Commemorative stamp sheet - 75th & 150th anniversaries

Each year, the Belgian post issues around twenty new stamp editions. To celebrate the double anniversary of 75 years of the Competition and 150 years of the birth of the Queen, bpost has release a commemorative stamp on Monday 13 April 2026, highlighting the exceptional musical heritage of Queen Elisabeth.

The illustration on the stamp depicts Queen Elisabeth holding her violin, a nod to her love of the instrument and to the very first edition of the Competition in 1937, which was dedicated to the violin. Initially known as the “Concours Eugène Ysaÿe”, the event became the Queen Elisabeth Competition in 1951. The sheet features an autograph manuscript by Eugène Ysaÿe, from the Eugène Ysaÿe Collection of the Royal Library of Belgium (KBR). The Belgian violinist and composer wrote this sonata for two violins for the Queen, and the piece was even intended to be played together, as evidenced by the note he wrote in the upper right-hand corner of the score. The Queen Elisabeth Competition logo completes the stamp, which is enhanced with a gold-foil print.

The sheet of five stamps is sold at a price of €15.80.

If you want to find out more about the 75th anniversary of the Competition and the 150th anniversary of the birth of Queen Elisabeth, we invite you to visit our new '75 & 150 years' webpage.