Similar The Cavaliers Drum and, Carolina Crown Drum and, Phantom Regiment Drum and, Santa Clara Vanguard, Madison Scouts Drum and | ||
At the end of the summer season, Drum Corps International (DCI) World Class corps compete to earn the title of DCI World Class Champion (formerly DCI Division I World Champion). The championships consist of 3 rounds—Preliminaries, Semifinals, and Finals—held on the first or second Thursday, Friday, and Saturday of August. Through 2010, all active World Class corps (22 corps as of 2016) competed in the Quarterfinals, with the top 17 advancing to the Semifinals. The top 12 corps from Semifinals then advanced to the Finals. Since the 2011 season, all active DCI corps (Open and World Class) have been permitted to compete for the championship. In this format, about 40 corps compete in Preliminaries, while the top 25 advance to Semifinals, with the top-scoring 12 advancing to Finals. The champion is determined by the overall high score in the Finals competition. There are also a number of caption awards (high brass, high percussion, high visual, etc.), though the criteria for determination for those awards has changed from year to year.
Only 10 corps have ever won the title (including 3 ties):
The Anaheim Kingsmen and Star of Indiana are no longer in active competition. The six corps with the greatest number of titles are often referred to as the "Top 6", due to their consistently high performance and fan support. These corps also typically attract the greatest number of prospective members each year. The historical "Top 6" corps have not finished in positions 1–6 every year, however; since 1987, only seven corps outside the "Top 6" have managed to place in one of the top six positions, and only three have ever finished higher than fourth.