| Year: | 2000 |
| Country: | Iceland |
| Preselection: | Söngvakeppni Sjónvarpsins 2000 |
| Preselection Date: | 26 February 2000 |
| Entrant: | August and Telma |
| Song: | Tell Me! |
| Final Result: | 12th, 45 points |
Iceland participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2000 with the song "Tell Me!" written by Örlygur Smári and Sigurður Örn Jónsson. The song was performed by August and Telma, which are the artistic names of singers Einar Ágúst Víðisson and Telma Ágústsdóttir. The Icelandic entry for the 2000 contest in Stockholm, Sweden was selected through the national final Söngvakeppni Sjónvarpsins 2000, organised by the Icelandic broadcaster Ríkisútvarpið (RÚV). Five songs competed in the selection which was held on 26 February 2000. "Hvert sem er" performed by Einar Ágúst Víðisson and Telma Ágústsdóttir emerged as the winner exclusively through public televoting. The song was later translated from Icelandic to English for the Eurovision Song Contest and was titled "Tell Me!".
Iceland competed in the Eurovision Song Contest which took place on 13 May 2000. Performing as the opening entry for the show in position 2, Iceland placed twelfth out of the 24 participating countries, scoring 45 points.
See main article: Iceland in the Eurovision Song Contest. Prior to the 2000 Contest, Iceland had participated in the Eurovision Song Contest thirteen times since its first entry in 1986.[1] Iceland's best placing in the contest to this point was second, which it achieved in 1999 with the song "All Out of Luck" performed by Selma. The Icelandic national broadcaster, Ríkisútvarpið (RÚV), broadcasts the event within Iceland and organises the selection process for the nation's entry. Between 1995 and 1999, Iceland opted to internally select their entry for the Eurovision Song Contest. For 2000, RÚV announced along with their participation confirmation that a national final would be used for the first time since 1994 to select the Icelandic entry.
Söngvakeppni Sjónvarpsins 2000 was the national final format developed by RÚV in order to select Iceland's entry for the Eurovision Song Contest 2000. On 19 December 1999, RÚV opened the submission period for interested songwriters to submit their entries until the deadline on 8 January 2000 and at the close of the submission deadline, 120 entries were received. A four-member selection committee consisting of Magnús Eiríksson, Eva Ásrún Albertsdóttir, Stefán Hilmarsson and Reynir Sigurðsson selected the top five entries, which were revealed by the broadcaster on 15 January 2000 and presented during the television programme Stutt í spunann, hosted by Hjálmar Hjálmarsson and Hera Björk Þórhallsdóttir, between 22 January and 19 February 2000.[2] [3]
The national final took place on 26 February 2000 during Stutt í spunann where the winner, "Hvert sem er" performed by Einar Ágúst Víðisson and Telma Ágústsdóttir, was determined solely by televoting.[4] On 14 March 2000, it was revealed by the magazine Séð og heyrt that the song would be performed in English at the Eurovision Song Contest, titled "Tell Me!".[5]
| Draw | Artist | Song | Songwriter(s) | Televote | Place | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Halla Vilhjálmsdóttir | "Sta sta stam" | Sverrir Stromskjer | 1,216 | 3 | |
| 2 | Örlygur Smári | "Segðu mér" | Sigurður Örn Jónsson, Örlygur Smári | 411 | 4 | |
| 3 | Gúðrun Gunnarsdóttir | "Barnagæla" | Valgeir Skagfjörd | 183 | 5 | |
| 4 | Einar Ágúst Víðisson and Telma Ágústsdóttir | "Hvert sem er" | Sigurður Örn Jónsson, Örlygur Smári | 4,318 | 1 | |
| 5 | Páll Rósinkranz | "Söknuður" | Valgeir Skagfjörd | 1,358 | 2 |
According to Eurovision rules, all nations with the exceptions of the bottom six countries in the 1999 contest competed in the final on 13 May 2000.[6] On 21 November 1999, an allocation draw was held which determined the running order and Iceland was set to perform in position 12, following the entry from Cyprus and before the entry from Spain.[7] Iceland finished in twelfth place with 45 points.[8]
The show was broadcast in Iceland on RÚV with commentary by Gísli Marteinn Baldursson.[9] The Icelandic spokesperson, who announced the results of the Icelandic televote during the final, was Ragnheiður Elín Clausen.
Below is a breakdown of points awarded to Iceland and awarded by Iceland in the contest. The nation awarded its 12 points to Denmark in the contest.[10]