Belgium_in_the_Junior_Eurovision_Song_Contest
Belgium competed in every Junior Eurovision Song Contest before withdrawing in 2013. The country's best result was in 2009, when Laura Omloop came 4th with "Zo verliefd". Belgium's worst result was in 2007, with Trust coming 15th with "Anders".
| Belgium in the Junior Eurovision Song Contest | |
|---|---|
| Participating broadcaster | |
| Participation summary | |
| Appearances | 10 |
| First appearance | 2003 |
| Last appearance | 2012 |
| Highest placement | 4th: 2009 |
| Host | 2005 |
| External links | |
Belgium's page at JuniorEurovision.tv  | |
 For the most recent participation seeBelgium in the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2012 | |
Belgium are one of the sixteen countries to have made their debut at the inaugural 2003 contest, which took place on 15 November 2003 at the Forum in Copenhagen, Denmark.[1]
National selection
Two broadcasters were once responsible for the Belgium entry at Junior Eurovision - as for the Eurovision Song Contest, both Flemish broadcaster Vlaamse Radio- en Televisieomroep (VRT) and Walloon broadcaster Radio télévision belge de la communauté française (RTBF) were responsible for organising the Belgian entry for Junior Eurovision. The two broadcasters shared responsibility, with VRT organising one year, and RTBF organising the following year. In 2003 VRT organised the Belgian entry, sending X!NK to Copenhagen with "De vriendschapsband", while in 2004, RTBF organised the Belgian entry, sending the Free Spirits to the contest in Lillehammer with "Accroche-toi".
2005 marked a change to the format, with both broadcasters organising one national final due to the 2005 contest being held in the Belgian city of Hasselt. Each broadcaster chose six songs to compete in one national final, with the final winner representing Belgium at the contest.[2] The winner was Lindsay Daenen with "Mes rêves". 2006 returned to the previous format, with VRT organising the entry. Following this RTBF decided to withdraw from Junior Eurovision due to a lack of interest for the contest in Wallonia and in RTBF.[3] This gave VRT total control of Belgium's Junior Eurovision entry.
Although VRT is a Dutch broadcaster, they have been known to include some French songs in their national finals, for example, in 2008. However, since 2006 all Belgian entries have been in Dutch. In 2010, Belgium sent a duo for the first time since their debut. Belgium was also the first country who confirmed to participate in Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2011 and 2012.[4]
Withdrawal
On 26 March 2013, Flemish broadcaster, VRT, announced that Belgium will withdraw from the contest in 2013 in order to launch a new show for young performs in Belgium.[5] However, they held a national final called Wie wordt Junior? [nl], which was won by then 14-year-old Pieter Vreys. On 20 December 2013, Belgium's Flemish TV channel Ketnet announced that they are no longer interested in Junior Eurovision and decided not to make a comeback. On 31 December 2023, Flemish broadcaster VRT stated that it had not yet made a decision as to a return to the contest in 2024, but that it would consider the possibility in the following months.[6]
| Year | Artist | Song | Language | Place | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | X!NK | "De vriendschapsband" | Dutch | 6 | 83 |
| 2004 | Free Spirits | "Accroche-toi" | French | 10 | 37 |
| 2005 | Lindsay | "Mes rêves" | French | 10 | 63 |
| 2006 | Thor! | "Een tocht door het donker" | Dutch | 7 | 71 |
| 2007 | Trust | "Anders" | Dutch | 15 | 19 |
| 2008 | Oliver | "Shut Up" | Dutch[lower-alpha 1] | 11 | 45 |
| 2009 | Laura | "Zo verliefd (Yodelo)" | Dutch | 4 | 113 |
| 2010 | Jill and Lauren | "Get Up!" | Dutch, English | 7 | 61 |
| 2011 | Femke | "Een kusje meer" | Dutch[lower-alpha 2] | 7 | 64 |
| 2012 | Fabian [nl] | "Abracadabra" | Dutch | 5 | 72 |
Gallery
- Lindsay [fr] represented Belgium at the 2005 contest held in Hasselt
- Fabian represented Belgium at the 2012 contest held in Amsterdam
_(Belgium,_JESC_2012).jpg){kind=link}
 | This section needs additional citations for verification. (November 2019) |
The contests are broadcast online worldwide through the official Junior Eurovision Song Contest website junioreurovision.tv and YouTube. In 2015, the online broadcasts featured commentary in English by junioreurovision.tv editor Luke Fisher and 2011 Bulgarian Junior Eurovision Song Contest entrant Ivan Ivanov.[7] The Belgian broadcasters, VRT and RTBF, send their own commentator to each contest in order to provide commentary in Dutch and French. Spokespersons were also chosen by the national broadcaster in order to announce the awarding points from Belgium. The table below list the details of each commentator and spokesperson since 2003.
| Year | Flemish commentator | Walloon commentator | Spokesperson | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Ilse Van Hoecke and Bart Peeters | Corinne Boulangier | Judith Bussé | |
| 2004 | Ilse Van Hoecke and Marcel Vanthilt | Jean-Louis Lahaye | Alexander Schönfelder | |
| 2005 | Ilse Van Hoecke and André Vermeulen | Max Colombie | ||
| 2006 | Ilse Van Hoecke and Jelle Cleymans | No broadcast | Sander Cliquet | |
| 2007 | Kristien Maes and Ben Roelants | Bab Buelens | ||
| 2008 | Chloé Ditlefsen | |||
| 2009 | Oliver Symons | |||
| 2010 | Kristien Maes and Tom De Cock | Laura Omloop | ||
| 2011 | Jill & Lauren | |||
| 2012 | Astrid Demeure and Tom De Cock | Femke Verschueren | ||
| 2013–2023 | No broadcast | Did not participate | ||
| Year | Location | Venue | Presenters |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Hasselt | Ethias Arena | Maureen Louys and Marcel Vanthilt |
- Belgium in the Eurovision Song Contest – Senior version of the Junior Eurovision Song Contest.
- Belgium in the Eurovision Young Dancers – A competition organised by the EBU for younger dancers aged between 16 and 21.
- Belgium in the Eurovision Young Musicians – A competition organised by the EBU for musicians aged 18 years and younger.
Notes
References
- García, Belén (7 September 2015). "#BestOfJESC – Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2003". esc-plus.com. ESC+Plus. Retrieved 26 August 2016.
- Philips, Roel (2004-11-22). "Junior 2005: 6 Flemish and 6 French songs in Belgian finals". ESCToday. Retrieved 2009-06-10.
- West-Soley, Richard (2006-10-03). "VRT take over Belgian JESC". ESCToday. Retrieved 2009-06-10.
- "Schrijf je in voor Junior Eurosong 2011 | Ketnet". Archived from the original on 2010-11-22. Retrieved 2010-11-20.
- Clark, Liam (27 March 2013). "Belgium: Belgium withdraw from Junior Eurovision". escXtra. Archived from the original on 29 March 2013.
- "Bélgica: VRT podría participar en Eurovisión Junior 2024" [Belgium: VRT could participate in Junior Eurovision 2024]. Eurofestivales (in European Spanish). 2023-12-31. Retrieved 2023-12-31.
- Fisher, Luke James (21 November 2015). "Tonight: Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2015!". Junior Eurovision Song Contest – Bulgaria 2015. Retrieved 21 November 2015.