Esteemed media practitioners, academics among 22nd Henry Ford Awards judges

While many car nuts would kill to have our jobs, being a motoring journalist is no easy feat.

Behind all the new cars and the glamorous press events, the team at AutoFun Philippines digs deeper and thinks more creatively to deliver insightful yet entertaining stories.

Our writers, editors, hosts, photographers and videographers work together to produce content that’s compelling and, of course, fun.

And we do all this for you, our dear audience. 

Nonetheless, Ford Philippines has been recognizing the finest motoring journalists over the last two decades, with the American carmaker announcing its panel of judges for the upcoming 22nd Henry Ford Awards (HFA).

“We are very pleased and excited to be welcoming the members of our judging panel for the HFA this year,” said Ford Philippines and Asia Pacific Distributor Markets communications director EJ Francisco in a February 2023 press statement. 

“They all carry the huge responsibility of selecting this year’s winners and we thank them for accepting the challenge and sharing their expertise to continue the legacy of the HFA,” he added.

AutoFun Philippines Content Head Mikko David and I, who are both previous HFA winners, have entries for this year.

Professors, media practitioners

All HFA entries, including the ones from AutoFun Philippines, will go through a rigorous two-phase judging process.

The first phase will be handled primarily by veteran journalism professors, namely:

• Kara David – Chair, Department of Journalism, University of the Philippines Diliman

• Christian Esguerra – Assistant Professor, Department of Communication and Media Studies, University of Santo Tomas

• Manny Mogato – Lecturer, Department of Communication and Media Studies, University of Santo Tomas and Pulitzer Prize winner

• Severino Sarmenta – Assistant Professor, Department of Communication, Ateneo De Manila University

• Prestoline Suyat – Assistant Professor, Department of Journalism, Polytechnic University of the Philippines 

The entries that survive the first phase will then go to the judges of the second phase, who include:

• Bea Bautista – Philippines Communications Manager, Meta Philippines

• Owen Cammayo – Executive Director, BPI Foundation

• Kenneth Lerona – Head of Public Relations, Home Credit Philippines

• Krisca Tadena – Head of Media Relations and Partnerships, GCash  

Meanwhile, entries for certain categories will also be judged by the following:

• Chrissy Dalusong – Marketing Communications & PR Manager, JTI Philippines

• Dino Ocampo – Executive Creative Director, Ogilvy Group Philippines

• Aaron Palabyab – Professional Film Director and Photographer

• Dix Perez – Professional Photographer and Founder, Penthouse Studios

13 awards up for grabs

The 22nd HFA will have 13 categories, with the winners each receiving a cash prize and a trophy.

These include:

Industry Categories

• Automotive Vehicle Review of the Year (Article)
• Automotive Vehicle Review of the Year (Video)
• Automotive Launch Story of the Year
• Automotive Photograph of the Year
• Automotive Green Feature of the Year
• Automotive Road Safety Feature of the Year
• Automotive Industry Feature of the Year

Ford Categories

• Ford Automotive Feature of the Year
• Ford Automotive Video Feature of the Year

People Categories

• Automotive Editor of the Year
• Automotive Writer of the Year

Team Categories

• Best Broadsheet Motoring Section
• Best Online Automotive Outlet

Ford Philippines has not yet announced the date of the awarding ceremony. 

Just who will emerge as the winners of this year’s Henry Ford Awards? Wish us luck!

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