Home » Publications Articles » The Star Magazine Wins Two Gold Medals
In International Automotive Media Awards (IAMA) Competition
Mercedes Authority Karl Ludvigsen Also Presented IAMA Life Achievement Award
The Star Magazine Wins Two Gold Medals
In International Automotive Media Awards (IAMA) Competition
Mercedes Authority Karl Ludvigsen Also Presented IAMA Life Achievement Award
The Star, the official magazine of the Mercedes-Benz Club of America, has won two gold medals as part of the 17th International Automotive Media Awards (IAMA), considered by many to be the Academy Awards of automotive media.
/Publications PR News/ - Colorado Springs, CO, September 20, 2008 - The Star, the official magazine of the Mercedes-Benz Club of America, has won two gold medals as part of the 17th International Automotive Media Awards (IAMA), considered by many to be the Academy Awards of automotive media.
Additionally, Karl Ludvigsen, a frequent past contributor to The Star and a world-renowned automotive historian and expert on Mercedes-Benz, was presented with the 10th IAMA Lifetime Achievement Award. Another individual who frequently contributed to The Star in the past, the late Beverly Rae Kimes, won the IAMA Lifetime Achievement Award in 2005.
Elaine C. Haessner, IAMA Executive Director, presented the awards during a ceremony at the Automotive Hall of Fame in Dearborn, Michigan. The IAMA are an annual program to recognize and encourage excellence in all forms of automotive journalism. Judging is done by peers in journalism and broadcasting to a pre-set standard, and entries may earn up to 100 points. Bronze medallions and Silver medallions are presented to those works that receive 85-91 points and 92-96 points, respectively, during judging. Gold medallion plaques, the highest level, are presented to those entries that score between 97 and 100 points during the same judging.
Each work is judged on its own merits, against a scale. Entries must meet a minimum standard to qualify for an award. If no entry in a category meets the minimum standard, no award is given. Thus some categories might have multiple winners of the same award while other categories might not have a winner despite entries being present. Entering does not mean that a work will be presented with an award, or even receive recognition for entering.
The Star's first award was for best single issue in the category of magazines with distribution between 20,000 and 100,000 copies. The July/August 2007 issue of The Star was recognized as a 2007 Gold Award winner; no other Gold Awards were presented in this category.
"In 2006," said Jim Luikens, Editor of The Star, "the Board of Directors of the Mercedes-Benz Club of America developed a new plan for the production of the club's crown jewel, The Star magazine. They recognized that The Star was a valuable tool that could be used to spread information, recruit new members, share the news and background of club members, and educate members about the long and proud history of the world's oldest automobile manufacturer. The Board also committed the resources needed to achieve those goals, choosing a new, all-color format with perfect binding and authorizing me to build a team with some of the best automotive writers and production staff in the world. I think this award validates the wisdom of their decision in the strongest possible way. I am proud to be a part of the team that won an IAMA Gold Award in the first year that it was eligible."
The magazine received its second 2007 Gold Award for John Chuhran's feature article "Scandal and Feud Rocks McLaren Mercedes" that appeared in the November/December 2007 issue of The Star.
"It is always gratifying to be recognized by one's peers for having written well and I thank them for this honor," said Chuhran, who has written about all forms of motor sports since 1978. "Those involved with The Star took a risk in permitting me to tell a story of unpleasant truth and I think our readership benefited. I am grateful to Editor Jim Luikens - he gave me the space necessary to tell a complex tale, and he also wisely tightened my text to keep the main issues clear. Publisher David Cummings deserves special thanks for having the courage to publish a story with a possible negative tone. I think everyone involved with The Star believes that Mercedes-Benz has great integrity, but poor judgment by employees of a partner company needed to be told. Our readers are intelligent enough to want to read the truth, and David's commitment to honesty gives The Star great credibility that makes it stand apart from many other enthusiast publications."
Cummings, Executive Director of the Mercedes-Benz Club of America—the largest Mercedes-Benz enthusiast organization in the world—and Publisher of The Star, viewed the two Gold Medals as symbols of the high standards established by the organization.
"We are thrilled to receive this recognition of excellence," Cummings said. "For years, The Star has been a key part of what draws Mercedes-Benz owners to join the club. I have long felt that The Star rivals the major automotive magazines in content and photography, and that it provides greater substance to Mercedes-Benz enthusiasts. In fact, while the benefits of MBCA membership are numerous, many members feel that just receiving The Star every other month makes our $45 annual dues a terrific value."
As a point of reference, only Automobile (seven Gold Awards), AutoWeek (four), Automobile Quarterly (three), and Vintage Motorsport (three) earned more 2008 IAMA Gold Medals than The Star among consumer automobile magazines, and some of those have significantly larger distribution and budgets.
The IAMA is administered, produced by, and is a property of The International Society for Vehicle Preservation, a non-profit 501(c) (3) educational organization based in Tucson, AZ. To maintain its journalistic integrity the IAMA accepts no sponsorship.
About Mercedes-Benz Club of America
With its national headquarters in Colorado Springs, Colorado, MBCA counts over 20,000 members and is the largest Mercedes-Benz enthusiast organization in the world. More than 80 local sections range in size from about 50 to more than 1,600 members. Regional and local section events include defensive driving and track driving schools, autocross and track competition, on-road rallies, concours-type car shows, and a wide variety of social events. Although the Mercedes-Benz Club of America is not an affiliate of Mercedes-Benz USA, the club does enjoy the unique position of being sanctioned by MBUSA. For more information, including a membership application, go to www.mbca.org or call 800-637-2360.
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Jim Luikens
Mercedes-Benz Club of America
Editor
5489 32nd Avenue
Hudsonville, MI
United States 49426
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