Austria will be represented by Norbert Schneider.

Norbert Schneider is one of the most accomplished blues guitarists in Austria. He became popular during the summer of 2010 with "Take it Easy" and the follow-up single "Hooked On You". He has shared the stage with many different artists such as BB King, Simply Red, Mick Taylor, Pink, Bernard Allison, One Republic, Louisiana Red, Big Jay McNeely, Christina Stürmer and Rusty Zinn.

Belgium will be represented by Lightnin’ Guy & The Mighty Gators.

Lightnin’ Guy is the hardest working performer on the Belgian blues & roots scene. He's not only the latest top act conquering the hearts of the blues-and-roots lovers in Belgium & Holland but he is also on the brink of a breakthrough on the European stages.

Finland’s representative for the 2nd EBC is Ismo Haavisto Band.

Ismo Haavisto is a top-notch professional blues musician (singer, harpist, guitarist, and songwriter) who has played with many well-known blues musicians like Kim Wilson, Lurrie Bell, Otis Grand, Bill Sims, Steve Guyger, Sharon Lewis and the late Jessie Mae Hemphill.

The French band for EBC Berlin has been chosen and the winner is... Roland Tchakounte (who sings the blues in bamiléké).

Born In Cameroon, far away from the cotton fields that shaped his elders’ style, he starts his musical training with percussion followed with the guitar, piano and harmonica. He succeeds in creating a perfect fusion between his African roots, the blues influences and a special talent to sing his complete repertoire in barniléké nis native dialect.

Michael van Merwyk & Bluesoul will be representing Germany at the next European Blues Challenge.

Michael van Merwyk belongs to a generation of white European blues musicians. In recent years he has earned a reputation as a guitarist, he puts feeling before art and is always seen as a part of the band. His musical influences are not only found in the blues, as different musical styles are incorporated into his songs.

T- Blues Mob will represent Georgia at the European Blues Challenge.

T- Blues Mob, a band from Tbilisi, plays its own uncompromising version of blues based and hard-driving rock. From the very beginning the name of this band stood for class, since it was formed by one of the Georgia’s best rock, blues and jazz musicians, who had long established his reputation amongst music lovers and fellow musicians. The band’s repertoire includes their original re-workings of standard, lesser known traditional blues songs and the group’s own rock and soul compositions is strengthened by its own improvised and energetic performance style.

After the selection and the final of the European Italian Blues Challenge, the group that will participate to the 2012 competition organised by the European Union Blues in Berlin is Dago Red.

It’s a band of blues and roots that will make the heart beat. They started playing in 1998 and have released three cds as well as compilations. They wrote songs for artists from the prestigious Crosscut Records label. They have also performed in major blues festivals in Italy and elsewhere in Europe.

Latvia has chosen Chehols to represent the country at the European Blues Challenge.

The Band “Chehols” aka “The Gypsy Cowboys” started out as nothing more than a bunch of friends having fun playing on the streets for pocket money. As they played the streets, offers from different bars began to flow in and after a season of regular bar gigs, the guys began to realise that playing was not “just for fun”, but that that it could also be a real and exciting line of work. Right now the band has earned a reputation for being a fine and reliable “bar band” that mixes elements of Rockabilly, Rhythm‘n’Blues and Blues mixing it all up with an intense Rock energy. Audiences love their live shows and the energy that they produce on stage. Chehols have played countless top venues all across Latvia and have also played abroad – in Sweden, Finland, Lithuania and Russia. Their recently recorded album “Songs of the Gypsy Cowboys” and the successful participation in the Latvian Blues Challenge is proof that Chehols is a strong and confident force in Latvian music.

Netherlands will be represented by John F. Klaver Band.

John F. Klaver is a guitarist and a singer, who has played the guitar since the age of eleven.  When he was seventeen, he decided to go to the Unites States. John took guitar and music theory classes as a private student at The University of the Pacific until he came back to his country. John is assisted by Iris Sigtermans (bass), Martijn Klaver (drums) and Bob Fridzema (hammond), the latest addition to the band, which was formerly a trio. John plays blues, funk and soul in a very grooving style, making it contemporary without losing its authentic feel.

http://klub.fm/blog/2011/10/slawek-wierzcholski-i-nocna-zmiana-bluesa-katowice

The duo Beña & Ptaszek will represent Slovakia at the European Blues Contest.

Lubios Beña comes from Slovakia. What impresses most about him is his strong singing and rhythm. It comes natural to him without any forced mannerism or affectations, and with perfect timing. He listens long and intently to the best artists and lets the sound of their music get inside his head. Then out it comes through his hands on the guitar, his foot stomping, and his voice. (Dr. David Evans, The University of Memphis, USA).

Matej Ptaszek is a professional street performance bluesman from the Czech Republic. He performs his shows live on the streets like the great singers and harp players of the Mississippi Delta. His falsetto voice is created by singing into a brass gramophone tube and this has a great effect. Matej isn't merely a copy, he sings with his own true feeling (Jeff Brandon, Henando, Mississippi).

The full amount of the votes of the members of the Advisory Board has chosen Mingo & The Blues Intruders to represent Spain at the 2012 European Second Blues Challenge.

After his experience in bands like Caledonia Blues Band, Blues Machine and Blues Blasters, in 2003 Mingo Balaguer craved to experiment as a vocalist. He had always missed playing with a quartet in which he played harp and sang. He eventually took the decision to lead a four-piece band and realised that to carry out this project it was essential to have companions with whom musical secrets did not exist and who were familiar with the style. These companions are Quique Bonal (guitar), Fernando Torres (bass) and Juan de la Oliva (drums). They try to include a great variety within the field of the blues and they have decided to form a repertoire influenced by styles ranging from the pure electric Chicago blues to the Texan style, the West Coast blues or the jump blues.