Finals performance | ||||
| Semi-final result | Qualified (4th, 106 points) | |||
| Final result | 5th, 182 points | |||
| Norway in the Eurovision Song Contest | ||||
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Norway participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2008 with the song "Hold On Be Strong" written by Mira Craig. The song was performed by Maria Haukaas Storeng. The Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation (NRK) organised the national final Melodi Grand Prix 2008 in order to select the Norwegian entry for the 2008 contest in Belgrade, Serbia. 18 entries competed in the national final that consisted of three semi-finals, a Last Chance round and a final. Eight entries ultimately qualified to compete in the final on 9 February 2008 where the winner was determined over two rounds of voting. In the first round of voting, a public televote exclusively selected the top four entries to advance to the competition's second round—the Gold Final. In the second round of voting, "Hold On Be Strong" performed by Maria Haukaas Storeng was selected as the winner following the combination of votes from three regional jury groups and a public televote.
Norway was drawn to compete in the first semi-final of the Eurovision Song Contest which took place on 20 May 2008. Performing during the show in position 9, "Hold On Be Strong" was announced among the 10 qualifying entries of the first semi-final and therefore qualified to compete in the final on 24 May. It was later revealed that Norway placed fourth out of the 19 participating countries in the semi-final with 106 points. In the final, Norway performed last during the event in position 25, and placed fifth out of the 25 participating countries with 182 points.