The b-boy crew line up for the Braun Battle of the Year (BOTY) 2012 has been announced ahead of the world finals in France this month.

Battle of the Year world finals will return to the Park and Suites Arena in Montpellier, France, on 17 November 2012 with qualified international crews from around the world and host the solo b-boy and We B*Girlz battles as well as workshops, parties and performances in the lead up to the finals.

After Battle of the Year’s plans to invest in the African b-boy scene earlier this year, two crews from Africa will have their own Battle of the Year event three days before the final in Montpellier which will complete the line up on Saturday, below.

Battle of the Year has also changed its format from previous years in favour of a temporary new battle formula: Six crews will now qualify for the final battles, not four. The two crews with the highest show rankings will go directly to the semi-finals while the other four crews will battle in the quarter-finals for the remaining two spots in the semis. The organisers will review the system after the finals and adopt it based upon its success.

Braun Battle of the Year BOTY 2012 bboy crew line up

France Vagabond Crew –  BOTY International Champion 2011
Greece Dead Prezz – Winner BOTY Balkans 2012
Austria Prodigy – Winner Central Eastern Europe 2012
Spain Supremos – Winner BOTY Iberia 2012
France Pockemon Crew – Winner BOTY France 2012
Japan Flooriorz – Winner BOTY Japan 2012
Israel Kosher Flava – Winner BOTY Israel 2012
Belarus Hunters Crew – Winner BOTY Belarus 2012
Tunisia Upper Underground – Winner BOTY Africa 2012
Germany Reckless Gang – Winner BOTY Germany 2012
Italy De Klan – Winner BOTY Italy 2012
Taiwan Formosa Crew – Winner BOTY Taiwan 2012
Singapore Rakical Force – Winner BOTY South Asia 2012
Nigeria Space Unlimited – Winner BOTY Nigeria 2012
Belgium Team Shmetta – Winner BOTY BeNeLux 2012
South Africa Unity Crew – Winner BOTY South Africa 2012
Morocco Lhiba KingZoo – Winner BOTY 2012
South Korea Morning of Owl – Winner BOTY Korea 2012
PLUS: Qualified crews from Battle of the Year Africa qualifier

Judges
B-Boy Neguin (Brasil), B-Boy Storm (Germany), B-Boy Lamine (France), B-Boy Niek (Holland), B-Boy Roxrite (USA)

MCs
Nasty (France) Maleek (France)

DJs
Panic (Holland) One Up (Japan)

BOTY Showcases
Eklips beatbox
Shyzofrench Rap Show – ViceLow
Blue Tape 2 Project

Battle of the Year

Battle of the Year, also referred to as BOTY, is an annual international b-boying series that began in 1990. In the past BOTY world finals were held at the Volkswagenhalle in Braunschweig, Germany until 2009 when event moved to Montpellier, France.

Organisers also played a part in the production of the forthcoming BOTY movie, Battle of the Year: Dream Team which will be released in cinemas internationally next year.