AutoTrader's Editor-in-Chief Jodi Lai has been awarded as the Automobile Journalists Association of Canada's (AJAC's) 2022 Journalist of the Year. This award represents the pinnacle of automotive journalism in Canada and is the most esteemed automotive writing award available in the country.
"I'm stunned, but I'm truly so honoured to be recognized among my peers for striving to publish work I'm proud of," Lai says. "My style of storytelling might be unconventional at times for the automotive industry, but I'm thrilled that I managed to make an impact even though there's so much incredible talent in this industry."
The award, which is sponsored by Jaguar Land Rover Canada, was presented at AJAC's 39th annual awards gala in Oshawa, where Lai also won as a runner-up for the Feature Writing Award.
Lai has a Bachelor of Journalism from Toronto Metropolitan University (née Ryerson) and has been working as an automotive journalist for the past 15 years. She joined AutoTrader in 2019.
"I'm the first woman of colour and first Asian person to win this award, and I'm so touched by this distinction. My mind is blown," Lai says.
Here are the other winners for 2022, many of whom we're honoured to feature on AutoTrader:
Journalist of the Year Runner-Up: Stephanie Wallcraft
Lifetime Achievement Award: Norris McDonald
Adventure & Travel Writing Award: Stephanie Wallcraft
Adventure & Travel Writing Award Runner-Up: Jeff Wilson
Automotive Writing Award for Vehicle Testing: Mike Schlee
Automotive Writing Award for Vehicle Testing Runner-Up: Jil McIntosh
Automotive Writing Award for Technical Topic: Lorraine Sommerfeld
Automotive Writing Award for Technical Topic Runner-Up: Graham Heeps
Feature Writing Award: Graham Heeps
Feature Writing Award Runner-Up: Jodi Lai
Video Journalism Award: Kyle Patrick and Mike Schlee
Video Journalism Award Runner-Up: Stephen Elmer and Howard Elmer
Published Photography Award: Evan Williams
Published Photography Award Runner-Up: Russell Purcell
Unpublished Photography Award: Evan Williams
Unpublished Photography Award Runner-Up: Jeff Wilson
Road Safety Journalism Award: Stephanie Wallcraft
Road Safety Journalism Award Runner-Up: Mark Toljagic
Environmental Journalism Award: Perry Lefko
Environmental Journalism Award Runner-Up: Mark Toljagic and Graham Heeps
Business Writing Award: Mark Toljagic
Business Writing Award Runner-Up: Stephanie Wallcraft
