JCI Belgium awards 2026: on 19 September 2026, during the National Convention (NCN) in Genk, JCI Belgium announced the winners of twelve awards for the 2025–2026 working year: ten categories plus the Best Project Award and the Staines Memorial Award. JCI Brugge won three awards, and JCI Tielt and JCI Malmedy Hautes Fagnes won two each. This article lists all 22 entries of the JCI Belgium awards 2026 per category, with a short project description and the winner below each category. It is written for JCI members, candidate members and partners who want a quick overview of the JCI Belgium awards 2026.
The JCI Belgium awards 2026 are the national expression of the international JCI recognition program. They put the spotlight on local organisations that make an exceptional difference, through projects that create positive change at the individual, economic and community level. A project recognised at national level can advance to international JCI competitions, where Belgium competes against JCI organisations from more than 100 countries.
The JCI Belgium awards 2026 had 11 regular categories, based on the international program (Group B: Awards to Local Organizations), plus four special JCI Belgium awards that are not part of the international program.
The table below summarises the JCI Belgium awards 2026: the number of entries and the winner per award. Click a category of the JCI Belgium awards 2026 to jump to its entries and winner. Each section links back to this overview.
| Award category | Entries | Winner |
|---|---|---|
| Best Local Community Impact Program | 4 | JCI Tielt – Zorgboerderij |
| Best Local Growth and Development Program | 2 | JCI Malmedy Hautes Fagnes – Grow and Shine |
| Best Local Global Goals Project | 2 | JCI Malmedy Hautes Fagnes – Le calendrier de l’avent des artisans |
| Best Local Business and Entrepreneurship Program | 3 | JCI Kortrijk – company visits |
| Best Local JCI RISE Project | 1 | JCI Brugge – Beleef Brugge |
| Best International Cooperation Project | 1 | JCI Brugge and JCI Houtland – Amigos del Sol |
| Most Outstanding Local Organization | 6 | JCI Tielt |
| Best Local Individual Development Program | 1 | JCI Mechelen – AI in JCI |
| Award for Best Collaboration (JCI Vlaanderen × JCI Belgium Wallonie Bruxelles) | 1 | JCI Brussels United |
| Award for Best District | 1 | District Luxembourg – Luxiformation |
| Best Project Award | No entry needed | JCI Brugge and JCI Houtland – Amigos del Sol |
| Staines Memorial Award | No entry needed | Sara Franzone (JCI Bruxelles) |
Each category of the JCI Belgium awards 2026 starts with what the award recognises, followed by the entries and the winner. The winners are shown in the headings that start with “Winner”.
Recognises projects of local organisations that promote economic and societal growth, extend the JCI Mission and strengthen brand recognition.
The candidate members of JCI Tielt organised a day with Zorgboerderij Agape that included animal care, pizza baking, traditional games and face painting. A crowdfunding campaign with the City of Tielt financed the day and structural support for the care farm. Local president Pieter-Jan Verhoye called them “a very strong group of candidate members with their hearts in the right place”, as reported by Krant van West-Vlaanderen (in Dutch).
Recognises programs aimed at sustainable membership growth, with strong value propositions that attract new members and retain existing ones.
JCI Malmedy Hautes Fagnes grew from 5 to 10 active members in one year (+100%) and from 7 to 9 regular observers. The programme, inspired by the Propulse methodology of Jeune Chambre Économique Française, treats recruitment, engagement and retention as one continuous journey.
Recognises local projects that contribute to the UN Sustainable Development Goals, also known as the Global Goals.
Each box held 24 products made by producers and artisans of the Malmedy region, and part of the profits went to La Tanière des Fagnes, an association that helps wild animals in the region. A project commission of only three members set a target of 100 calendars at €114 each, on a budget of about €8,300, and promoted the first edition on radio and television. Vedia reported on the project (in French).
Recognises programs that develop leadership skills through innovative business and entrepreneurial efforts and build the mindset of a global entrepreneur.
JCI Kortrijk recorded 522 participations over 15 activities between September 2025 and May 2026. Company visits and general assemblies at GDL, Lybover and AVC were the backbone, with a record turnout of 66 at Lybover on 20 October 2025.
Recognises projects that make economies and workforces more resilient through the JCI RISE pillars: Rebuild, Invest, Sustain and Evolve.
Around 180 participants experienced Bruges through its heritage, harbour and entrepreneurs, including a company visit to PEMCO International and a gala dinner at Oud Sint-Jan. The idea was born at the closing weekend of the previous Flemish Congress in Lier. Commission directors Fojan Sadeghieh and Guilio Simoens took two years to realise it. See the Beleef Brugge website (in Dutch).
Recognises programmes in which local organisations work with other JCI organisations abroad to build strong cross-border partnerships.
A core team of five from JCI Brugge and JCI Houtland organised the Belgian delegation to the European Conference. In total 77 Belgian members took part, 32 of them on a five-day pre-tour in Seville and at least 12 as first-time European Conference attendees. JCI Brugge reported on the awards for this project (in Dutch).
Recognises the local organisation that excelled across the full breadth of the JCI mission: individual development, community impact, economic growth and international engagement.
Under local president Pieter-Jan Verhoye, JCI Tielt gave every board member and committee director ownership of their domain, and every member joined at least one committee. Its CN ’26 networking event for entrepreneurs gathered 400 attendees.
Recognises programs that develop individual members into enterprising leaders through impactful learning experiences and strong programme execution.
The first session attracted six newcomers, of whom one is now a full member and two are candidate members. The training was selected for the JCI Vlaanderen TIF training catalogue.
A special JCI Belgium award for local organisations from two different regions that collaborate on a joint project. Criteria are originality, cooperation, member involvement and integration of the four JCI domains.
The three Brussels chapters bridged the Dutch-speaking, French-speaking and international communities through joint general assemblies, multilingual conversation tables and shared networking events. What began as occasional contact grew into a year-long strategic partnership.
A special JCI Belgium award for local organisations within a district that work together on joint projects. It is judged on planning, execution, originality and cross-organisation collaboration.
District Luxembourg brings together five local organisations (JCI Arlon, JCI Bastogne, JCI Centre Ardenne, JCI Durbuy Ourthe et Aisne and JCI Gaume) and 64 members. Besides Luxiformation, its 2026 programme included district afterworks hosted by each chapter and general assemblies. See the Luxiformation 2026 event page on Facebook.
A special JCI Belgium award without separate entry. It goes automatically to the project with the highest overall score across all categories.
The Belgian delegation to the JCI European Conference 2026 in Málaga, which also won Best International Cooperation Project, scored highest across all categories of the JCI Belgium awards 2026. Read JCI Brugge’s report on its three awards (in Dutch).
A special JCI Belgium award without separate entry, presented every year at the National Convention of JCI Belgium. It goes to an individual JCI member who has raised the awareness and appreciation of JCI Belgium at international level in an exceptional way, and who promoted cooperation and friendship within JCI. The board of directors of JCI Belgium decides the winner. The quiet ceremony is also a moment to remember the JCI members who passed away in recent years.
Sara Franzone of JCI Bruxelles received the Staines Memorial Award during the National Convention in Genk, as part of the JCI Belgium awards 2026.
JCI Brugge won three awards at the JCI Belgium awards 2026: Best Local JCI RISE Project, Best International Cooperation Project (shared with JCI Houtland) and the Best Project Award. JCI Tielt and JCI Malmedy Hautes Fagnes each won two. JCI Kortrijk, JCI Mechelen, District Luxembourg, JCI Bruxelles (Staines Memorial Award) and the three Brussels United chapters each won one. The table above lists every winner of the JCI Belgium awards 2026 with a link to its entries.
The JCI Belgium awards 2026 were presented at NCN Genk 2026, hosted by JCI Genk, on 19 September 2026. Around 300 young professionals gathered at C-mine in Genk on 18–20 September 2026 for a weekend about leadership, innovation and change management in times of AI. Read the news article on the JCI Genk National Convention, the full recap of the National Convention JCI Belgium 2026 or the weekend programme.
The next National Convention takes place on 24–26 September 2027 in Virton, hosted by JCI Gaume: see the event page. The next international milestone is the JCI World Congress 2026 in Clark, Philippines, on 11–15 November 2026.
The JCI Belgium awards 2026 are the national expression of the international JCI recognition program. They recognise local organisations, programmes and projects of the 2025–2026 working year, and a nationally recognised project can advance to international JCI competitions.
The winners of the JCI Belgium awards 2026 are JCI Tielt (two awards), JCI Malmedy Hautes Fagnes (two), JCI Brugge (three, one shared with JCI Houtland), JCI Kortrijk, JCI Mechelen, District Luxembourg and JCI Brussels United. Sara Franzone of JCI Bruxelles received the Staines Memorial Award.
The JCI Belgium awards 2026 were presented on 19 September 2026 during the National Convention of JCI Belgium in Genk (18–20 September 2026, C-Mine).
There were 22 entries across 10 award categories, and each category produced one winner. Two further awards needed no entry. Most Outstanding Local Organization attracted the most entries (6), followed by Best Local Community Impact Program (4).
Every local JCI organisation that complies with the statutes and bylaws of JCI Belgium could submit an entry, approved by the local president. A project could only be entered in one category, and organisations collaborating on a joint project could submit one shared entry.
The pre-entry deadline was 10 July 2026 and the complete entry had to be submitted by 25 August 2026. Jury members submitted their scores by 13 September 2026, and the awards ceremony took place on 19 September 2026.
The Best Project Award went to Amigos del Sol, the Belgian delegation project of JCI Brugge and JCI Houtland. The Staines Memorial Award went to Sara Franzone of JCI Bruxelles.
The Staines Memorial Award is presented every year at the National Convention of JCI Belgium to an individual member who has exceptionally increased the international awareness and appreciation of JCI Belgium. At the JCI Belgium awards 2026 it went to Sara Franzone of JCI Bruxelles.
JCI Tielt won with Zorgboerderij, a day on the care farm Zorgboerderij Agape for children with disabilities and children in vulnerable situations.
JCI Tielt, founded in 1974, won Most Outstanding Local Organization after a year with 30 projects under the “Slagkracht” plan of action.
Congratulations to all 22 entries and to the twelve winners of the JCI Belgium awards 2026. Every entry in the JCI Belgium awards 2026 shows what local chapters can achieve. Thank you to the jury, the volunteers and everyone behind the JCI Belgium awards 2026. Want to see what your local organisation could achieve next year? Find out how to become a member of JCI Belgium or browse our upcoming JCI events and meet the chapters in person.
