Sámi Grand Prix to crown best joik and song in Norway’s Kautokeino

The 36th Sámi Grand Prix, the largest music competition in Sápmi, will be held on Saturday in Kautokeino, Norway, where winners will be chosen in both modern song and traditional joik categories, reports Finnish broadcaster Yle.

Twelve artists—six singers and six joik performers—will compete for the top spots, with votes cast by a professional jury and the public. The live broadcast will air in Finland, Norway, and Sweden, and can be streamed in Finland via Yle Teema and Yle Areena. The event will be hosted in Sámi by Ánte Siri and Isalill Kolpus, with Finnish commentary by Xia Torikka.

Finnish viewers can vote for their favourite acts through the Melodifestivalen app, available under the name Sámi Grand Prix. Each user may cast up to five votes per entry by holding down a heart icon until it fills completely.

A pre-show Red Carpet segment, hosted by Sáárákáisá Seurujärvi and Sara Nutti, begins at 20:15 local time on Yle Areena, followed by the main competition at 20:45. A live chat in Finnish and Sámi, moderated by Yle Sápmi journalist Piibe Aikio, will run concurrently.

Modern song finalists
The competition’s song category features a mix of urban, traditional, and personal narratives. Sofia Mienna and OK NIKO (Niko Mansikka-Aho) blend Kautokeino love lyrics with Los Angeles-inspired beats in “Gos don leat?” (“Where Are You?”). Mansikka-Aho, previously a contestant in Finland’s UMK 2015 with the band Eeverest, traces his roots to Karigasniemi and Ivalo.

Former North Kid duo Han Helge and Han Håkan address identity struggles in “Ingen andre” (“No One Else”), while Caroline Johansson Kuhmunen’s “Dorvobáiki” (“Safe Place”) draws from her children and reindeer-herding heritage. Alo Joks’s “Mun lean” (“I Am”) revives the endangered Sea Sámi dialect, and Kalle Urheim’s “Duottara bárnne / Tundra’s Son” weaves a personal story with the Sámi myth of the sun’s son. Ellinor Halvar, returning after her 2022 second-place finish with the band SOÁ, presents “Du dušši” (“You Alone”), a declaration of self-determination and modern Sámi identity.

Traditional joik finalists
In the joik category, performers interpret the essence of people, animals, or places rather than telling linear stories. Sárá Nilut’s “Ayla Nutti” honours friendship, while Ánte Niillas N. Bongo and Lars-Ánte Kuhmunen’s entries centre on reindeer and family, respectively.