SEMA Battle of the Builders Announces New Format

SEMA Battle of the Builders presented by Mothers Polish will feature an expanded Young Guns program this year that will provide the Top 10 finalists in the class the opportunity to experience showcasing their builds on stage.

Prior to this year, industry experts serving as judges would determine the Top 10 and Top 3 finalists in each class, including Young Guns. Now, after the Top 10 Young Guns finalists are named, each will showcase their vehicle on-stage, and the finalists will vote on the Top 3 builds that will advance to the final round of judging with finalists from the other Battle of the Builder categories.

“We’re continually looking for ways to support young talent and foster the future growth of the automotive aftermarket industry,” said RJ de Vera, SEMA vice president of marketing. “By expanding the competition format to provide Young Guns competitors their own on-stage judging round, we will shine a light on more of these young customizers.”

The Young Guns category, open to builders 29 years old and younger at the time of the SEMA Show, was introduced in 2016 to bring national exposure to up-and-coming builders in the industry. Additionally, Sept. 7-8 and continuing throughout the month, Young Guns competitors can be selected by the judges to participate in one or more virtual Golden Ticket events for the chance to win a prize package that includes transportation of their build to the SEMA Show along with travel and hotel accommodations.

SEMA Battle of the Builders provides an international platform for SEMA Show builders to showcase their ingenuity. The competition recognizes class champions in four categories — Hot Rod & Hot Rod Truck; 4-Wheel Drive & Off-Road; Sport Compact, Import Performance, Luxury & Exotic; and Young Guns — and one of the four is crowned the overall Battle of the Builders champion.

Judges review all qualifying applications, including vehicle descriptions and photos, before walking the SEMA Show floor to review builds in-person and selecting the Top 10 finalists in each category. The finalists are then narrowed down to the Top 3 in each category, including the Top 3 Young Guns selected via the new competition format, and these 12 finalists become the judges and select the winner of each category and the overall champion.

“The automotive aftermarket will unite at the SEMA Show, making it the perfect venue to highlight these amazing builds and emerging talent within the industry,” said SEMA Trade Show Director Andy Tompkins. “The Battle of the Builders program is another example of how the SEMA Show enables attendees to stay at the forefront of recent trends shaping the aftermarket.”