LOS ANGELES, Dec. 3 /PRNewswire/ -- The Motor Press Guild (MPG), America's largest professional automotive media association, announces the winners of its most prestigious honor, The Dean Batchelor Award, and the MPG Best of the Year Awards winners. The five MPG Best of the Year Awards recognize automotive journalistic excellence across several different disciplines, including articles, books, photography, and audio/visual, as well as an overall Lifetime Achievement award. Entries were judged against others in their respective category with one winner named for each category. The Dean Batchelor Award was then selected from among the four category winners.
This year's winners of the MPG Best of the Year Awards are:
Best Article
Finalists: Greg Anderson, "Superhero Worship," Robb Report
Tim Considine, "Ferrari 250GT Competizione Berlinetta," Road & Track
Peter Egan, "Hank's Last Drive," Road & Track
Winner: Peter Egan, "Hank's Last Drive," Road & Track
"Hank's Last Drive," is a two-part article in which Egan describes his pilgrimage in a 1953 Cadillac convertible, in memory of country music legend Hank Williams who, in 1953, died in an automobile accident while driving an identical car on a cross country trip from Montgomery, Alabama, to a gig in Canton, Ohio.
Judges' Comments: Egan understands it, that you do not drive an old car from place-to-place so much as you drive it in another time. He pushes so many nostalgia buttons with the pictures he paints with his words; from the board across the barber chair to butch wax and music playing on the Philco, Egan gets it all. Like a fine meal, this article leaves a lasting after taste to savor.
Best Audio/Visual
Finalists: Bill Baker, "Malcolm Smith, Biography of a Legend," Outdoor
Channel
Dave Despain, "Daytona Beach," Speed Channel
Glenn McClanan, "Comparison Test, Dodge Challenger SRT8 vs. Ford Mustang
Bullitt," Edmunds' InsideLine.com
Winner: Glenn McClanan, "Comparison Test, Dodge Challenger SRT8 vs. Ford
Mustang Bullitt," Edmunds' InsideLine.com
"Comparison Test, Dodge Challenger SRT8 vs. Ford Mustang Bullitt," Edmunds' InsideLine.com is a streaming video presentation of the performance comparison test between a 2008 Dodge Challenger SRT8 and a Ford Mustang with the "Bullitt" package (from the Steve McQueen movie).
Judges' Comments: A terrific tire-scorching tale that looked and sounded great. It had real video, not B-roll handout, fun skid marks and fast writing; the best comparison I've seen. This was successful because it was all about the cars. It worked as a shootout, was well-directed and well-filmed.
Best Book
Finalists: Jesse Alexander, "Portraits," David Bull Publishing
Frank Barret and Boyd Jaynes, "Shelby Cars in Detail," David
Bull Publishing
Basem Wasef, "Legendary Motorcycles," Motorbooks
Winner: Jesse Alexander, "Portraits," David Bull Publishing
Jesse Alexander's "Portraits," published by David Bull Publishing is a series of candid portraits accompanied by text of racecar drivers, primarily from the '50s, '60s, and '70s. It offers a uniquely intimate and emotional view of the people Alexander has met during his 50-plus years as a motorsports photographer.
Judges' Comments: There was a romance and a magic to Grand Prix racing in the '50s and early '60s, a time when drivers all knew each other as friends and even the journalists hung out with the teams after the race. Alexander was there in the middle of it all, his cameras captured the subtleties of the action and the spirit of those times perfectly. There is perhaps no better record of the heart and soul of racing during that era than the haunting images found in "Portraits."
Best Photography
Finalists: Scott Jacobs, "2008 BMW M3," Edmunds' InsideLine.com
Louise Noeth, "Andy's Office," Goodguys Gazette
Brian Vance, "There Will Be Blood," Motor Trend
Winner: Scott Jacobs, "2008 BMW M3," Edmunds' InsideLine.com
Scott Jacobs' "2008 BMW M3," for Edmunds' InsideLine.com was a mood shot, posed in the evening with lights and reflections. It was used as the lead photo of the M3 coupe for the road test of the car on the InsideLine Web site.
Judges' comments: Great background and the reflection of the car makes the photo jump off the page. Nice balance of ambient and incandescent lighting, as well as the juxtaposition of the car with the edgy background. The photo has a very good "first look" impact.
The Dean Batchelor Award is presented to the best representation of automotive Journalism submitted during 2008 from the categories above.
Dean Batchelor Award
Finalists: Jesse Alexander, "Portraits,"
Peter Egan, "Hank's Last Drive"
Scott Jacobs, "2008 BMW M3"
Glenn McClanan, "Comparison Test, Dodge Challenger SRT8 vs. Ford Mustang
Bullitt"
2009 Dean Batchelor Award winner: Peter Egan, "Hank's Last Drive"
For more information regarding the rules and judging of these awards, please contact Chuck Koch of the Motor Press Guild at chuckkoch@corvettethunder.com.
About Dean Batchelor
Dean Batchelor's passion for automobiles led him to editing positions at Hop Up and Road and Track Magazines. In the late 70s, Batchelor began writing and publishing such books as Ferrari: The Early Berlinettas & Competition Coupes; Ferrari: The Early Spyders & Competition Roadsters; Ferrari: The Gran Turismo & Competition Berlinettas; and The American Hot Rod.
The career of Dean Batchelor spanned many disciplines, from aircraft builder and B-17 flyer to automotive journalist. He was the consummate historian and researcher, editor, author, racer, designer and hot rodder. No matter what he was involved with at the time, Batchelor's peers say he did it with style and with the highest ethical and professional standards.
Following his death in 1994, and to honor his memory and contributions to the automobile industry, the Motor Press Guild instituted the Dean Batchelor Award in order to recognize the best. The annual Dean Batchelor Award singles out persons demonstrating outstanding achievement in automotive journalism and communications.
About Motor Press Guild
The Los Angeles-based Motor Press Guild (MPG) is a non-profit professional association dedicated to promoting education and information exchange within the motoring press. MPG has more than 800 global members, including staff and freelance journalists, photographers, broadcasters, public-relations representatives from vehicle manufacturers, industry suppliers, aftermarket companies, consumer groups, governmental bodies and other motoring-related firms and organizations.
Contact: Robyn Eckard
Director of Public Relations
Kelley Blue Book
Work: 949-268-3049
Cell: 323-547-5102
http://www.kbb.com/media