Driving.ca auto writers were highlighted at the Automobile Journalists Association of Canada’s annual awards on Oct. 22 in Mono, Ontario.
The ceremony, Canada’s largest gathering of automotive critics, also selects the year’s top vehicles, though those results will be announced later.
Organizers presented 12 awards across categories such as technical article, video, road safety, environment, economy and adventure writing.
Top honor goes to Clayton Seams
Clayton Seams, Driving’s online editor, received the Canadian Automotive Journalist of the Year award, the 43rd edition of the prize.
The award was handed on behalf of Jaguar Land Rover Canada by director of marketing and public relations Taylor Hoel, who said the judges praised Seams’ “incredible enthusiasm and passion as well as technical understanding.”
Seams earned the accolade for a road-trip chronicle to the Magdalen Islands in a Chevrolet Equinox EV, a historical retrospective on the Bricklin SV-1, and video essays posted on his personal YouTube channel.
Runner-up and other top contributors
Long-time Driving contributor Elle Alder was the runner-up for the top prize, recognized for a technical deep dive into Mazda’s carbon-capture technology, a rundown of Project Arrow, and a comparison of the Toyota RAV4 Woodland with the Honda CR-V Hybrid Trailsport.
Alder also captured the Subaru-sponsored award for Best Feature Article with her interview of Alois Ruf.
Although she did not win the headline award, Stephanie Wallcraft collected the most podium appearances, securing the Adventure and Travel Journalism Award from Mitsubishi Motors Canada for a Subaru Forester Hybrid road-trip story to the Magdalen Islands.
The same story earned Wallcraft a runner-up spot for Best Feature Article.
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Wallcraft also took the Environmental Journalism Award from Hyundai Canada for explaining the NRCan fuel-consumption guide, and she was runner-up in the Diversity, Equity & Inclusion category presented by Genesis Motors Canada for her piece on women racers in the 2026 Dakar Rally.
Driving.ca dominates the ceremony
In total, more than half of the honors – roughly 16 – went to writers affiliated with Driving.ca.
The top honor marks the third consecutive year a Driving writer has been named Canadian Automotive Journalist of the Year, following Jil McIntosh in 2025 and Wallcraft in 2024.
Driving’s Nadine Filion received two honourable mentions and won the Automotive Business Writing Award from Kal Tire for a feature on obtaining a $5,000 federal EV rebate for an ineligible model.
Staff writer Matthew Guy captured the Road Safety Journalism Award from Volvo Car Canada for a review of Nokian’s winter tires that auto-retract studs.
Regular contributor Peter Bleakney earned the Automotive Vehicle Writing Review Award from Stellantis for his detailed analysis of the new Audi RS5.
Seams was runner-up in the same category for his test of the Aston Martin Vanquish Volante V12.
Occasional writer Sami Haj-Assaad secured the runner-up nomination in the Automotive Writing Technical Topics Award presented by AJAC.
Contributor Jeff Wilson took the runner-up spot for the Adventure and Travel Journalism Award.
All of the award-winning articles and photographs are available on Driving.ca, alongside contributions from other veteran automotive experts.
