FMBA Announces Return Of Male Red Bull Rookie Of The Year Award, Launches Female Award, And Introduces Best Trick Award

If you’re keen to make your mark on the 2022 FMB World Tour, then it’s high time to break out your bike and show us what you’ve got! We’re stoked to share that the coveted Red Bull Rookie of the Year (ROTY) Award is now up for grabs by both male and female riders and the new addition of Best Trick Award will be replacing the previously held Best Line Contest.

The Red Bull ROTY titles will be awarded to the #1 ranked Male & #1 ranked Female Rookie Athlete based on the year end 2022 Male and Female Rookie Rankings, as of September 25, 2022.

This will be the first year a women’s award will be on offer, in line with the addition of the FMBA World Tour Women’s Ranking in 2022. The goal of the award will be to offer opportunities for progression for top up-and-coming riders. The 2022 Red Bull Female ROTY will receive Wildcard entry to a 2023 FMB event of their choosing that has a Women’s category, with flights and accommodation included, as well as a 2023 FMB World Tour License, Red Bull ROTY trophy, and more.

The 2022 Red Bull Male ROTY will receive Wildcard entry into the first Crankworx Slopestyle event in 2023, with flights and accommodation included, as well as a 2023 FMB World Tour License, Red Bull ROTY trophy, and more.

So… you in? Get all the details about eligibility criteria and rules and regulations here.

Also on the table this year is the newly introduced Best Trick Award, a virtual competition where participants submit their best trick video from a sanctioned FMB event within the 2022 season to be voted on by FMB World Tour Fans. Replacing the Best Line Contest, Best Trick Award is open to both male and female athletes, with the award being given to the top voted video in all 5 categories:

• Bronze Level Female
• Bronze Level Male
• Silver Level Female
• Silver Level Male
• Gold Level Male

Best trick video submissions will be accepted from September 1, 2022, at 10:00 PST to November 30, 2022, at 23:59 PST, but don’t let this stop you from getting out there sooner rather than later! After we’ve collected all your submissions, fan voting will open the week of December 12, 2022, and the Best Trick Award recipients will be notified the following week of December 19, 2022.

Award recipients will receive a 2023 FMB World Tour License, EUR 250 (Bronze level), EUR 350 (Silver level), or EUR 450 (Gold level), and be featured on FMB and Crankworx social media channels.

Sound pretty good? Find out more details about eligibility criteria, rules and regulations, and the submission of your video here.

Marking a new era in the world of freeride, the updated 2022 Red Bull ROTY Award will be a welcome sight to riders and fans alike. For the past four years, this award has brought emerging male talent to the forefront of the mountain biking community. Now, with the introduction of the Red Bull Female ROTY Award, there is similar opportunity for female talent to showcase and receive recognition for their skills.

Renata Wiese, 23-year-old Chilean rider and top competitor, shared how the award will support women in freeride: “It is a huge motivation (because of everything that you get if you win) to improve, to try new stuff, and to push yourself so you can get a chance to be the Rookie of the Year. Healthy competition is always a good time to improve. If I see someone landing a new trick, that gives me the motivation to try it!” Wiese continued on the importance of opportunities like this for young riders: “This brings [in] more brands interested in supporting you and the female scene as well, if they see more women participation. Which is awesome because younger riders are going to be able to start their careers in a better position.”

Earning the coveted title of Red Bull ROTY often changes the trajectory of a rider’s career in mountain biking. Tim Bringer, 2019 Red Bull ROTY Award winner and now regular on the Crankworx FMBA Slopestyle World Championship (SWC) circuit, shared: “Being the 2019 Red Bull Rookie of the Year was a big change in my mountain biking career. To be able to ride with the top riders on these huge jumps was definitely something crazy. Thanks to this opportunity, I’m now able to ride every Crankworx [World Tour] stop, which is the dream for a Slopestyle rider.”

2022 marks the fifth edition of the Red Bull Male ROTY Award and while some riders have their sights set on the Rookie Rankings, others are preparing to reap the rewards of the esteemed title. Alejandro Bonafe, 2021 Red Bull ROTY, shared his thoughts ahead of competing as a Wildcard athlete in Crankworx Innsbruck Slopestyle next week: “Well, I have been preparing for this moment for a long time already. If you are really engaged with something, then you know you are going to arrive, and I knew that this moment would happen someday. So, I have been preparing myself since day one! But, since I got the Red Bull Rookie of the Year Award, I’m focused on riding my bike more seriously and going to the gym to be at 100%.”

Another exciting addition to the 2022 FMB World Tour is Best Trick Award, designed to encourage a wide range of athlete participation with no age limit and both male and female categories. Fans are also encouraged to partake, as their votes will determine the five athletes worthy of the title ‘Best Trick Award Winner.’

Chance Moore, 2021 Best Line Award winner, expects the changes made to this year’s award to positively impact the mountain biking community: “The Best Trick Award will be super exciting to watch. I am stoked to see what everyone will throw down. The Best Trick Award will benefit riders of all levels.” Summing it up quite simply, Moore thinks “it’s going to be super sick.”

Gemma Corbera and Harriet Burbidge-Smith are some of the female athletes at the forefront of the women in freeride movement. On how the addition of the Best Trick Award will contribute to the future generations of female riders, Corbera shared: “Many more Women are going to be encouraged to pick up their bikes and learn new tricks. I think girls we don’t know may show up. All over the world there sure are a lot of talented girls we haven’t seen yet; I can’t wait to see it! Women deserve to have the same opportunities to go to events and ride in great places. We love challenges, as all [riders] do!” In agreement with Moore’s sentiment, Corbera also thinks that Best Trick Award is “going to be sick.”

Burbidge-Smith added to her fellow competitor’s thoughts: “The Best Trick Award gives the opportunity to so many up-and-coming young riders in Women’s Freeride to showcase what they’ve been working on! The young talent around the world is so high and I can’t wait to see what the girls throw down! The award gives the opportunity to young riders looking to build support and sponsorships! The more events and highlight content we have in Freeride and Slopestyle [will] inevitably build and progress the sport. Given the right events, you see so much progression.”

With the 2022 FMB World Tour season now full steam ahead, make sure to share all the action with us on Instagram and use the hashtags #fmbworldtour or #BestTrick so that we can see what you’re up to!