Since joining the Local Guides program in 2020, I have seen a regular stream of people asking for Gifts, upfront.
Many of them were from India. No doubt Indians were the largest contributors.
Some were genuine cases where they received emails about gifts like socks and pins but were not delivered or delayed.
Several local guides sought gifts because they reached a certain level in Google Maps or contributed for a long time.
Enter 2025 and a new era has dawned.
Over the past year, the tide has turned, and these posts have trickled down to zero.
IMO these are attributed to the large number of gifts exchanged among local guides within India. Stickers, cards, badges, keychains, mugs, bottles, and calendars, were shared in dozens. Hundreds of local guides received these by post.
Challenges for designing these were held and prizes and certificates were awarded routinely throughout 2024.
The epitome is the new initiative by local guide @Rakshith_LG who designed beautiful certificates and posted them online to appreciate the contributions of the participants on the 10-Year Celebration of Google Local Guides logo and t-shirt contest.
Rakshith has a heart of Gold. Instead of seeking, he thought of giving away.
There are several others like Rakshith.
Prominently, Ajit Thite routinely hosts challenges and gives away awards and certificates to participants and winners.
Here are my certificates from Rakshith - Thank you from the bottom of my heart, dear
Thank you, dear Rakshith, for this kind gesture