Country Belgium Selected song "With Love Baby" | Selected entrant Witloof Bay | |
Selection process Eurovision 2011: Qui? A vous de choisir! Selection date(s) Online Selection:
20 September 2010 -
31 December 2010
Semi-final:
30 January 2011
50% Jury
25% Radio Listeners
25% Internet
Final:
12 February 2011
50% Jury
50% Televoting Semi-final result Failed to qualify (11th) | ||
Belgium participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2011 in Düsseldorf, Germany, selecting their entry through an internet selection and a national final, organised by French speaking broadcaster RTBF (Radio télévision belge de la communauté française).
Contents
Belgian Selection
RTBF has announced that the selection will kick off on 1 October via the internet. Original plans to launch the selection in May had been stopped by the EBU.
On 20 September, RTBF and Akamusic launched a website, where music artists can upload their songs. All entries have to be written in English or French by Belgian songwriters. Until 31 December, page visitors can give financial support in order to make the professional production of their respective favourite song possible. All songs that gathered at least €20,000 will qualify for the second stage of the national selection, where the eventual winner will be chosen by a jury and a televote. All people who donated money to songs other than the winning one will be reimbursed.
National Selection
The first phase of the Belgian selections for the Eurovision Song Contest 2011 finished on 31 December. Almost 200 artists subscribed with a song on Akamusic. 3,181 producers together invested €697,015. 30 artists reached 100% of the necessary amount of €20,000 for qualification.
Because the number of qualified artists passed all expectations, RTBF introduced an additional round in which the number of finalists will be reduced to 14. The semi-final will be held on Sunday afternoon 30 January and will be aired by radio channel VivaCité and in live stream video on the internet site of RTBF.
The 30 selected songs will be judged by a professional jury, by the listeners and on the internet. In the end, 14 songs will qualify for the Belgian national final on television.
RTBF announced that the national final, 'Eurovision 2011: Qui? A vous de choisir!' (English: 'Eurovision 2011: Who? It's your choice!'), will take place in mid-February.
Disqualified entries
Jury
On 26 January, RTBF announced the jury of the Belgian final:
At Eurovision
Belgium competed in the first half of the second semi-final of the contest, on 12 May. Witloof Bay did not qualify for the final, placing in 11th with 53 points and missing out on qualification by a single point.