Norway in the Eurovision Song Contest 2016 had participated in the Eurovision Song Contest fifty-four times since its first entry in . Norway had won the contest on three occasions: in 1985 with the song "La det swinge" performed by Bobbysocks!, in 1995 with the song "Nocturne" performed by Secret Garden and in 2009 with the song "Fairytale" performed by Alexander Rybak. Norway also had the two dubious distinctions of having finished last in the Eurovision final more than any other country and for having the most "nul points" (zero points) in the contest, the latter being a record the nation shared together with Austria. The country
Slovakia in the Eurovision Song Contest 2011 was the final country to confirm participation in the 2011 contest. Slovakia decided to take part in the Eurovision Song Contest 2011 in order to avoid paying a fine. For the first time after returning to the Eurovision Song Contest in 2009, Slovakia selected its Eurovision entry through an internal selection. According to Alexandra Štullerová-Korenová, the person responsible for the Slovak selection for the Eurovision Song Contest 2011, the artist representing the central European country would be revealed on 18 February. TWiiNS represented Slovakia at the Eurovision Song Contest 2011 with the song "I'm Still Alive". Slovakia competed fifth in