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The Dean Batchelor Award
Excellence in Automotive Journalism
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—Dean Batchelor.
The Award singles out individuals demonstrating outstanding achievement in the profession of automotive journalism. Each year MPG presents the Dean Batchelor Award 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.
In addition, the Dean Batchelor Lifetime Achievement Award, selected separately by the Motor Press Guild Board of Directors, is presented on a case-by-case basis to individuals for outstanding contributions to the automotive communications industry.
The Dean Batchelor Award was first presented posthumously to Dean Batchelor in 1995 for his seminal book on hot rodding, The American Hot Rod, which was published after his death in 1994.
Deadline for the 2009 Dean Batchelor Award nominations is Tuesday, September 1, 2009, for works first appearing between September 1, 2008, and August 31, 2009.
To view rules, Click Here.
For entry form, Click Here.
The Man
The career of Dean Batchelor spanned many disciplines, from aircraft builder, B-17 flyer, to race car driver and automotive journalist. He was the consummate historian, editor, racer, designer, and hot rodder. Dean's passion for automobiles led him to editing positions at Hop Up and Road & Track magazines. In the late 1970s, Dean began writing such signal books as Ferrari: The Early Berlinettas & Competition Coupes, Ferrari: The Early Spyders & Competition Roadsters, and Ferrari: The Gran Turismo & Competition Berlinettas. He went on to produce a series of other specialty books and buyer's guides. His last book, The American Hot Rod, was published posthumously and, in 1995, received the first Dean Batchelor Award, presented to Dean's widow, Pat.
Whatever he was involved in, Dean did it with style and with the highest ethical and professional standards. From those who worked with and for him, Dean expected the best, and they willingly gave it, knowing he only accepted the best from himself. Of course, Dean's best was difficult for most other people to match.
Following his death in 1994, to honor his memory and contributions to the automobile industry, the Motor Press Guild established the Dean Batchelor Award. The Award singles out persons demonstrating outstanding achievement in automotive journalism and communications. Each year the Motor Press Guild presents the Dean Batchelor Award to the journalist judged to have produced the single piece of work which best represents the professional standards and excellence epitomized by the career and life of Dean Batchelor.
In addition, the Dean Batchelor Lifetime Achievement Award is awarded to individuals on a case-by-case basis and is selected by the MPG Board of Directors for outstanding contributions to the automotive industry.
The Award
Designed by Gene Garfinkle, crafted by John Pyle, and underwritten by the Ford Motor Company, the resin-cast Dean Batchelor Award trophy is a stylized representation of the seminal So-Cal Streamliner race car designed and driven by Dean in 1949.
MPG Best of the Year Awards
As of 2006, the Dean Batchelor Award recipient is selected from among the winners of the MPG Best of the Year Awards in four journalistic disciplines: Articles, Books, Photography, and Audio/Visual. Entries are judged in their respective categories, with the Batchelor Award recipient being chosen by a separate panel of judges from among the four Best of the Year honorees.
It is the goal of the Motor Press Guild, through the Dean Batchelor Award program, to inspire automotive journalists, both present and future, to produce work of the highest professional caliber, and to acknowledge those who exemplify the exceptional standards of Dean Batchelor.
To view rules, Click Here.
For entry form, Click Here.
Winners
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2008 Peter Egan for "Hank's Last Drive," April & May 2008 Road & Track. For more photos of the 2008 event, Click Here |
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2008 MPG Best of the Year Dean Batchelor Award Committee Chair Chuck Koch (far left) presents the four Best of the Year winners (left to right): |
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2007 Bernard Cahier for F-Stops, Pit Stops, Laughter and Tears. Accepting the award for Bernard was publisher Michael Keyser For more photos of the 2007 event, Click Here
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2007 MPG Best of the Year Audio/Visual Category: Ed Justice, Jr., "Interview with Charlie Hughes" January 27, 2007, Road & Track Speed Radio Book Category: Bernard Cahier, F-Stops, Pit Stops, Laughter and Tears Photography Category: Louise Ann Noeth, "Salton Sea Roadster" June 2007 Goodguys Gazette |
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2007 MPG Lifetime Achievement Award: Tom and Ray Magliozzi. also known as Click and Clack, or the Tappet Brothers. Tom and Ray Magliozzi have been informing and delighting audiences on Public Radio for 30 years, most famously, for the last two decades, as Peabody Award-winning hosts of National Public Radio's Car Talk. Tom and Ray Magliozzi are also authors, their most recent books being, In Our Humble Opinion and A Haircut in Horsetown and Other Great Car Talk Puzzlers, published by Penguin Putnam. |
THB.jpg) –photo by Pete Lyons |
2006
Mark Christensen – (on left) for his history of the Southern California hot rod movement as told from the viewpoint of Alex Xydias who started the So-Cal Speed Shop. Alex helped accept this honor for the book, So-Cal Speed Shop |
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–photo by Lorna Lyons |
2006 MPG Best of the Year: |
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2005
Tom Madigan – was honored for this story of the Edelbrock family, Vic senior, Vic junior, their lives and their business. Edelbrock: Made in the USA |
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2005 MPG Lifetime Achievement Award: Robert E. Petersen, founder of Petersen Publishing Co. and a pioneer in the automotive enthusiast magazine industry Matt Stone presented the 2005 award at the 2007 Dean Batchelor Award banquet to the late Robert Petersen's wife, Margie, who graciously agreed to attend the dinner and accept the award. |
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2004
Phil Hill and John Lamm – Hill, a legendary race car driver, the first American F1 World Champion, and automotive writer, and Lamm, a respected automotive photographer and writer, were recognized for their book, Ferrari: A Champion’s View. |
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2003
Robert Genat and Don Cox – Genat (on right), an accomplished author and photographer, and Cox, dry lakes racer and photographer were recognized for their book, The Birth of Hot Rodding. Wally Parks (on left)– Lifetime Achievement Award –founder of the National Hot Rod Association |
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2002
Gordon Kirby – motorsports journalist and author of five auto-racing books, was recognized for his compelling biography, Mario Andretti: A Driving Passion. |
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2001
John Lamm – photographer and writer, Road & Track Editor-at-Large, for the Corvette Stingray Salon feature, Road & Track, June, 2001. |
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2000
Janos L. Wimpffen – automotive historian and author of Time and Two Seats; Five Decades of Long Distance Racing. |
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2000
Shav Glick – Lifetime Achievement Award – motor racing writer, Los Angeles Times, for his extraordinary and enduring work in the field of motor racing. |
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1999
Genevieve Obert – for her book Prince Borghese's Trail. She is also a contributor to European Car magazine. |
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1998
Michael T. Lynch, (left) motor racing historian and writer, William Edgar (right), journalist and award-winning documentary filmmaker, and attorney Ron Parravano (not shown), co-authors of American Sports Car Racing in the 1950s. |
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1998
Denise McCluggage – Lifetime Achievement Award – racer, syndicated columnist, photographer, and author of By Brooks Too Broad for Leaping, American Racing (with Tom Burnside) and other titles, for her extraordinary and enduring work in automotive and motor racing journalism. |
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1997 Tim Considine (left) – author of American Grand Prix Racing; a Century of Drivers & Cars and other titles, Editor-at-Large for European Car magazine, Vintage Racecar Journal, and the CompuServe Motor Racing Forum (RIS). Jesse Alexander (right) – Lifetime Achievement Award – author of 40 Years of Motorsports Photography and other titles, for his extraordinary and enduring work in the field of motor racing. |
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1996
Pete Lyons, for his book CAN-AM. He has written other titles, and is a contributing author to AutoWeek, Car and Driver, Vintage Motorsport, Formula, Autosport, Cycle, Cycle World and Road & Track magazines. |
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1996
Chris Economaki – Lifetime Achievement Award – editor and publisher of National Speed Sport News for his pioneering work in the field of motorsports broadcasting. At left, Chris Economaki interviews Stirling Moss at the 1967 Road America Can-Am. –photo by Pete Lyons/www.petelyons.com |
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1995
Dean Batchelor for his book, The American Hot Rod. The first Dean Batchelor Award, created in honor of the man for which it is named, was posthumously awarded. Co-presenting the award to Dean's widow, Pat, are MPG President Matt Stone (left) and MPG board member Eric Dahlquist (right). |
