"Winning this prize means a lot to me because it is a recognition of our work - not only its scientific worth but also the importance of combining science, social values and responsibility," she said. This year also saw the publication of her book on violence against women, co-written with Els Leye, called Vrouwen onder druk (Women Under Pressure). Alan Hope
www.marleentemmerman.be

Company of the Year: Belwind
Last year was tough for most businesses, and saw the collapse of about 10,000 companies across Belgium. Belwind, however, closed the year in style with the opening of its off-shore wind turbine farm on the Blighbank, 50km out to sea, the farthest out of any European wind farm. The biggest Belgian wind farm, Belwind consists of 55 turbines producing 165 megawatts - enough electricity for 175,000 homes. And the company plans to go even further. According to chief executive Frank Coenen, financing should be arranged in the spring to double that capacity, for a total investment of some €1.3 billion. AH
www.belwind.eu

Scientist of the Year: Peter Carmeliet
For Peter Carmeliet, November was an excellent month and the perfect way to top off his year. First it was announced that his research - he is head of the Vesalius Research Centre at the Catholic University of Leuven - was to be one of five projects given grants worth a total of €2.5 million from the European Research Council. Carmeliet studies the supply of energy to blood vessels, work which has implications for new ways of treating tumours. He was subsequently awarded one of the five annual "Flemish Nobel Prizes", as the prize for excellence from the Fund for Scientific Research is known. This was announced in July, but the prize was handed over by the king just last month. Carmeliet now occupies a position at the pinnacle of world-wide medical research. AH
www.vrc-lab.be

News Story of the Year: Sexual abuse in the Catholic Church
When the nephew of former bishop of Bruges Roger Vangheluwe (pictured) went public with allegations against his uncle of years of sexual abuse, it blew apart a system of cover-ups within the Catholic Church and exposed the institution to the glaring light of international publicity. As a result, more than 400 victims came forward and had their tragic stories heard for the first time. The revelation of the unthinkable dealt the church in Belgium a blow from which it may never recover. A parliamentary commission looking into the situation will carry on its work in 2011. AH

Sports Figure of the Year: Thomas Vermaelen
It might seem odd to name as Flemish Sports Figure of the Year Thomas Vermaelen, the brilliant Arsenal defender born in Kapellen, near the Dutch border, 25 years ago. He is nursing an Achilles injury and has not played since September. And neither the Gunners nor the Red Devils have come near footballing glory in the past year. Nonetheless, the "Verminator" - as Arsenal fans dub him - is perhaps the first Belgian player in a generation to truly make his mark in the world. Brilliantly precocious, he was already named club captain at Dutch outfit Ajax when he was just 23. Since joining Arsenal in June 2009 for €12 million, he has been the team's most consistent player: he was made Belgian captain last year, scored eight goals in 48 games and named by fellow players in the Premier League as player of the year. Leo Cendrowicz
www.arsenal.com

Performance of the Year: Burlesque
Since Burlesque in its "adult entertainment" form sashayed onto theatre stage in the roaring '20s, fans everywhere have been mesmerised by the female strip tease performances that seductively showcase glitter, feather and a whole lot of skin. This year, Flanders got a taste of this risqué entertainment courtesy of mastermind and dancer Jill Mathieu. Inspired by the success of the 1950s retro-themed Radio Modern parties, Mathieu brought in some experts to teach the art of burlesque. Flanders' first burlesque troupe, Schoon Madammen (Beautiful Madams) soon followed, with each dancer having her own style. Mathieu then launched the performance event "Ne Vuilen Avond" (roughly, Naughty Nights) to showcase their talents, and it was staged across Flanders. It's now so popular that a new round of dancers will saunter onto the stage in 2011. Courtney Davis
www.nevuilenavond.be

Musician of the Year: Jan Swerts
Chances are huge that you haven't heard of Jan Swerts. Despite rave reviews this year in leading Flemish magazines and dailies, his music still stays the best-kept secret of our region. His debut album Weg (Gone) was released on a very small label, and he doesn't play live. A one-way ticket to oblivion? Hopefully not, since his deeply melancholic songs - think of Talk Talk's Mark Hollis or the quietest of Michael Nyman - have a highly soothing effect. They range from three to 21 minutes and are centred around a minimalistic piano, accompanied by trumpet, violin, clarinet, tuba and double bass, though never all at the same time. "There's comfort in melancholy," the musician quotes Joni Mitchell. From now on comfort is spelled "Jan Swerts". Christophe Verbiest

Artist of the Year: Francis Alÿs
With an impressive retrospective in Tate Modern and Brussels' own Wiels (A Story of Deception, still running), 2010 has been the year of Francis Alÿs. Born in Antwerp, but living in Mexico City for almost a quarter of a century, he is primarily known for his interventions in public spaces and the video installations that document those actions. His paintings, drawings and photographs, though, are an as essential part of his oeuvre. His work tackles serious political topics, like social injustice in Latin America or the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, but, on the other hand, all of his video installations have a playful side. His mastery lies, among other things, in his talent to keep a perfect balance between both. In 2011, A Story of Deception will travel to the MoMA in New York. CV

Scrooge of the Year: Aspro Ocio
For weeks we fretted about the health of Yotta, the dolphin at the Boudewijn Seapark in Bruges, who had suffered a still birth and kidney failure, a condition that would normally be fatal. But Seapark owners Aspro Ocio in Madrid were fretting about something else: the bottom line. The story had a happy ending for Yotta: thanks to sleepless nights for her six trainers and to vet Piet De Leander, she's now doing fine and has rejoined the other dolphins. The trainers, however, are facing the loss of their annual Christmas bonus, to make up for the money Aspro lost on cancelled dolphin shows. "What were we supposed to do - let her die?" asked one of the trainers. AH

Word of the Year: Persoonlijke assistentietoeslag
Belgian railway NMBS started 2010 with a horrific train crash in which 20 people died. Unions went on strike, and passengers complained about delays and cancellations. The company did nothing to improve its image when it last summer introduced a new €7 fee - the persoonlijke assistentietoeslag, or personal assistance supplement - levied on passengers who buy an international ticket at the counter, rather than online. The measure was enormously unpopular and prompted passengers to create the Facebook group "Tegen de 7 euro ‘persoonlijke assistentietoeslag' van NMBS", now with nearly 6,500 members. The company later compromised by cutting the supplement to €3.50 for "classic" international trains, but kept it in place for high-speed services operated by Eurostar and Thalys. "This is hardly a concession," said one Facebook member, "since they have drastically cut the number of classic international trains." Derek Blyth

Tweet of the Year: "We have an agreement on treaty amendment."
Herman Van Rompuy, president of the European Council, tweeted these seven words on 16 December at 19.00 to announce a breakthrough in negotiations at the EU Summit. It told Van Rompuy's 3,264 followers that the plan to amend the Lisbon Treaty had been successful. The tweak in the treaty, designed to save the euro from collapse, brought a glimmer of hope to a snow-bound Europe as Belgium's presidency of the European Council neared its end. DB