BY: Annie DuPre, FGASA NQF2, Apprentice Trails Guide and Bushwise Conceptual Copywriter
Bushwise Field Guides is thrilled to host the the Safari Guide of the Year 2022 competition, along with key sponsors FGASA and WildEarth!
Bushwise Field Guides is the host sponsor for the Safari Guide of the Year 2022 competition, to be held from 27 June to 3 July. This will be the 11th annual hosting of this important event, which will take place in the Greater Kruger (exact location to be announced closer to the event date). Nominations have officially begun and will remain open until April.
Safari Guide of the Year (SGOTY) is a prestigious award given by the Field Guides Association of Southern Africa (FGASA) each year to one outstanding and accomplished guide. Because FGASA sets the standards for the guiding industry, this award is a significant annual recognition of a guide’s accomplishments, training, and skill set.
The competition
The competition itself will occur over one week, where the top five nominees will showcase their skills and knowledge to qualified judges and guests. The finalists are evaluated in eight categories: birding, track and sign identification, guided game walk, guided game drive, guided photographic experience, storytelling, rifle handling, and hospitality and professionalism.
Each category is scored according to a point system and the individual who accumulates the most points at the end of the week is crowned Safari Guide of the Year 2022.
The nominees
To be nominated, guides must have a minimum of five years’ guiding experience, FGASA Field Guide (NQF4) qualification, FGASA Trails Guide qualification, be a paid-up member of FGASA, and be currently working at a lodge, training provider, or as a freelance guide. If you know of someone who should be considered for this competition, visit the official FGASA SGOTY site to nominate them now.
The impact
Each year, Safari Guide of the Year brings together incredibly talented, knowledgeable, experienced and professional individuals who showcase the art of field guiding. In the end, only one guide will walk away with this prestigious title. Despite the impressive competition, this event often creates a feeling of camaraderie and friendship among the finalists.
While the event itself is just one week, the impact of this recognition stretches much further. The individual awarded with SGOTY, as well as their lodge or employer, will proudly wear this badge for the rest of their career. The competition helps drive the world-class quality of southern Africa’s field guides, which in turn leads to superior standards maintained at lodges, and an enhanced focus on skills development in wildlife conservation.
Bushwise Field Guides is honoured to be the host sponsor for this significant event. Main sponsors are FGASA and WildEarth, with additional sponsors including Ruggedwear, Sapmok, Kruger2Canyon News, Accident Angels, as well as private donors.
Follow Bushwise on Instagram and Facebook for further updates, including this year’s judges, nominees, venue and more!
