Xavier Boucherat wins Autocar-backed journalism prize

Journalism student Xavier Boucherat has been named the inaugural winner of the John Arfon Edwards Memorial Prize, run in conjunction with Autocar.

Boucherat, a student on the MA in Magazine Journalism course at Cardiff University, submitted his winning entry on speed record challenger Danny Thompson.

The Memorial prize was set up by Welsh Motoring Writers in memory of one of the group’s founder members and its first treasurer, John Arfon Edwards, who died in 2014.

The prize includes £1000 cash, a driving day at the Porsche Experience Centre and a two-week work placement with time spent at Autocar, What Car? and Pistonheads.

Tim Holmes, associate director at Cardiff School of Journalism, said: “Xavier is a very deserving winner of the inaugural John Arfon Edwards Memorial Prize.


“He has been an excellent student throughout the MA in Magazine Journalism and his winning feature was a superb piece of writing that got right to the heart of one man's desire and determination to break a speed record.”

Boucherat added: “I'm absolutely thrilled to have won the award. Prior to taking on the motoring module, I knew very little about the motor industry. However, the fact that I was still able to write something worthy of winning demonstrates just how full of intrigue, innovation and human interest the motoring world is.”