Whether you’re a new Mercedes owner or a lifelong Mercedes-Benz enthusiast, owning a Mercedes-Benz immediately makes you part of an incredibly diverse community of drivers – drivers that irrespective of their backgrounds, all share a similar passion for engineering excellence, style, performance and safety.

And it doesn’t matter who you are or where you’re from, there’s no better way to become part of the Mercedes-Benz community than by becoming a member of the Mercedes-Benz Club of America (or more succinctly, the MBCA).

Founded in 1956, the MBCA is the largest Mercedes-Benz enthusiast organization in the world, with nearly 30,000 members in the U.S., Canada and abroad. Its goal: to educate, entertain and empower Members with 24/7 technical advice; to bring together a global network of brand enthusiasts; to provide unmatched product and service discounts as well as professional driver-training programs.

Why am I telling you this?  It’s simple: because whether you’re an owner of the Mercedes brand or are thinking about becoming one, you absolutely have to become a member of the Mercedes-Benz Club of America. There are so many benefits to joining the MBCA, a membership pays for itself literally the first time you go to a dealership.

Here are a few examples to demonstrate exactly what I mean. After becoming a member of the MBCA (for a $49 annual fee), some of the benefits you’ll receive your first year include 15% off parts at the Mercedes-Benz Classic Center; savings on parts and service at participating dealerships (ranging from 5-15%); a subscription to MBCA’s The Star magazine; free repair, maintenance and service advice from trained technicians; and an invitation to the MBCA’s regional and national events across North America.

The biggest incentive to joining MBCA, however, comes in the form of a new car purchase or lease, when after 12 months of membership, you’ll get $1,000 off virtually any new Mercedes model. The other incentives alone are enough to pay the $49 membership fee, but the money off a new Mercedes model means you’re absolutely crazy not to join.  Add in the fact you’ll immediately be part of a community that shares the same passion for excellence you do, and there’s truly no reason not to become part of the MBCA family.

Don’t take my word for it:  you can check out the full list of Mercedes-Benz Club of America benefits at the MBCA membership page.

The Star, the official magazine of the Mercedes-Benz Club of America, led all publications with 13 medals – two gold, four silver, and six bronze plus the Best of Graphics Award – at the 19th International Automotive Media Awards (IAMA), recognized by the automobile industry as the Academy Awards of automotive journalism.

In addition to claiming the highest medal count in the publication’s history, The Star earned its first “Best of” Award (representing the best of all gold medals in a category) for Jean Constantine’s photography for the feature article “W154: Back on the Track” about the private restoration of one of the legendary 1939 W154 Mercedes-Benz “Silver Arrow” race cars. Trailing The Star’s 13 medals were Vintage Motorsport (eight medals), Automobile (seven), and three publications tied with four each.

The IAMA’s are an annual program to recognize and encourage excellence in all forms of automotive journalism. Judging is done by peers in journalism and broadcasting to a pre-set standard, and entries may earn up to 100 points. Bronze medallions and silver medallions are presented to those works that receive 85-91 points and 92-96 points, respectively, during judging. Gold medallion plaques, the highest level, are presented to those entries that score between 97 and 100 points during the judging. The “Best of” awards are chosen from among all gold medallion winners in 11 general categories.

Each work is judged on its own merits against a scale. Entries must meet a minimum standard to qualify for an award. If no entry in a category meets the minimum standard, no award is given. Thus, some categories might have multiple winners of the same award while other categories might not have a winner despite entries being submitted. The act of entering does not guarantee an award will be presented or that the entry will even be recognized. Indeed, only seven of 13 “Best of” awards were presented at the 2010 ceremonies.

The 13 awards presented to The Star demonstrate a continued commitment to excellence. Medals were awarded to the magazine for articles and entire issues that were produced under two editors. Accepting the awards were Jim Luikens, Mercedes-Benz Club of America National Secretary and Immediate Past Editor of The Star; as well as John Kuhn Bleimaier and Michael Salemi, Contributing Editors to The Star.

“For any magazine to succeed it is essential to listen to its readers and to provide them with articles that they find interesting and graphics that they find exciting,” said Richard Simonds, Acting Publisher of The Star. “The Star is the crown jewel of our organization and we know the importance of keeping it polished. Our talented staff of contributors continues to provide world-class stories that justify the accolades that were presented at the 2010 International Automotive Media Awards. Everyone involved with The Star is proud to have that brilliance recognized by our peers within the automotive media.”

Two IAMA gold medal plaques were presented to The Star this year. Best of Graphics and a gold medal for photography went to Jean Constantine for her images that illustrated the article “W154: Back on the Track”. Stephan McKeown also took a gold for his article “Back from the Dead” about ways to restore the luster of the exterior finish of a car that has been neglected.

The Star also earned four silver medals. Three were for articles: “Mercedes Under Pressure” by Karl Lud- vigsen; “Buying Your First Classic” by Bruce Adams; and “W154: Back on the Track” by Rich Taylor. The fourth silver medal was earned for the combination of editorial content, design, and production for the entire November-December 2009 issue of The Star (Gary Anderson, Editor).

Six bronze medals were awarded to The Star. Four were presented for written work: “Nearly 100 and Still Going Strong” by Brad Beultlich; “What the Heck Is It?” by Michael Kunz; and “Hamilton, McLaren Mercedes Triumphant” as well as the regular column “On the Track”, both by John Chuhran. In the category of Magazine Graphics (design and total production), the July-August 2009 issue of the The Star (Gary Anderson, Editor) was recognized.

The combination of editorial content, design, and production for the entire January-February 2009 issue of The Star (Jim Luikens, Editor) earned the final award. In accepting the award Jim was pleased to note that The Star had won a “Best Overall Issue” medal in each of the three years that he served as Editor. In closing Jim wanted to recognize the late Mary Hedberg for her important contributions to the magazine’s overall quality and success during her three years as Associate Editor.

Elaine C. Haessner, IAMA Executive Director, hosted the formal 2010 IAMA Ceremonies at the Automotive Hall of Fame in Dearborn, Michigan, the only institution that celebrates the people of the automobile industry. The IAMATM is administered, produced by, and is a property of The International Society for Vehicle Preservation, a non-profit 501 (c) (3) educational organization based in Tucson, Arizona. The IAMA accepts no sponsorship in order to maintain its journalistic integrity.