Are you aged between 17 and 25 and want to become a motoring writer? Here’s an opportunity not to be missed!
Kim Henson encourages a cause dear to his heart…
I always wanted to write about cars for a living, and in 1974 I heard about, and entered, the Sir William Lyons Award. At that time I had no idea how much it would change the pattern of my life for the better in the coming years. Indeed, although I didn’t win the competition (I was only Runner-up; should have tried harder…) it helped me achieve my dream, and I have been writing about cars full time for the past four decades! So what’s it all about then?
The Sir William Lyons Award, operated by the Guild of Motoring Writers, is an annual writing competition which seeks to find the next generation of automotive journalists. Sponsored by Jaguar Cars, the award is open to anyone aged between 17 and 25 who is not already employed and working as a motoring journalist.
Entries are now invited for the 2018 Award.
The winner receives a cheque for £1,000, a crystal trophy plus one year’s Provisional membership of the Guild of Motoring Writers – these will be presented at the Annual Dinner and Awards Evening on Thursday 29 November 2018 at the Royal Automobile Club, Pall Mall London – the winner will be announced by master of ceremonies, Channel 4’s Formula One commentator Ben Edwards and the award presented by Sir William Lyons’ grandson Michael Quinn.
The award has proved to be an important entry point into the industry for many well-known names. Previous winners include: Tony Dron (Motor, Classic Cars and Daily Telegraph); Michael Le Caplain (production editor Classic Car Weekly); Alistair Weaver (currently vice president of editorial and editor in chief at Edmunds USA); George Barrow (editor Van Adviser); Tim Pollard (digital editor in chief CAR magazine) and current Guild chairman Richard Aucock (managing director at Motoring Research).
To enter this year’s competition candidates will need to write a 500 word story selecting from one of three topics:
What will the premium car of 2030 be like?
What is the most significant piece of emerging automotive technology today?
Who do you think is the greatest British racing driver of all time?
The judges will be looking for an original, well written and researched piece of work that shows an individual style and approach to the chosen subject matter.
Closing date for entries is mid-day Monday 12 November. From the entries, a shortlist of finalists will be selected and invited to attend the Guild’s Annual Dinner when the winner will be announced. All finalists will receive a year’s Provisional Membership of the Guild and their stories will be published on the Guild website.
Full details and an entry form may be obtained by emailing: generalsec@gomw.co.uk.
