2027 KGSA NON-GUILD KNIFE COMPETITION

Think You Can Make It?

Every two years, the Knifemakers' Guild of Southern Africa invites non-Guild knifemakers from across Southern Africa to put their skills to the test in the KGSA Non-Guild Knife Competition.

For 2027, the challenge is a 7 Inch Chef Knife, designed by Neels van den Berg and Jean Wilke.

Every entrant starts with the same profile.

What happens from there is up to the maker.

Your choice of steel. Your choice of construction. Your choice of grind. Your choice of handle materials and finishes.

But there is one thing you cannot change: The Profile.

The 2027 Competition Knife

Knife: 7 Inch Chef Knife
Designed by: Neels van den Berg & Jean Wilke
Overall Length: 302,283 mm
Cutting Edge Length: 177,96 mm / 7 inches

The supplied full-size profile is the prescribed design for the competition and must be followed exactly.

Each submitted knife will first be checked against the same 1:1 full-size printed profile supplied to entrants.

Any variation from the supplied profile will result in immediate disqualification.

Only knives that pass the profile conformity check and sharpness test will proceed to formal judging.

DOWNLOAD THE 2027 COMPETITION PACK

One Profile. Your Choice of Build.

While the supplied profile may not be altered, makers have considerable freedom in how they construct and finish their competition knife.

Construction

Any recognised form of knife construction may be used, including full tang, hidden tang, frame tang, through tang, take-down or integral construction.

The choice of construction method is entirely at the maker's discretion.

Blade Geometry

The blade may be flat ground, hollow ground or S-ground. Fullers are permitted.

Blade thickness is left to the maker's discretion.

Materials

Entrants may use any suitable blade steel, handle material and pinning material.

Makers are encouraged to use the best quality materials available to them. However, expensive, exotic or decorative materials, including carbon Damascus, stainless Damascus, Wootz, Mokume-gane, Ti-Mascus or similar materials, will not in themselves attract additional consideration from the judges.

Judging will place particular emphasis on workmanship, fit, finish and symmetry.

Where an entrant wishes to use Wootz or Damascus steel but is unable to produce the material themselves, material made by another smith may be used. Entrants are encouraged to support local smiths.

Make It Well

All work on the knife must be carried out by the entrant, subject to the provisions contained in the official Rules and Regulations.

Blade and handle materials, surface finishes and overall presentation are left to the maker's discretion.

Every competition knife must carry a clearly legible maker's mark. The mark may be hot stamped, etched, hand engraved or laser engraved.

Entrants must also provide details of the blade steel used, including its composition and heat-treatment process, on the competition entry form.

It Must Cut

This is a chef knife.

It must be sharp.

Every submitted knife must be razor sharp and will undergo a sharpness test before formal judging.

The test consists of a single cut into an A4 sheet of 80 g/m² white Sappi Typek paper.

Any knife that is unsharpened, dull or fails the sharpness test will be immediately disqualified.

Who Can Enter?

The competition is open to any non-KGSA member who is a citizen of any country in Southern Africa.

Entrants may submit more than one knife. Each knife requires its own completed competition entry form and entry fee.

Entry Fee

R200 per knife entered

Payment must be made by EFT or bank deposit only.

No cash payments will be accepted.

Banking Details

Bank: ABSA Bank
Account Holder: KGSA
Branch Code: 632005
Account Number: 4056808599

Payment Reference: Use your Name and Surname as provided under Personal Details on the competition entry form.

Proof of Payment must be emailed to: avanheerden1@gmail.com

A printed copy of the Proof of Payment must also accompany your competition entry form.

First Place Prize

There is one competition prize, awarded to the First Place winner.

R5,000 Cash

Winning can also provide a significant head start should the winner decide to pursue membership of the Knifemakers' Guild of Southern Africa.

If the winner applies for KGSA membership within 12 months of the competition closing date, the KGSA Membership Application Fee will be waived.
If accepted as a Guild Member, the Guild will pay the winner's first year's Guild Membership fee.
The Guild will also pay the table fee for the winner's first KGSA Annual Guild Show exhibition.

All normal KGSA membership application and evaluation requirements remain applicable.

Competition Closing Date

Entries close at:

17:00 on the Friday, two weeks before the 2027 KGSA Annual Guild Show

The knife, completed competition entry form and all required supporting documentation must have been received by the closing deadline.

Where to Send Your Knife

Competition entries may be delivered or couriered to:

Black Dragon Forge
29 RSE, c/o R512 & Winsome Valley Roads
Lanseria
Johannesburg
Gauteng
1748

Contact: Neels van den Berg
Phone: 083 451 3105
Email: neels@blackdragonforge.com

All costs associated with delivering or couriering the competition entry to the above address are for the entrant's own account.

Getting Your Knife Back

Knives may be collected once the competition winner has been announced at the 2027 KGSA Annual Guild Show and must be collected before the close of the show on Saturday afternoon.

Entrants who are unable to collect their knives in person may include a pre-prepared return shipping package with their entry.

Only The Courier Guy will be used for door-to-door return delivery.

Return shipping costs are for the entrant's own account and are not included in the competition entry fee.

Before You Send Your Entry

Make sure your knife conforms exactly to the supplied profile.
Sharpen the knife and test it by cutting paper.
Make sure the knife is clean and free from buffing compound.
Package the knife in a zippered knife pouch.
Complete the competition entry form.
Attach a printed copy of your Proof of Payment.
Attach a printed copy of your maker's mark, as it appears on the knife.

Download the 2027 Competition Pack

Everything required to enter the competition is contained in one document.

The 2027 KGSA Non-Guild Knife Competition Pack contains:

Page 1: The 1:1 Profile Design
Page 2: The 2027 Rules and Regulations
Page 3: The 2027 Competition Entry Form

Before beginning your competition knife, download the pack and read the Rules and Regulations carefully.

DOWNLOAD THE 2027 COMPETITION PACK

Printing the 1:1 Profile

The supplied profile design is drawn at 1:1 scale.

When printed correctly, the black reference square on the profile must measure exactly 20 mm x 20 mm.

When printing the full-size profile design, ensure that the printer settings are set to Actual Size / 100% Scale.

Do not use Fit to Page, Fit, Shrink to Fit or any other automatic scaling option.

Measure the black reference square after printing and before using the profile. If it does not measure exactly 20 mm x 20 mm, the profile has not been printed at the correct scale.

Join the 2027 Competition WhatsApp Group

A dedicated 2027 KGSA Non-Guild Knife Competition WhatsApp Group has been created for entrants and prospective entrants.

The group provides a central place for competition-related questions and clarification, technical discussion, progress photos, constructive feedback, and competition updates and announcements.

Participants are strongly encouraged to join the group while working on their competition knife. Asking questions in the group also allows other participants to benefit from the answers and helps ensure that information is shared consistently.

All new group members must be approved by an Admin before joining.

JOIN THE 2027 COMPETITION WHATSAPP GROUP

The 2025 Competition

The previous KGSA Non-Guild Knife Competition attracted multiple quality entries, and we were pleased to announce Nikolai de Nobrega as the deserving 2025 winner.

Our grateful thanks once again to everyone who entered and helped make the competition a success.