Entries open for 2023 Guild Awards

Entries are now open for the 2023 Guild of Motoring Writers Awards, with the winners set to be presented with their awards during a black-tie dinner held at the Royal Automobile Club in December.

The period for submitting entries will last until midnight on Friday 30th September and, following judging, finalists will be announced in November. Work published between 1st October 2022 and 30th September 2023 will be eligible for consideration.

The awards presentation will be held at its traditional home of the Royal Automobile Club on 7th December, during the Guild’s Annual Dinner, which always features leading figures in automotive journalism and the industry.

With the exception of the RAC EV Journalist of the Year, Guild judges will select from up to three submissions per entry, with the best single piece of work from three entrants selected to make up the finalists of each category. Please note RAC EV Journalist of the Year entrants are limited to just one submission.

Books only are eligible to be entered into the Suzuki Award for the Montagu of Beaulieu Trophy. The closing date for entries is Monday, 2nd October 2023. An individual piece of material (such as a story or feature) can only be submitted into one category.

The awards are listed in detail below – regular entrants will notice that this list does not currently include the Photographic Awards or the Business Publication Award, for which sponsorship is still being sought. Guild Chair Simon Harris commented; “We are extremely appreciative of all the companies that have sponsored our 2023 awards, and it’s gratifying that they recognise the importance of these prestigious accolades as high points in the careers of the winners.

“Sadly, it is not possible for awards to run without sponsorship, and we are working tirelessly to ensure we can secure backing for the Photographic Awards and Business Publication Award in 2023.

“There is a huge breadth of talent among automotive photographers, and the judges are presented with an extremely difficult task each year in selecting the winners. Likewise, business publications contain some of the highest quality automotive journalism, with unrivalled knowledge and expertise in the various elements of the car industry that support manufacturers in their quests for sales.

“We hope to secure sponsorship for these awards very soon, as it’s vital that the best in these sectors are also allowed their chance to shine.” 

Full details on all the award categories, prize money and an entry form are on the Guild Awards page of the website.

Candidates are advised to read the online instructions carefully before entering. If you have any questions about the entry procedure contact Honorary Secretary, Richard Netherwood.

The awards categories and criteria are as follows:

AA Campaigning for Motoring Award
Open to Guild members only
£500 plus trophy

This award merges the AA’s previous Campaigning Journalism and Safety awards. The scope of this category is wide and entries should focus on how their writing advances campaigns that impact motorists.

From road safety to electric vehicles, or roads maintenance to environmental issues, we want to see examples of how entrants have built and delivered their case to improve the lives of all road users. The judges will be looking for a piece of writing that provokes, challenges or encourages real change among authorities, car makers and road-users in general.

Judges are also looking for writing that shows depth of passion and commitment to improve the roads for all regardless of whether they are inside or outside a vehicle.

BCA Feature Writer of the Year
Open to Guild members only
£500 plus trophy

For the best general feature (not regular column) dealing with any aspect of the motoring scene by a Guild member. The judges are looking for a feature that takes a fresh or novel approach to a topic and one which demonstrates well-researched material that is both entertaining and informative. Candidates are required to enter just one feature for consideration.

Bentley Editor of the Year
Open to Guild members only
£500 plus trophy

First presented in 2010 this award goes to the editor who demonstrates they have balanced the demands of publishers and readers while nurturing journalistic talent and successfully making the critical decisions that turn a good publication into a great one. 

The judges are looking for strong leadership, innovations in the approach to editing and a keen understanding of the target audience and their requirements as well as supporting the development of their staff.

Footman James Classic Writer of the Year
Open to Guild members only
£500 plus trophy

Presented to the journalist offering the best example of an article or feature (but not books) reporting on the world of classic vehicles of any age. Entries should demonstrate an extensive knowledge of the subject and an interest in promoting the cause of classic motoring, whether it be cars, motorcycles or commercial vehicles. 

The judges will be looking for material which shows a genuine enthusiasm for the subject and that is both engaging and informative for the reader.

Genesis Award for Automotive Technology Journalism
Open to Guild members only
£500 plus trophy

Recognising engineering excellence for technical audiences, the judges are looking for an ability to write features that are valued by specialists in the subject, yet which are also interesting and easily accessible to non-specialists.

Iveco Industrial Commercial Vehicle Writer of the Year
Open to Guild members only
£500 plus trophy

This award is presented for features that best represent the world of commercial vehicles. These can either be on the latest innovations in vehicle technology or innovative use of commercial vehicles in day-to-day business. The judges are looking for a fresh and interesting approach to the subject.

Sue Baker Journalist of the Year sponsored by loop
Open to members and non-members
£500 plus trophy

This flagship award is supported by loop, a specialist automotive PR and communications agency. In 2019 a new format was introduced making this an award for the ‘best of the best’ – the judging panel reviews the entries of all the category winners to select the most outstanding performer.

Prodrive Motorsport Cup
Open to Guild members only
£500 plus trophy

The award recognises an outstanding achievement by a Guild member in the world of motorsport either writing about or competing in motorsport at any level.

Prova PR Business Writer of the Year
Open to Guild members only
£500 plus trophy

This award recognises excellence among Guild members who work in business media, both print and online. Judges will be looking for clarity of writing and well-researched articles that help readers understand the complexities of the business side of the UK auto industry from a retail, fleet or manufacturing perspective.

RAC EV Journalist of the Year
Open to Guild members only
£500 plus trophy

For the most outstanding example of electric vehicle (EV) journalism by a Guild member. Entrants are asked to submit just one article for this award. The judges will be looking for an informative, innovative and entertaining article related to the use of EVs.

We classify an EV as a vehicle where power to the wheels is provided by one or more electric motors, using electricity generated on or off the vehicle.

Suzuki Award for the Montagu of Beaulieu Trophy
Open to Guild members and non-members
1st £500 and two years’ free Guild membership
2nd £200 and one year’s free Guild membership
3rd £100 and one year’s free Guild membership

This award, open to Guild and non-Guild members, is presented to the person judged to have made the greatest contribution to recording, in the English language, the history of motoring or motorcycling in books.

GOMW MICA Young PR Professional of the Year Award sponsored by Meridian Audio

Open to those under 30, the award looks for the best examples of performance, professionalism and practice in automotive PR. 

As well as the above awards there will also be presentations for the Driver of the Year, Rider of the Year, Outstanding Achievement in Motorsport, The Guild of Motoring Writers’ Special Commendation sponsored by Kia, the Pemberton Trophy and the President’s Trophy.

Save the date for Bring Your Own Vehicle Day 2023

Microcars and the story of British vehicles will be the theme for this year’s Guild Bring Your Own Vehicle Day, which will be held on Saturday 7th October. 

The annual event, which sees members using their own cars to stop off at sites of automotive interest and enjoying a scenic drive in between, will start at the Bubblecar Museum, near Boston, Lincolnshire, and, following a tour, drive to the Great British Car Journey in Derbyshire. 

The plan is to arrive at the Great British Car Journey in time for lunch, while members will also hear from Richard Usher, the museum’s CEO. 

Members interested in attending are asked to save the date, and request a booking form from Guild Chair Simon Harris.

Estimated price is £20 per person, with exact details to be confirmed soon. 

Guild link but badge mystery remains

When Guild General Secretary Melissa Chadderton forwarded to News Briefs editor Andrew Charman a letter from Thomas O’Connor, seeking help tracing the provenance of a badge in his possession, both of us thought it looked oddly familiar but couldn’t recall where we’d seen it before.

Where became obvious as soon as we published the story in the 5th August edition of News Briefs – it adorns the front of the Guild’s Driver of the Year trophy!

The badge can clearly be seen in the picture above from the 2018 awards, recipient Billy Monger with then Guild Chair Richard Aucock and the late Paddy Hopkirk.

However the mystery of where the badge originally came from remains unsolved. While we can’t be sure how long it has been on the Guild trophy it goes back a long way – committee member Andrew Noakes forwarded a link to a picture of Juan-Manuel Fangio receiving the same trophy in 1957 together with a theory that perhaps the winner was once given a medallion in the same style to keep.

Immediately after the presentation evening the original trophy goes straight back into its display cabinet, today housed at the National Motor Museum.

Adding credence to this theory is the Guild’s former Hon Secretary Chris Adamson, who recalled that a batch of replicas of the large trophy using the badge design were made for the Guild, he thinks by Bentley, and presented to the Driver of the Year to keep each year until we ran out of them.

“(I have) no idea where the original design for the trophy came from, it was well before my time and if smaller versions were made, it could be the smaller badge was the inspiration for the main trophy,” Chris added. So the mystery continues…  

Official: Guild member Ray Massey is Daily Mail’s longest-serving motoring editor

Guild member and Daily Mail motoring editor Ray Massey, who has been covering the motor industry for the title for nearly three decades, has now officially been confirmed as the newspaper’s longest serving motoring correspondent since the Mail itself was founded in 1896.

Ray took over the Daily Mail motoring role in 1995, after five years as the newspaper’s education correspondent, combining the role between 2000 and 2015 with rail and aviation when he was transport editor.

He succeeded his immediate predecessor Michael Kemp (who held the post at the Mail from 1971) in a line of illustrious correspondents going back to 1896 whose number included (in the 1930s) land speed record holder Sir Malcolm Campbell.

Ray said: “The Daily Mail was launched in 1896, at the very dawn of the original motoring revolution, and has been a champion of the motorist ever since.

“It’s my privilege to be reporting on the key issues facing drivers, families and consumers today as we enter a new 21st century mobility revolution – the drive to electrification – along with all the benefits and challenges that this presents, not least the shortage of charging points and the seemingly endless war on the motorist by some of those in power.

“And rest assured, despite a lifetime of motoring up to this point, there’s still plenty of tread left on my tyres for many miles more to come.”

The roll call of Mail motoring correspondents includes several Guild members, including 1954 chair Courtenay Edwards.

Mail motoring correspondents through the decades

  • Major C.G. Matson: 1905 to 1907
  • John Prioleau: 1911 ­to circa 1920-22
  • Jack Frost: 1931
  • Roger Fuller: 1932
  • Sir Malcolm Campbell, Motoring Editor:  September 4, 1931 to circa 1937
  • W.A. McKenzie: circa 1936 to 1940 and 1945 to 1947
  • F.J.C. Pignon: 1940 to 1944
  • Courtenay Edwards: 1948 to 1960
  • Denis Holmes: 1960 to 1967
  • Brian Groves: 1968 to 1971
  • Michael Kemp: 1971 to 1995 
  • Ray Massey: 1995 –

Entries open for 2023 Guild Classic

Entries are open for the 2023 Guild Classic, which will take on the splendid roads around the spectacular scenery of North Wales.

Base for the event, running from Friday 15th to Monday 18th September, will be the Lake Vyrnwy Hotel, near Llanwddyn, and participants will have a variety of activities available over the weekend.

Participants will enter their classic cars in the event, and are encouraged to take part as couples, to aid with navigation. Prices for entries are expected to range from £650 to £750 for the weekend, depending on the room type specified at the hotel.

The proposed itinerary begins on Friday 15th with a free run to Lake Vyrnwy hotel with dinner at the hotel and a whisky tasting and seminar.

Saturday 16th offers two options. Option one is a challenging day’s run of around 180 miles and should only be considered by drivers of cars with adequate performance. It comprises a drive to Anglesey Circuit (approx. 76 miles, 2.5 hours), where there will be a welcome by the circuit manager and setting out of circuit’s planned future, lunchtime driving on the circuit by Guild Classic members with a photoshoot and a self-pay paddock lunch. Members will then leave at their leisure to drive to Tyn Y Cornel (78 miles, 2 hours) for rendezvous with Option Two drivers and a meet with the Lancia Club (details below)

Option two involves a tour of some of Eryri’s (Snowdonia’s) most beautiful mountain scenery and picturesque towns, villages and coastal areas. (A number of local attraction options will be presented for your perusal). Members will then rendezvous with the Option One drivers at Tyn Y Cornel for a meet with the Lancia Delta Integrale Club, a champagne reception and steam cruiser rides on the lake.

Both groups will then return to the Lake Vyrnwy hotel for an informal barbecue.

Sunday 17th will see a Mountain Valley drive to taking in two stops including Bala lake. There will be further scenic mountains, a valleys drive to Betws-y-Coed and its Waterloo Hotel car park for a self-pay lunch at one of Betws’s many fine restaurants and cafes. The afternoon will see an Eryri mountain tour to Llanberis for coffee, a scenic route to Beddgelert village and return to Lake Vyrnwy hotel and a Gala farewell dinner before guests depart at their leisure after breakfast on Monday.

To reserve a place on the event, contact organiser John Griffiths for an entry form. Participants will then need to pay a deposit of £200 into the Guild bank account (mark the payment ‘classic’ if possible) with the remainder being paid a month before the event.

Get a unique souvenir of Le Mans 2023

#24forLM24 is back for the BIG one, says Guild member, photographer and artist Jayson Fong.

“For the duration of the 24hrs of Le Mans I’ll be once again staying up with a livestream, creating a unique artwork every hour, depicting the race as it happens,” said Jayson.

“As in previous editions, all artworks will be for sale  on a ‘first come, first serve’ basis (but be quick to secure one, they go fast!).

“This year, I’m very happy to say that £25.00 of each sale will be going to @racingdementia – Race Against Dementia is a global charity, founded by Sir Jackie Stewart, OBE, to fund pioneering research into the prevention and cure of dementia.

“Wishing you all a very happy 100th Le Mans!”

Be sure to let us know if you buy one of Jayson’s unique artworks!

Guild AGM 2023 to be held at Studio434 on 27 June

The 78th Guild of Motoring Writers’ Annual General Meeting will be held at Studio434, Potters Bar, Hertfordshire on Tuesday 27 June, 2023.

Studio434 is home to the car collection of long-time Guild supporter Rodger Dudding. Divided into two buildings, it is one of the most extensive privately-owned car collections in the UK – and the 2023 Guild AGM will be held in the all-new Studio434/2 purpose-built events space. 

The event will be held with the support of Kia. 

Detailed timings will follow: it is anticipated we will start at 10am for tea, coffee and breakfast, ahead of the AGM commencing at 11am. 

Guests will be able to spend time touring the extensive Studio434 collection after the AGM, and there will also be product presentations and a news update from Kia. 

Nominations are being sought from full members for vacancies on the committee. Anyone wishing to stand should send – to the general secretary – a written letter of nomination confirming their willingness to serve, along with a written proposal signed by another full GOMW member. 

Full details, including changes made at the 2022 Guild AGM around Chair and Vice-Chair nominations and re-election, can be found in the Guild Rules.

Any resolutions to be put to the meeting should be forwarded to the general secretary.

If you wish to attend, please email General Secretary Melissa Chadderton. Please state if you have any dietary requirements.

Cut-off date for entries is Friday 16 June, 2023.

Big fun had at Big Day Out 2023

Castle Combe Circuit in Wiltshire was again the venue on Wednesday 26th April for one of the Guild’s most popular events of the year, the ‘Big Day Out’ which allows members to take on the fast and challenging race track in their own cars.

The day, which again proved a big success, was organised by Guild committee member John Griffiths and again kindly sponsored by long-time friends of the Guild Suzuki, who along with Honda brought along some cars for members to try on the local roads when they weren’t on the track. 

The close to 60 different cars that were put to the test on the circuit were certainly eclectic, varying from current models from the likes of BMW, Jaguar and particularly Mazda MX-5s to a host of period race cars – plucky member Kim Henson even circulated in his 1938 Standard Flying 14.

Perhaps bravest of all, however, was member Tom Scanlon, with his huge 1979-built Mercury Cougar – at the start of the day marshals warned members of the tight entry into the paddock, suggesting some drivers would need three-point turns, “or that Mercury an eight-point turn…”

Sadly the Cougar cried enough early on with a failed fuel pump, but not before Tom suggested he had set a new record; “In my 15-minute session I was lapped twice, by a Citroën C1…” He then made use of the Guild’s new benefit partner, Start Rescue, to recover the car to his home, later commenting; “Very happy with Start Rescue, from first contact on the phone to the finish.”  

Following the day’s action attendees were treated to afternoon tea, again kindly provided by our President Nick Mason at his home close to the circuit. As a thank-you Nick was presented with a photo from the archives of resident photographer Jeff Bloxham, showing our President competing in a Dorset Lola at the 1980 Le Mans 24 Hours, in which he finished 22nd overall and third in class.  

Guild Chairman Richard Aucock described the event as “a wonderful Guild tradition”, commenting; “I’m delighted once again Suzuki was our headline sponsor – Alun and Adrian help make it happen, and it’s great we all get to spend the day with them, driving their cars when not out on track. 

“This year, it was exciting to have Honda at the event too, with a very vivid new Civic Type R. Castle Combe, as always, did us proud, and the tireless organisational work by John Griffiths paid off in delivering a fantastically successful event. 

“Tea at Guild president Nick’s was the icing on the (delicious) cake – and the presentation of the print arranged by vice chair Simon Harris was the perfect way to end the day.” 

Your Editor, a keen observer at his first BDO, will now be searching avidly for a suitable car to get on track at next year’s event – if not the family Suzuki Ignis will get a workout like it’s never had…

All photos: Jeff Bloxham

Guild members: update your online profile!

As work continues on building the functionality of the new Guild website (writes Guild Chair Richard Aucock), members are being encouraged to visit their member profiles and update their contact details, website information, Twitter and LinkedIn details plus to fill out the cuttings panels with online links to their latest work.

This will help enhance the discoverability of members, both on the new site itself, and within Google. Further building the authority of the Guild website is a key focus for the new site, and as it develops, so members will benefit from improved discoverability in Google Search.

As the new website will also now link directly with production of the Year Book, this will help streamline the process for future editions.

“There’s a real benefit to members fully populating their online Guild profiles,” says Richard. “By being a member of the Guild, motoring media will enjoy enhanced and growing discoverability online, which can only help further enhance their professional credentials.

“This, I hope, will prove increasingly useful as more searches are carried out via mobile devices, rather than simply on desktop.”

The Guild will continue its careful and structured work to further flesh out the potential of the new website in the coming months. If there’s anything you think we should include, do let us know!

Meanwhile if you are on LinkedIn, be sure to follow the Guild here too.

Students publish automotive magazine

Students on the Guild-supported Masters degree course in Automotive Journalism at Coventry University have published their own car magazine as part of their course work.

“This year the students have concentrated on generating as much as possible themselves,” says course director and Guild member Andrew Noakes. “All the words are theirs, they’ve originated their own story ideas, created all the page layouts from scratch, and shot the vast majority of the images themselves after securing access to events and loans of press cars.”

The six students have produced a 40-page magazine with wide-ranging content including road tests of the Citroën Ami and Hyundai Ioniq 6, an in-depth look at PHEVs, F1 World Champion Sebastian Vettel’s comments on the Race of Champions and sustainability, a behind-the-scenes analysis of the success of the Bremen classic car show and much more.

The Automotive Journalism MA course, the only one of its kind in the world, was established in 2004 at the urging of Guild member Steve Cropley, who remains closely involved as a visiting professor. Of the 120 graduates of the course since then around 90 per cent have gone into automotive media or motor industry jobs – an extraordinary success rate in such a competitive field.

Some notable graduates include Guild members James Taylor and Joe Breeze, Top Gear magazine editor Jack Rix and sub-editor Sam Burnett, Youtuber Alex Kersten and motor industry PRs Sophie Middleton (Cosworth), Mark Griffiths (Hyundai), John O’Brien (Honda) and David Kirby (loop).

The digital edition of the magazine can be read here and previous student magazines are also free to read here. 

More details of the automotive journalism course are available here.