Motor Press Guild Announces 2016 MPG Award Finalists

DECEMBER 07, 2016 -- The annual Motor Press Guild Awards, including the Dean Batchelor Award, will be presented this December 13th at 6:00 pm at the Marconi Automotive Museum in Orange County. The Motor Press Guild Lifetime Achievement Award will also be presented to Jean Jennings during the event.

This annual celebration of excellence is intended to inspire automotive journalists, both present and future, to produce work of the highest professional caliber in eight specific categories including feature articles, news stories, vehicle reviews (in both print and video format), books, audio programs, video features, and photography.

From among the winners of these categories, MPG will present the Dean Batchelor Award and a $500 prize to the journalist judged to have produced the single piece of work which best represents the professional standards and excellence demanded by Dean Batchelor during his life as an editor, writer, and chronicler of the automotive industry. Established by the Motor Press Guild in 1995, the Dean Batchelor Award recognizes excellence in automotive journalism as exemplified by the man it is named after. (Learn more about the Motor Press Guild Awards here at www.motorpressguild.org/events/mpg-awards/)

Congratulations to the following individuals who have been selected as finalists for the 2016 Motor Press Guild Best of the Year Awards:

FEATURE ARTICLES

• Nick Jaynes: “How Two Maverick Designers Broke GM’s Rules to Re-invent Buick” (Mashable)

• Basem Wasef: “Flying Spurs” (Automobile)

• Randy Wells: “Searching for Salt” (Road Scholars Magazine)

NEWS ARTICLES

• Clarissa Hawes: “Truck Parking Shortage Exposes Drivers to Crime, Other Danger” (Trucks.com)

• Kelsey Mays: “VW Diesels May Still Pollute More, Even When Fixed” (Cars.com)

• Kelsey Mays: “Which New Cars Still Have Takata Airbag Inflators?” (Cars.com)

VEHICLE REVIEWS

• Doug DeMuro: “I Drove One of Five TVR Tuscans in the Entire Western Hemisphere” (Autotrader)

• John L. Stein: “McIntosh Manx” (Motorcycle Classics)

• Basem Wasef: “2017 McLaren 570GT First Drive” (Automobile)

BEST OF THE YEAR: BOOKS

• Michael Harley and Rob Dickinson: One More Than 10: Singer and the Porsche 911

• Gordon Kirby: Penske’s Maestro: Karl Kainhofer and the History of Penske Racing

• Preston Lerner: Ford GT: How Ford Silenced the Critics, Humbled Ferrari and Conquered Le Mans

• Craig Watkins: Kussmaul Chronicles

BEST OF THE YEAR: AUDIO

• Adam Carolla, Matt D’Andria, Chris Laxamana: #826: Keanu Reeves and Gard Hollinger, 2016 Goodwood Festival of Speed Recap (Carcast with Adam Carolla)

• Randy Kerdoon: #44: Wayne Carini (Chasing Classic Cars) & A Tribute to the late George Barris (Talking About Cars with Randy Kerdoon)

• Charlie Vogelheim: #92: Storied Histories (Motor Trend Audio)

BEST OF THE YEAR: VIDEO

FEATURE VIDEOS

• Sue Callaway, Stephen Valdivia: The Q in Cuba (Fortune)

• Dan Kahn (writer/producer), Luke Walsh (producer): 8 Meters: Triumph, Tragedy and a Photo Finish at Le Mans

• Sam Mercer, Lauren Scott, Iñigo Oleaga, John Stein and Jesse Alexander: Inside the Archives of Jesse Alexander

VEHICLE REVIEWS

• Flynnside Out Productions, Brian Moody and Tara Trompeter: “2016 Jeep Renegade Trailhawk 4×4: Real World Review” (Autotrader)

• Flynnside Out Productions, Brian Moody and Tara Trompeter: “2016 Kia Sedona: Real World Review” (Autotrader)

• Yellow B Films, Jabari Jones: “2016 Toyota RAV4: 5 Reasons to Buy” (Autotrader)

BOB D’OLIVO AWARD FOR PHOTOGRAPHY

• Sean Cridland: “Pikes Peak Porsche” (RS Magazine)

• Camden Thrasher: “Back Story” (Porsche Panorama)

• Randy Wells: Cover #711 (Porsche Panorama)

The evening will feature a cocktail hour beginning at 6pm, followed by dinner and the MPG Awards ceremony. The best of the best will be honored with the Dean Bachelor Award and a $500 cash prize. Surprise live entertainment is guaranteed to make the evening a memorable event. Purchase your tickets now!

As part of the event, Nissan and the Motor Press Guild also invite attendees to support the World Harvest Food Bank in its ongoing efforts to help provide food, basic staples, and living essentials to people who are at risk of hunger and to the needy. Simply bring your non-perishable food items to the 2016 MPG Awards and we’ll take care of the rest. (Learn more at www.motorpressguild.org/join-us-nissan-mpg-food-drive/)

About the Motor Press Guild Awards

The Motor Press Guild Awards single out persons demonstrating outstanding achievement in automotive journalism and communications. Judging for each category is conducted by MPG members and non-members appointed by the Chair of the MPG Awards Committee, and a final panel of three judges, including the Chair of the MPG Awards Committee as Head Judge, selects the winner of the Dean Batchelor Award from amongst the category winners. Selected separately by the Motor Press Guild Board of Directors, the Lifetime Achievement Award is presented on a case-by-case basis to individuals for their outstanding contributions to the automotive communications industry.

About the Motor Press Guild

The Los Angeles-based Motor Press Guild (MPG) is the largest automotive media association in North America. This exclusive, non-profit organization is dedicated to upholding the highest ideals in automotive journalism and promoting education and information exchange within the motoring press. For more information, please visit www.motorpressguild.org

CONTACT:

Jason Fogelson

MPG President

jason@motorpressguild.org

Brandy Schaffels

Publicity Chair

818-921-9876

publicity@motorpressguild.org