Performing during the show in position 5, "Only Teardrops" was announced among the top 10 entries of the first semi-final and therefore qualified to compete in the final on 18 May.

In the final, Denmark performed in position 18 and placed first out of the 26 participating countries, winning the contest with 281 points.

[2] Denmark has selected all of their Eurovision entries through the national final Dansk Melodi Grand Prix.

On 10 July 2012, the broadcaster announced that Dansk Melodi Grand Prix 2013 would be organised in order to select Denmark's entry for the 2013 contest.

The event was held on 26 January 2013 at the Jyske Bank Boxen in Herning, hosted by Lise Rønne, Louise Wolff and Sofie Lassen-Kahlke and televised on DR1 as well as streamed online at the official DR website.

In the first round, the top three songs based on the combination of votes from a public televote and a five-member jury panel qualified to the superfinal.

[9] The entertainment director for DR, Jan Lagermand Lundme, stated that the competition would seek out "songs that have a strong chorus".

In the superfinal, the winner, "Only Teardrops" performed by Emmelie de Forest, was selected by the public and jury vote.

[15][16] Emmelie de Forest made several appearances across Europe to specifically promote "Only Teardrops" as the Danish Eurovision entry.

[18] According to Eurovision rules, all nations with the exceptions of the host country and the "Big Five" (France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom) are required to qualify from one of two semi-finals in order to compete for the final; the top ten countries from each semi-final progress to the final.

On 17 January 2013, an allocation draw was held which placed each country into one of the two semi-finals, as well as which half of the show they would perform in.

The stage colours were predominantly red, yellow and orange and the performance also featured a pyrotechnic fountain effect.

[23][24][25] The two drummers that joined Emmelie de Forest were Jacob Baagøe Thomsen and Morten Specht Larsen, while the three backing vocalists were: Anne Murillo, Heidi Degn and Anders Øhrstrøm.

[26] At the end of the show, Denmark was announced as having finished in the top 10 and subsequently qualifying for the grand final.

This jury was asked to judge each contestant based on: vocal capacity; the stage performance; the song's composition and originality; and the overall impression by the act.