"The goal of the People’s Champ competition is to get exposure for builders who might not have been well-known enough to be official Invited Builders at Born Free. There is so much talent out there, it’s impossible for the BF guys to know everyone and lots of People's Champ competitors have gone on to compete in the big show the following years. We’re not promising anyone fame and fortune, but we’ll do our best to showcase your craftsmanship and the democratic process will determine the final Champ.
Open for submissions – Now!
Submissions close – November 27
Announce OG25 Builders – December 11
Who’s eligible?Anyone who has not been a previous Born Free Invited Builder or made it to the Final Six Pack of any past People’s Champ competitions. You can build your bike in a carport or a shop, it’s all fair game. We determine the Original 25 entrants from a much larger pool of contestants, and just so you know, we like boot strappers and underdogs. So, if you have a million dollar shop, the kid working in their mom's basement is gonna get priority. We will do our best to pick a diverse range of bike builds so they don’t all end up being the same basic format. When there are over a 100 initial entrants and only 25 move forward, it'll leave quite a few people pissed. Welcome to life, suck it up and try again next year. We are going to pick that OG 25 from your submissions (see the form below to submit) and will announce the competitors on December 11, 2020. No co-builds. Of course you can get help from friends, but there can only be one Champ and one name on the check, so submissions will only be accepted from a single person.
Voting to cut to 13 – February 19-21
Release Lucky 13 Builders – February 26
We will ask for some progress photos and a paragraph about your build around mid-February delivered via email to us from all Original 25 builders. We will post them in a poll on this website on Feb 19-21 and announce the Lucky 13 a couple days later.
Voting for Final 6 – April 23-25
Announce Final 6 Builders– April 30
The Lucky 13 will send in a final round of photos and another paragraph about their progress in mid-April, 2021. We will publish a new poll on April 23-25 and let the internet vote for the Final Six Pack. We announce that half-dozen finalists a couple days later."
