Melodifestivalen 1

Melodifestivalen 1, often referred to as Melfest 1, was the debut edition of the Melodifestivalen. It was held in Oslo, Norway as it was the host's country chose Telenor Arena, for all the 6 shows, while Atle Pettersen was selected as the presenter.

The format of the competition consisted of 6 shows: 4 semi-final rounds, a second chance round and a final. The 28 competing countries were divided into four semi-finals, with seven compositions in each. From each semi-final, the songs that earned first and second place qualified directly to the final, while the songs that placed third and fourth proceeded to the Second Chance round. The bottom three songs in each semi-final were eliminated from the competition. An additional four entries qualified from the Second Chance round to the final, bringing the total number of competing entries in the final to 12.

Location
For further information see Oslo

Oslo is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. As of 23 November 2020, the municipality of Oslo had a population of 697,549, 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.

Semi-final allocation draw
The draw that determined the semi-final allocation was held on 19 April 2021 at the XX. The twenty-eight countries were divided into four pots, based on their geographical place. Each time a country was drawn from the pot, its semi-final was determined.

The four pots were the following:

Participating countries
Twenty-Eight countries participated in the first edition of the contest. The submissions for the first edition opened on 16 April 2021. Every country should choose their broadcaster for the contest. The contest started in April. As the rules say, if the country will select internally their entry or by a national selection. The Deadline for the entries submission was on 20 April 2021.

Semi-final 1
The first semi-final took place on 21 April 2021. Norway and Switzerland qualified directly to the final, while Germany and the United Kingdom advanced to the Second Chance round.

Semi-final 2
The second semi-final took place on 23 April 2021. Cyprus and Sweden qualified directly to the final, while Denmark and Portugal advanced to the Second Chance round.

12 points
Below is a summary of the maximum 12 points each country awarded to another in the second semi-final:

Semi-final 3
The third semi-final took place on 26 April 2021. Finland and Russia qualified directly to the final, while Belgium and the Netherlands advanced to the Second Chance round.

12 points
Below is a summary of the maximum 12 points each country awarded to another in the third semi-final:

Semi-final 4
The fourth semi-final took place on 27 April 2021. Moldova and Ukraine qualified directly to the final, while Poland and Slovakia advanced to the Second Chance round.

12 points
Below is a summary of the maximum 12 points each country awarded to another in the fourth semi-final:

Second Chance
The Second Chance round took place on 29 April 2021. Portugal, Germany, Denmark and the United Kingdom qualified to the final.

12 points
Below is a summary of the maximum 12 points each country awarded to another in the second chance round:

Final
The final took place on 8 May 2021. Norway won the contest with an amount of 134 points, 20 points ahead the runner-up Germany and Portugal completed the top 3 of the edition.

12 points
Below is a summary of the maximum 12 points each country awarded to another in the final:

12 points
Below is a summary of the maximum 12 points awarded by each country's professional jury and televote in the first semi-final. Countries in bold gave the maximum 24 points (12 points apiece from professional jury and televoting) to the specified entrant.