Performing during the show in position 15, "Spirit in the Sky" was announced among the top 10 entries of the second semi-final and therefore qualified to compete in the final on 18 May.

Following the introduction of semi-finals for the 2004, Norway has finished in the top ten seven times, including their 2017 entry "Grab the Moment" performed by Jowst.

[2] The broadcaster has traditionally organised the national final Melodi Grand Prix, which has selected the Norwegian entry for the Eurovision Song Contest in all but one of their participation.

In addition to the public call for submissions, NRK reserved the right to directly invite certain artists and composers to compete.

[8] Ten songs were selected for the competition by several focus groups and the competing acts and songs were revealed on 25 January 2019 during a press conference at NRK's Store Studio, presented by Heidi Ruud Ellingsen and Kåre Magnus Bergh and broadcast via NRK1 and online at mgp.no.

[9][10] Among the competing artists was former Norwegian Eurovision Song Contest entrant Mørland who represented the country in 2015 alongside Debrah Scarlett.

[19] Keiino made several appearances across Europe to specifically promote "Spirit in the Sky" as the Norwegian Eurovision entry.

On 8 March, Keiino performed during the Melfest WKND Pre-party, which was held at the Club Estelle in Stockholm, Sweden.

[20][21] On 6 April, the group performed during the Eurovision in Concert event which was held at the AFAS Live venue in Amsterdam, Netherlands and hosted by Edsilia Rombley and Marlayne.

[25] 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.

[28] An alternative broadcast of the final was also televised on NRK3 with commentary by the hosts of the NRK P3 radio show P3morgen Ronny Brede Aase, Silje Reiten Nordnes and Markus Ekrem Neby.

[32][33] Keiino was joined by three off-stage backing vocalists: Frode Vassel, Kine Ludvigsen Fossheim and Marianne Pentha.

Each nation's jury consisted of five music industry professionals who are citizens of the country they represent, with their names published before the contest to ensure transparency.

This jury judged each entry based on: vocal capacity; the stage performance; the song's composition and originality; and the overall impression by the act.

In addition, no member of a national jury was permitted to be related in any way to any of the competing acts in such a way that they cannot vote impartially and independently.

The individual rankings of each jury member as well as the nation's televoting results were released shortly after the grand final.