The Danish participating broadcaster, Statsradiofonien, organised the Dansk Melodi Grand Prix 1957 in order to select its entry for the contest.

Statsradiofonien held the Dansk Melodi Grand Prix 1957 on 17 February at Radiohuset in Copenhagen, hosted by Sejr Volmer-Sørensen.

"Skibet skal sejle i nat" was the overall winner and would become The Danish first entry in the Eurovision Song Contest.

[1] After the contest, Gustav Winkler has recorded a German version of the song ("Das Schiff Geht in See Heute Nacht") with Bibi Johns.

At the Eurovision Song Contest in Frankfurt, the Danish entry was visually one of the most impressive ones that year: to illustrate the content of the song, which is about a sailor who has to say goodbye to a woman he met and fell in love with during a shore leave,[3] Winkler was dressed up as a sailor and Wilke as a woman standing at the harbour wearing a coat with a purse in her hand.