Texas Auto Writers Association

What Texas Auto Writers Association does

Texas Auto Writers Association, Inc. (TAWA) is a Texas-incorporated nonprofit professional association founded in 1987 that serves automotive journalists, content creators, and industry manufacturers. The organization operates a membership-based platform with three dues tiers — Journalist ($75/year with $75 application fee and a two-member sponsorship requirement), Associate ($150-$250/year for PR, advertising, research, and fleet professionals), and Manufacturer ($250/year for OEM representatives) — and convenes two signature annual vehicle evaluation events: the Texas Auto Roundup in spring (cars, crossovers, hybrids, EVs) and the Texas Truck Rodeo in fall (trucks and SUVs, running 30+ years). Award outcomes are tabulated by an independent accounting firm (Rexroat CFO) and produce industry-recognized titles such as "Truck of Texas," "Car of Texas," and "SUV of Texas" that manufacturers actively market.

TAWA's broader program portfolio includes the Excellence in Craft Competition for member journalism (since 2007), the Bill Neale Automotive Fine Art Award for High School Students (since 2023, co-sponsored by the Carroll Shelby Foundation and Terlingua Racing Team), the Harold Gunn Journalism Scholarship administered in partnership with the Texas Intercollegiate Press Association, and the Texas Truck Invitational writing competition. The organization is governed by a 9-member Board of Directors elected bi-annually, currently led by President Marc Newman (2026), Past President Cory Fourniquet, and VPs of Membership (Tim Esterdahl) and Communications (Sean Tajipour).

TAWA generates revenue primarily through annual membership dues and event sponsorship from 30+ participating manufacturers and ecosystem partners (Mecum Auctions, BLICK Art Materials, TechForce Foundation, Texas Cultural Trust). The organization is member-supported and independent, with no parent company, venture capital, or private equity ownership. It is not a technology company — its "platform" is a community of vetted journalists, structured in-person evaluation events, and human-judged awards competitions, distributed through its website (texasautowriters.org), email, social media, and presence at major Texas auto shows.

Name

Texas Auto Writers Association

Legal name

Texas Auto Writers Association, Inc.

Website

https://texasautowriters.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1987

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Texas Auto Writers Association is a Texas-based nonprofit professional association founded in 1987 that serves automotive journalists, content creators, and manufacturers through annual vehicle evaluation events, peer-judged industry awards, scholarships, and networking programs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Flower Mound

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: TAWA generates revenue primarily through annual membership dues from three categories: Journalist members pay $75 annual dues (plus $75 application fee for new members), Associate members pay $250 annual dues, and Manufacturer members pay $250 annual fee for primary representatives.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

TAWA is a nonprofit professional association that runs two annual hands-on vehicle evaluation events (Texas Auto Roundup in spring for cars/crossovers/EVs and Texas Truck Rodeo in fall for trucks/SUVs) where member journalists test vehicles and vote on industry awards such as Truck of Texas, SUV of Texas, and Car of Texas. The organization also runs the Excellence in Craft journalism competition, the Harold Gunn Journalism Scholarship through TIPA, and the Bill Neale Automotive Fine Art Award for high school students. Members must be sponsored by two existing TAWA members and approved by the Board of Directors.

Product overview

The Texas Auto Writers Association operates a platform of journalism-focused programs and events for automotive media professionals. The core offerings include the annual Texas Auto Roundup (spring car/SUV evaluation event) and Texas Truck Rodeo (fall truck evaluation event), which determine vehicle awards such as 'Truck of Texas' and 'Car of Texas'. Supporting programs include the Excellence in Craft Competition for journalism awards, the Bill Neale Automotive Fine Art Award for high school students, the Harold Gunn Journalism Scholarship for college students, and the Texas Truck Invitational for truck-focused writing. The organization also maintains a membership directory for journalist, associate, and manufacturer members. TAWA functions as a membership-based nonprofit organization rather than a technology product company.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Texas Auto Roundup TAWA's annual spring driving event where automotive journalists test the newest vehicles on public roads in and around Boerne, Texas, evaluating cars, crossovers, hybrids, and electric vehicles to determine awards including Car of Texas.
• Texas Truck Rodeo TAWA's annual fall event held for over 30 years, featuring hands-on testing of trucks and utility vehicles on road and off-road courses to determine the 'Truck of Texas' and 'SUV of Texas' winners.
• Excellence in Craft Competition Annual competition recognizing TAWA members' excellence in automotive journalism across categories including writing, photography, video, podcast, radio, and social media.
• Bill Neale Automotive Fine Art Award for High School Students Annual award recognizing excellence in automotive fine art among high school students, honoring the legacy of world-renowned automotive artist Bill Neale.
• Harold Gunn Journalism Scholarship Scholarship program for aspiring journalists, working in conjunction with the Texas Intercollegiate Press Association to support college journalism students in Texas, awarding two $1,000 scholarships annually.
• Texas Truck Invitational Writing competition for truck and SUV content, open to both TAWA members and non-members worldwide, launched in 2007.
• Journalist Membership Annual membership tier for active automotive journalists and content creators ($75 application fee + $75 annual dues; $75 annual renewal). Members must be sponsored by two current TAWA members and approved by the Board of Directors.
• Associate Membership Annual membership tier for industry professionals in non-editorial roles (Individual $150/year; Organization $250/year), including PR, advertising, market research, governmental, safety communications, and fleet management personnel.
• Manufacturer Membership Annual membership tier for automobile manufacturer employees or representatives ($250/year), entitling each automaker to a primary representative who can add product-line contacts, with a bundle (unlimited) option available.

Quantifiable outcome

• Genesis has won TAWA's top Vehicle/Car of Texas award for four consecutive years (2024-2026)
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Rexroat CFOminorOthers · 1 January 2026Third-party accounting firm in Tyler, Texas that tabulates and certifies results for TAWA Texas Auto Roundup and Texas Truck Rodeo events.
• Texas Cultural TrustminorOthers · 1 January 20252025 and 2026 beneficiary of the Bill Neale Automotive Fine Art Award. TAWA donated $4,200 in 2025 to support the Texas Cultural Trust's Art Box project providing art supplies to underserved Title 1 elementary school students in Texas. In 2026, donation supported Hunt ISD students impacted by July 2025 flooding.
• TechForce FoundationminorOthers · 1 January 20242024 beneficiary of the Bill Neale Automotive Fine Art Award. TechForce Foundation is a national nonprofit 501(c)(3) with mission to champion students to and through education into careers as professional technicians. Received $2,500 donation in 2024.
• Carroll Shelby FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Major sponsor of the Bill Neale Automotive Fine Art Award for High School Students. The Carroll Shelby Foundation supports automotive education and racing heritage initiatives. Aaron Shelby serves on the judging panel for the award.
• Terlingua Racing TeamcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Co-sponsor of the Bill Neale Automotive Fine Art Award. Leslie Neale (Bill Neale's daughter) represents the Neale family and Terlingua Racing Team on the award committee. The Terlingua Racing Team logo was created by Bill Neale.
• Mecum AuctionsminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Sponsor of the Bill Neale Automotive Fine Art Award. The 2024 award presentation ceremony was held at Mecum Houston 2024 auction.
• BLICK Art MaterialsminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2021Sponsor providing $100 in BLICK Art Materials Gift Cards to 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winners of the Bill Neale Automotive Fine Art Award for High School Students.
• Bill Neale FamilycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021The Bill Neale Automotive Fine Art Award honors world-renowned Dallas-based automotive artist Bill Neale who passed away in 2021. Leslie Neale (daughter) serves as judge and spokesperson for the award. Bill Neale was a founding member of the Automotive Fine Arts Society.
• Texas Intercollegiate Press Association (TIPA)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2007TAWA works in conjunction with TIPA to identify the best and brightest college journalism students in Texas for the Harold Gunn Journalism Scholarship. TAWA presents two $1,000 scholarships annually at the TIPA Spring Convention awards ceremony. TIPA was founded in 1909 and is the oldest and largest state collegiate press association in the nation.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• SEMA (Specialty Equipment Market Association): Large automotive aftermarket industry trade association operating major events like the SEMA Show. Overlaps with TAWA in serving the automotive enthusiast ecosystem and OEM/manufacturer relationships, but at a much larger national scale.
• SAE International: Global professional association for mobility and automotive engineering professionals, much larger in scope and membership. Comparable as a professional association in the broader automotive industry, but with a fundamentally different engineering/technical focus rather than journalism.

Direct peers

• Motor Press Guild: Los Angeles-based automotive journalism association founded in 1990, offering similar membership tiers, vehicle evaluation events, and award programs. Comparable nonprofit professional association model serving automotive media professionals in a specific US region.
• Washington Automotive Press Association: DC-area automotive media association offering similar journalist membership, vehicle evaluation events, and award programs. Directly comparable regional professional association with overlapping member segments.
• Rocky Mountain Automotive Press: Regional automotive media association serving the Rocky Mountain region with vehicle testing and journalism-focused programming. Comparable regional nonprofit association for automotive journalists.
• Greater Atlanta Automotive Media Association: Regional automotive media association based in Atlanta, Georgia, hosting comparable vehicle evaluation events and awards for automotive journalists. Direct regional peer with similar membership and event-driven model.
• New England Motor Press Association: Regional automotive media association serving the New England market with vehicle testing events and award programs. Directly comparable in mission, structure, and event-based member value proposition to TAWA.
• Midwest Automotive Media Association: Regional automotive media association serving the Midwest US, operating Spring Rally and Fall Roundup events that are directly comparable to TAWA's Texas Auto Roundup and Texas Truck Rodeo. Both organizations are membership-based nonprofits run by working automotive journalists.
• Northwest Automotive Press Association: Pacific Northwest regional automotive media association running vehicle evaluation events and journalism programs. Direct peer in the same category of US regional automotive journalism organizations.

Others

• Automotive News: Leading trade publication covering the automotive industry. Adjacent to TAWA's mission in serving automotive journalism, but operates as a commercial media outlet rather than a professional association. Provides context for the broader automotive media ecosystem TAWA operates within.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/txautowriters
• Facebookfacebook.com/TXAutoWriters

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Texas Auto Writers Association