SEMA introduces motorcycle category to Battle of the Builders

The annual SEMA (Specialty Equipment Market Association) Show in the USA has featured a ‘Battle of the Builders’ competition since 2014, with categories including ‘Hot Rod,’ ‘Sport Compact/Import Performance,’ ‘Off Road’ and ‘Young Guns’ (for builders aged 18-29). All these categories have been for custom car builds, but this year, SEMA will add a motorcycle category to Battle of the Builders (BotB) for the first time.  

Labelled as the “Bike Builder Shootout,” this new addition to BotB reflects the growing popularity of custom bikes at SEMA. The competition will include three motorcycle (‘powersports’ in the US) categories, which hadn’t been clarified at time of writing, but will presumably include cruiser/bagger, road/sportsbike and off-road. Using criteria like craftsmanship, design innovation, and overall execution, a judging panel drawn from the motorcycle industry (separate from the BotB car judging panel) will determine the top ten finalists in each category. Those finalists will then serve as judges themselves, selecting the best motorcycle in each category, then the overall Bike Builder Shootout champion.

SEMA describes the introduction of the Bike Builder Shootout as a new opportunity for custom motorcycle builders to earn industry recognition on one of the biggest stages in automotive culture.

“It’s always exciting to see builders push creative boundaries year after year, and the addition of powersports brings an entirely new level of energy and excitement to the program,” said SEMA Vice President of Marketing RJ de Vera. “Battle of the Builders continues to evolve alongside the industry, and we’re excited to see how builders push innovation at the 2026 SEMA Show.”

While BotB has historically been a contest between US-based custom car builders and hot rod workshops, there’s nothing to prevent an international entry. The only requirement is that, once a submitted vehicle is approved for entry by the SEMA Show committee, it must be on display at SEMA to be eligible for judging, either as a feature vehicle, or in one of the exhibitor booths. Additionally, any entered vehicle must be either owned or sponsored by an exhibiting company. Entries for the inaugural SEMA BotB Bike Builder Shootout had already closed at time of writing.

The 2026 SEMA Show takes place in Las Vegas on 3-6 November, with the inaugural Bike Builder Shootout to be held on the opening day.