Motorsport UK is delighted to announce that Luke Smith and Stephen Fisher have won its Young Journalist and Photographer of the Year awards, respectively.

Established in 2002, the award has provided a springboard for many of the industry’s leading professionals in the fields of journalism, photography, marketing and communications.

Both Luke and Stephen were at the forefront of motorsport journalism and photography throughout 2021. Luke produced extensive coverage of Formula 1 for Autosport with Stephen covering high profile championships for Jakob Ebrey Photography.

Both Luke and Stephen will be recognised at Motorsport UK’s Night of Champions, held at the Royal Automobile Club in Pall Mall, London on Saturday 22 January.

Alongside the recognition of the esteemed awards, the pair will receive a Motorsport UK trophy, a cheque of £1,000 to further their careers and a year’s provisional membership of the Guild of Motoring Writers (GoMW), the world’s largest association of automotive editorial professionals.

Luke, aged 26 from London, is fast approaching his two-year anniversary as an integral part of Autosport’s coverage of the Formula 1 World Championship. The judges, which included many leading motorsport communications and journalist professionals, were impressed by Luke’s handling of an exciting season in 2021, and felt his well-researched stories obtained in the heart of the F1 paddock kept Autosport’s readers informed and entertained.

On receiving the award, Luke commented: “I am over the moon to have been named Motorsport UK’s Young Journalist of the Year, and I think it will take some time to sink in! 2021 was an unforgettable year for Formula 1.

“It was a true privilege to play a part in telling the story of the season, as well as shining a light on important topics off-track within our industry. I am hugely grateful to the judges for their recognition of my work. It is an honour to join a list featuring so many great names within motorsport journalism.

“I would like give thanks to everyone at Autosport for their continued support and the platform from which to tell the stories at the heart of our sport, and to thank Motorsport UK for its support of journalism within the industry.”

Stephen, aged 24 from Banbury, Oxfordshire, is in his second year as a full-time photographer at one of the UK’s largest motorsport photography agencies, Jakob Ebrey Photography.

Covering an impressive array of national disciplines, Stephen – who was highly-commended in the category in 2020 – impressed the judging panel in 2021 with photos that perfectly captured both the action and atmosphere from some of the nation’s headline championships, including British GT, British F4 and the British Touring Car Championship.

Stephen said: “I am thrilled to win the Motorsport UK Young Photographer of the Year award.

“I’m not quite sure if it has sunk in yet! This is a huge milestone for me as I join a list of past winners who I still look up to and take inspiration from.

“Thank you to Motorsport UK and the judges for this award and the opportunities you have created. Also, a massive thank you to my lecturers at the University of Central Lancashire and to Jakob Ebrey for the tutoring that has got me to this point.”