Derek Price, VP Communications | Monday, October 01, 2018 4:35 PM

DALLAS — Automotive journalist David Boldt was named the overall winner in the 2018 Texas Truck Invitational writing competition Thursday at the State Fair of Texas.

The Texas Auto Writers Association (TAWA), which oversees the contest, announced the award winners Thursday during the media preview of the Texas Auto Show. Boldt won for a report published on txGarage.com about electric vehicles titled “Trucks aren't evil and EVs aren't salvation. Let us pray.”

Bill Owney won the Invitational’s newspaper division with a story about the newly redesigned Ram 1500 pickup. In addition to the Invitational, a national contest open to all journalists who cover the truck industry, TAWA announced its Excellence in Craft Competition award winners at the event.

“We’re proud of all the great automotive journalism happening in Texas and beyond,” said Houston broadcaster Michael Marrs, TAWA’s president. “We’re glad we can recognize the high-quality, meaningful content being produced by our members and people who cover tucks and SUVs nationally — an important segment for many American families.”

Katzkin Automotive Leather has supported the contest for a second year, greatly adding to the Texas Truck Invitational writing competition with its contribution of a leather interior for the overall winner. “TAWA members strongly lobbied for the addition of a Video category, and it was added for the 2018 Excellence in Craft Competition,” said Tim Spell, who organized the contests for TAWA. “Participation in the new category was strong and the quality of the entries was high.”

"The credentials of the Video category entrants were at such a high level that a panel of three highly accredited judges were used,” Spell said. “Each have a strong visual arts background and offer different professional experiences in videography, graphic design and photography. Thanks to judges Stan Hulen, Chris Waits and Ivan Galvan for contributing their valuable time and expertise.”

Winners of the PR/Marketing Press Kit category – Ram Truck, Jeep and Mazda PR — were all standout entries. 

Hulen said the first-place Ram 1500 Press Kit was “a one-two knockout combo of a dramatic, informative online microsite and a bold physical package of rugged Ram goodies makes this year’s winning entry memorable. Well-designed and well-executed, this press kit is dynamite.”

The new EICC Radio category judge, Jaime Florez, said the quality level of the entries was high. “I had a wonderful time listening to great pieces from very respectable journalists,” he said.

TEXAS TRUCK INVITATIONAL
NEWSPAPER WRITING
• 1st Place – David Boldt — txGarage.com — "Trucks aren't evil and EVs aren't salvation. Let us pray."
• 2nd Place – William Owney — Texarkana Gazette — "Sprinter van saves the day"
• 3rd Place – Kelly Taylor — Winnipeg Free Press — "Slimmed down and raring to go / New Expedition handles extremely well"

MAGAZINE WRITING
• 1st Place – William Owney – MotorcarsNow — "Ram closes gap with Ford as hybrid meets Hemi"
• 2nd Place – Derek Shiekhi — JK-Forum.com — "Wagonmaster Breathes New Life into Jeep Classics"
• 3rd Place – Natan Tazelaar — Texas Truck Tribe — "1960 USAF Ford F-250 Crew Cab - 3rd Generation Veteran”

OVERALL WINNER— David Boldt

TAWA EXCELLENCE IN CRAFT COMPETITION
WEB DESIGN
• 1st Place – Michael Garfield — iHeartVehicles.com — "Driven with An Opinion"
• 2nd Place – Michael Satterfield — Gentleman Racer — "12 High Performance Driving Schools & Experiences"
• 3rd Place – Sherri Tilley – TheFlashList.com — "5 Reasons Every Girl NEEDS a Rolls-Royce Ghost"
• SPECIAL RECOGNITION – James Nelson — InWheelTime.com — "After all these years, still taming the wild in 4Runner style!"

VIDEO
• 1st Place – Nathan Adlen, Tommy Mica, Andre Smirnov – "Cliffhanger 2.0 in Chevy ZR2, Ford Raptor, and Ram Power Wagon"
• 2nd Place – Michael Garfield — "Rolling in the 2018 Corolla"
• 3rd Place – Sherri Tilley — "Toyota Invests $170 Million at Toyota Motor Manufacturing Plant in Blue Springs, Mississippi"
• SPECIAL RECOGNITION – Greg Riley — "2017 Mazda 6 Grand Touring"
• SPECIAL RECOGNITION – Jesus Garcia — "2018 Ford Mustang GT Review Road Test"

PR/MARKETING PRESS KITS
• 1st Place – David Elshoff/Ram Truck, Ram 1500 Press Kit
• 2nd Place – Jeep, Jeep Wrangler Press Kit
• 3rd Place – Mazda PR, Mazda6 Press kit

RADIO
• 1st Place – Michael Herzing and Matt Perrault — Let’s Talk Wheels — "Mike Herzing's Automotive Tips"
• 2nd Place – Don Armstrong, Mike Marrs and Konrad DeLong — In Wheel Time — "Interview with Antron Brown, Professional Drag Racer"
• 3rd Place – Harold Gunn and Wayne Cronin — The Automotive Reporter — "Interview with Ford Motor Co. Historian Emeritus Bob Kreipke"

NEWSPAPER WRITING
• 1st Place – David Boldt — txGarage.com — "Hyundai Introduces the New Kona — Lucky You"
• 2nd Place – William Owney — Texarkana Gazette — "Sprinter van saves the day"
• 3rd Place – Michael Garfield — Houston Chronicle — "Toyota RAV4 Shows Why It Was Top-Selling Passenger Vehicle Last Year"

MAGAZINE WRITING
• 1st Place – Natan Tazelaar — Motor Car Journal — “Peugeot 907 Concept - French Super Model”
• 2nd Place – Derek Shiekhi – JK-Forum.com — "Wagonmaster Breathes New Life into Jeep Classics"
• 3rd Place – Tabatha Chovanetz — Focus Magazine/The Motor Mistress — "Mazda in Marfa"
• SPECIAL RECOGNITION — Nick Smirnis — Building Savvy Magazine — "Polaris Slingshot-A Toy with Attitude"

PHOTOGRAPHY
• SPECIAL RECOGNITION — Joe Sage — Arizona Driver Magazine — VW Golf GTI White Silver

JUDGE BIOGRAPHIES
Stan Hulen: Web Design, PR Press Kits and Video

Stan is an award-winning Dallas designer with more than 35 years of experience. Starting his career with a journalism degree from University of Missouri, he worked as Art Director for both the Dallas Morning News and Dallas Times Herald until he started his own design firm 25 years ago. Since then, he has served a variety of clients including the State Fair of Texas, Baylor Scott & White Healthcare, Texas Instruments, SMU, Southwest Airlines, and the cities of Frisco and Plano, Texas. 
An avid automotive-design buff, Stan said he’s devoured every car magazine he could get his hands on for the past 50 years.

Christian Alan Waits- M.Photog. Cr (Master Craftsman Degree): Video and Photography

Christian has been a photographer for 45+ Years.

Degrees: Commercial Photography Degree from East Texas State University, with High Honors, Master of Photography, Professional Photographers of America 1992, Craftsman Photographer, Professional Photographers of America 1993, Past President Dallas Professional Photographers Association 1993, Christian holds the degree of Master Craftsman Photographer in Professional Photographers of America. Awards, professional organizations: Christian is a videographer for Dallas summers musicals and has a website where he does video interviews of musical cast. He also does special-effects videos and B-roll for musicals to go with appearances on WFAA TV.

He has been awarded the Kodak Gallery Award for Photographic Excellence, SWPA Best Commercial, SWPA Special Award Best Commercial Product, TPPA Best Overall Commercial, TPPA Best Product, Dallas PPA Best Commercial, Loan Collection Photograph and numerous first-place Distinguished Print Awards and Merits. Christian has lectured at many photography guilds and conventions throughout New Mexico, Louisiana, Oklahoma and Texas. He is Past President Dallas Professional Photographers Association and Charter Fellowship Dallas PPA. Christian is currently the Dallas Summer Musicals photographer.

Ivan Galvan: Video
Ivan is CEO/Founder and Creative Director of DINOR Professional Corp. He’s responsible for the company’s growth, and is hands-on in the design of company’s website, graphic design and video production to promote the company’s products.

Ivan is past graphics design director for the Houston Chronicle’s regular and special automotive sections, as well as Mixed Metal tuner magazine.

His awards include 2006 International Automotive Media Association “Best of Graphics” honor, 2008 46th Houston Advertising Federation Gold ADDY Award and 2009 47th Houston Advertising Federation Gold ADDY Award.

Jaime Florez:Radio
Jaime is in charge of organizing all events attended by Governor Rick Scott in Miami-Dade, Broward, Palm Beach and Monroe, Florida counties, and responsible for all logistics details. He also serves as a translator for Gov. Scott during interviews with Spanish media outlets.

Jaime is director and host of Ruedas ESPN, a two-hour national radio show aired every Sunday on ESPN Deportes Radio (38+ station affiliates throughout the U.S. and Puerto Rico) and XM/Sirius satellite radio, Channel 157.

He is former Manager of Public Relations, Communications and Marketing for the North-American office of Apex-Brasil, the Brazilian government’s Trade and Investment Promotion Agency. His duties included spearheading the IZOD IndyCar Series trade and energy partnership. Jaime also was Publisher, Editorial Director and founder of a network of magazines in Spanish that circulated 650K copies, inserted within the eight largest newspapers.

Steven Cole Smith:Newspaper and Magazine Writing/Texas Truck Invitational

Steven holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Missouri School of Journalism and was a TAWA founding member. He’s formerly the executive editor of Car and Driver and AMI Auto World magazines, and he wrote a weekly column for the New York Times Syndicate for seven years.

He has worked for newspapers in Louisiana, Texas and Florida, and has had bylined stories in hundreds of publications ranging from The Times of London to Forbes magazine to the Financial Times.

He has held NHRA Pro Comp, IMSA, NARRA and SCCA Pro racing licenses. Steven also was the executive producer of Car and Driver Television, and hosted a nationally syndicated motorsports radio program, as well as two weekly local automotive radio shows in Florida.