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The Motor Press Guild gathers each year to recognize the best journalistic works in the automotive industry. December 10th, the MPG held their Dean Batchelor Award Banquet at the Petersen Automotive Museum in L.A.
The MPG honors four categories of automotive journalism: Articles, Audio/Visual, Books and Photography. The winners in each category are awarded the Motor Press Guild Best of the Year Award.
The four Best of the Year category winners are then judged against each other with the best-of-the-best being crowned the overall winner of the Dean Batchelor Award for Excellence in Automotive Journalism.
We are thrilled to share this year's winners with you.
Gayle & Peter Brock
BRE
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| Book of the Year
Brock wins the category... but there's more
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 The Motor Press Guild awarded the Best of the Year in the Book category to Peter Brock's "Corvette Sting Ray: Genesis of an American Icon" with some of the judges' comments being;
"... a real page turner... The characterization of people like Bill Mitchell were spot on."
"Picture selection and illustration were perfect."
But there's more... be sure to see who won the Best of all Automotive Journalism Award below!
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| A Comprehensive Line-up
The three other category winners were...
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In the Audio/Visual category; "Where they raced: Speed Demons in the City of Angels" by Harold Osmer and Harry Pallenberg.
In the Photography category; "Out of Time" by Bob Chapman as seen in Porsche Panorama magazine.
In the Articles category; "GM'S Road not Taken" by Robert Cumberford as seen in Automobile Magazine.
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| Dean Batchelor Award
The Overall Best of the Year is announced
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 | | An appreciative and emotional Peter Brock accepts the MPG's highest honor |
The four Best of the Year category award winners were then judged against each other for the overall winner of the Dean Batchelor Award for Excellence in Automotive Journalism.
Head Judge, Jason Fogelson, explained the process of deciding between four works in different disciplines as a challenge. "How can you compare a book to a photograph, or an article to an audio/visual work? We decided to go back to the source, and try to channel our inner Dean Batchelor. We took the word 'excellence' very seriously, and applied it rigorously to each of the four MPG Best of the Year category winners."
"In the end, the decision was much easier than the process. When we compared notes, each of us had ranked the same work as our choice for the award. Though we admired all four MPG Best of the Year winners, one work clearly stood out for us."
"The Dean Batchelor Award for Excellence in Automotive Journalism is awarded to Corvette Sting Ray: Genesis of an American Icon by Peter Brock".
We were shocked! Sure, we think it's a great book but to be considered the best automotive piece for the entire year and receive the industry's highest recognition with the Dean Batchelor Award was beyond our wildest dreams.
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In Closing
We would like to thank the Guild for this wonderful honor along with all the people at GM who generously provided access to their archive images and Ed Welburn, GM's VP of Global Design, not only for his support for this project but his eloquently written Foreword which affirmed the importance of the 1963 Corvette Sting Ray and how automobiles and good design can affect our lives.
We want to emphasize that this book was entirely Made in the USA. The book can be found at brick and mortar automotive bookstores such as AutoBooks in Burbank, CA and Pasteiners in Birmingham, MI, specialty Corvette websites such as Corvette Central and the National Corvette Restorers Society or from BRE here, ebay.com or amazon.com.
To celebrate, from now through the end of the year, Brock will autograph any book, upon request, that is ordered here. Just reply to the order receipt you'll receive in e-mail that you would like it signed.
Happy Holidays everyone!
Gayle & Peter Brock
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| P.S.
Brock to be featured on Jay Leno's Book Club
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 Seen here on December 6th, Peter Brock and Jay Leno will talk about Brock's award winning book, to air in January '14. We'll share the date on our peter brock designs facebook page here when we know it. |
