Coventry journalism student wins Sir William Lyons Award 2007

Up-and-coming Coventry journalism student, George Barrow was named winner of the prestigious Jaguar-sponsored 'Sir William Lyons Award 2007' at The Guild of Motoring Writers annual dinner in London's RAC Club last night.

Chosen from hundreds of entries by a panel of industry experts including members of the Guild of Motoring Writers, George joins an elite band of writers for whom the Sir William Lyons Award was the first step to a career in motoring journalism.

John Kendall, Chairman of the Guild of Motoring Writers said: "The list of previous Sir William Lyons winners is a roll call of some of the best motoring writers of the past 40 years. George Barrow impressed the judges with his writing style, interest and enthusiasm, as well as the steps he has already taken to become a motoring writer. He is a deserving winner. I wish him the best of luck as he starts his career and am sure we shall be seeing more of him and his work in the future."

To enter the competition, candidates were required to carry out an interview with an individual who has made an impact in motor sport or the motoring industry and submit a 500 word article from the results. They were also asked to provide a 1,000 word article relating to current challenges facing the motoring industry.

Presented with a cheque for £2,500, winner George Barrow said: "It is truly an honour to win this award for my writing. This will be an enormous boost to my career, and the prestige associated with this award will hopefully lead to many opportunities within the industry."

Jaguar Cars UK Public Relations Manager, Raj Mann said: "We're proud that Jaguar continues to support this award. It's great to see such young talent emerging from our local university in Coventry and I look forward to reading some of George's published work in the future."

For almost four decades the Guild of Motoring Writers, Britain's foremost association of professional automotive journalists and photographers, has run the Sir William Lyon's Award for aspiring young writers.

The Sir William Lyons Award has helped many promising motoring journalists receive recognition within the industry and many have been published in the UK's top motoring magazines, including Top Gear, What Car?, Autocar and Auto Express.