BOTY (Battle of the Year)

The Battle of the Year is a widely-renowned international b-boying competition. There is no other tournament that rivals BOTY in size or scope, earning it the title of the “World Cup of B-Boying”. It has grown remarkably since it’s inception in 1990. B-boys from every continent flock to the competition every year, hoping to show off their skills and learn some new ones along the way.

Who can compete?

BOTY is truly an international competition in that b-boys come from all over the world to compete. Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, and the Americas are all represented. Diversity is key to hip hop culture, and breaking is no exception. For over two decades, Battle of the Year was a crew competition; but in 2013, a one-on-one competition was added.

How would a b-boy get there?

The champions of the world finals are invited to the following year's world finals to defend their title. Everyone else is required to qualify through preliminary tournaments. These preliminaries are regional tournaments that are held worldwide and culminate at the Battle of the Year as the world finals event.

BOTY is not just a contest.

The goal of the event is to create a platform for b-boys to express themselves in a peaceful and inclusive environment. What was initially a two day competition has turned into a week-long festival of the Hip Hop culture and feature different battles, showcases, and workshops. Everything is tailored to the celebration, education, and spreading of Hip Hop culture to a larger public audience. BOTY even inspired Korean-American filmmaker Benson Lee to put together the 2007 documentary Planet B-Boy and the 2013 feature film Battle of the Year.

Last year, BOTY took place in Germany, with an incredible turnout and potential future competitors are amping up for 2017. Over the years, the Battle of the Year has played a huge part in fostering the international hip hop community by promoting social unity.