1. Emilie Vansteenkiste (21, Elewijt, occupational therapy student)
Who else? Emilie dances, regularly works as a model and is active on Tiktok, with more than half a million followers. That translates into: she ‘grabs’ on screen, she ‘grabs’ on stage, she’s jovial and at the same time very professional. She’s also determined to win, the kind of drive that always helps.
READ ALSO. Miss Belgium finalist Emilie (21) lost her mom this year: “The moment she was diagnosed, it was a death sentence”
2. Claire Lansenebre (24, Knokke-Heist, chef)
With a Filipino mother and American father, Claire is all worldliness. She already wins the prize for the most beautiful smile and she is not inexperienced: in 2014 she became Miss Teen Philippines (Central Visayas) and she also acted there for two years.
3. Silva Hakobyan (25, Quaregnon, administrative assistant)
Those who initially did not take into account Silva – who was born in Armenia and lived there until she was seven – had to make adjustments after the gala evening in Egypt: she packed the entire amphitheater and all hotel guests with the snap of her fingers. She was previously working as a model, and it shows.
4. Kessia-Simao Viera(21, Verviers, international business student)
“I’m a star”, she exclaimed – with a wink, but not really – to a large audience at the hotel in Sharm el-Sheikh. That’s right: Kessia-Simão – with Congolese-Angolan roots and familiar with parades – is so witty and engaging that she can even charm a bag of cement.
5. Ailani Ibens (17, Antwerp, business & languages student)
She is the youngest of all candidates and that is irrevocably expressed in a lack of experience. And yet the half-Moroccan Ailani effortlessly distinguishes itself. That holds the promise of a future course of success.