Mercedes Lilienthal
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Mercedes Lilienthal’s Biography
Read Full Bio →Mercedes is an award-winning journalist, photographer, and content creator who specializes in a wide range of subjects, including adventure travel, gear, the automotive industry, and inspiring people within it. She and her husband have two customized right-hand-drive turbo-diesel 4x4 Mitsubishis: a 1994 Delica Space Gear (aka The Travel Tractor) and a gen 2 short-wheelbase Pajero (The Terra Tractor), as well as a modified 1998 Suzuki Jimny, and a 2022 Subaru Crosstrek daily driver. Mercedes, a …
Mercedes Lilienthal’s Journalist Portfolio
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Awards
See all 42 awards →TEXAS AUTO WRITERS ASSOCIATION EXCELLENCE IN CRAFT COMPETITION
2025 - SOCIAL MEDIA CATEGORY
First place: Andy and Mercedes Lilienthal for our Baltic Sea Circle Rally coverage during the event, daily social media reels depicting the life of a rally team as we drive the only EV (a VW ID. Buzz van) across nearly 5,000 miles and nine countries around the Baltic Sea over a 16-day duration for the Baltic Sea Circle Rally, via our own outlet, Crankshaft Culture
TEXAS AUTO WRITERS ASSOCIATION EXCELLENCE IN CRAFT COMPETITION
2025 - REVIEW CATEGORY
2nd place Review Category: comparison vehicle feature, "Real-Life Comparison: 2025 Volkswagen ID. Buzz EV from North America vs. the 2024 ID. Buzz Pro German-Market Model" (via OVR Magazine)
TEXAS AUTO WRITERS ASSOCIATION EXCELLENCE IN CRAFT COMPETITION
2025 - PHOTOGRAHY
2nd place Photography: "Waves Crash as San Francisco Greets the New 2025 Volkswagen ID. Buzz EV" (via OVR Magazine)
ALCAN 5000 RALLY
2025 - 1st place 2 SOP Truck/SUV Class (plus 2nd overall and Arctic/Go Farther awards)
We were the 1st place 2S (SOP) Truck/SUV Class winner (plus 2nd overall of 17 vehicle teams) for the 2025 Alcan 5000 Rally piloting a 2026 Honda Passport TrailSport! Plus, we earned Arctic and Go Farther awards. We were the first journalist team, partnering with Honda Motor Co., to compete in and finish this 11-day, 5,500-mile summer road rally competition that spanned from Seattle-area north to the Yukon Territory's Arctic Circle, deep into Alaska, and back into Canada finishing at Williams Lake, British Columbia.
OUTDOOR WRITERS ASSOCIATION OF CALIFORNIA AWARD
2025 - Outdoor Photo/Artwork - Nature
2nd place Outdoor Photo/Artwork - Nature category: 2024 Alcan 5000 Rally INEOS Grenadier and mountains of Alaska
2025 THUNDERBIRD RALLY (CANADA)
2025 - 1st place Thunderbird Rally Calculator Class
My husband, Andy Lilienthal, and I won the Calculator Class driving our 2022 Subaru Crosstrek and won the 2025 Thunderbird Rally in Canada. This year's two-day extreme snow rally covered appr. 560 miles (910 km), 72 checkpoints, and eight different time-speed-distance regularities, with multiple hours in complete darkness in remote areas—all in British Columbia.
ALCAN 5000 RALLY
2024 - 1st place 2 SOP Truck/SUV Class (plus Arctic and Go Farther awards)
Out of 17 talented truck and SUV teams, my husband Andy Lilienthal and I came out on top piloting an INEOS Grenadier Trialmaster 4x4 and won the 2024 Alcan 5000 Rally 2S class. We led the truck/SUV class seven of the 10 days and came in 10th overall, out of 39 total teams. We also earned the rally's Arctic and Go Farther awards. This year's extreme endurance rally covered approximately 5,000 miles of snow- and ice-covered roads throughout Washington state, all over British Columbia, parts of Alberta and the Northwest Territories (to Yellowknife), over to Whitehorse, Yukon Territory, then to Fairbanks, Alaska, an optional jaunt to Coldfoot above the Arctic Circle, a dip down to Valdez (after Thompson Pass reopened), then to its finish in Anchorage—all within 10 days. We partnered with INEOS Automotive for this event.
VOLKSWAGEN'S BEST SHORT VIDEO FOR THE 2025 TAOS SUV FIRST-DRIVE EVENT IN SAN ANTONIO
2024 - Social Media
Volkswagen of America held a social media contest and selected one of my reel videos as the Best Short Video for the 2025 Taos SUV first-drive event in San Antonio.
VOLKSWAGEN'S BEST SHORT VIDEO PICK FOR THE 2025 ID. BUZZ EV FIRST-DRIVE EVENT IN SAN FRANCISCO
2024 - Social Media
Volkswagen of America held a social media contest and selected one of my reel videos as the Best Short Video for the 2025 ID. Buzz EV first-drive event in San Francisco.
TEXAS AUTO WRITERS ASSOCIATION EXCELLENCE IN CRAFT COMPETITION
2024 - FEATURE CATEGORY
1st place Feature Category: feature article, “The Land of Fire and Ice: Iceland Versus the Lilienthals” (Vicarious Magazine)
TEXAS AUTO WRITERS ASSOCIATION EXCELLENCE IN CRAFT COMPETITION
2024 - REVIEW CATEGORY
1st place Review Category: vehicle feature, “Ineos Grenadier at the 2024 Alcan 5000 Rally” (Hagerty Magazine)
TEXAS AUTO WRITERS ASSOCIATION EXCELLENCE IN CRAFT COMPETITION
2024 - SOCIAL MEDIA CATEGORY
First place: Andy and Mercedes Lilienthal for our Alcan 5000 Rally coverage during the event, competing with INEOS Automotive in their Grenadier 4x4 SUV and our class win, via our own outlet, Crankshaft Culture
TEXAS AUTO WRITERS ASSOCIATION TEXAS TRUCK INVITATIONAL
2024
Overall winner Texas Truck Invitational: “The Land of Fire and Ice: Iceland Versus the Lilienthals” (Vicarious Magazine print feature)
TEXAS AUTO WRITERS ASSOCIATION TEXAS TRUCK INVITATIONAL
2024
1st place Texas Truck Invitational: “The Land of Fire and Ice: Iceland Versus the Lilienthals” (Vicarious Magazine print feature)
TEXAS AUTO WRITERS ASSOCIATION EXCELLENCE IN CRAFT COMPETITION
2024 - PHOTOGRAPHY: ACTION
1st place Photography Action: “The 56th-Annual Baja 1000 Race: a Momentous Occasion of Epic Proportions” (OffRoad Xtreme)
TEXAS AUTO WRITERS ASSOCIATION EXCELLENCE IN CRAFT COMPETITION
2024 - PHOTOGRAPHY: STATIC
2nd place Photography Static: “Mystery Glacier and RAV4 Rental Car” (Vicarious Magazine)
A Girl's Guide to Cars
2024 - What Drives Her Awards finalist
Mercedes Lilienthal crafts immersive content, both written and photographic, that puts you there. She also continues to pave the way in the rally and outdoor enthusiast space.
TEXAS AUTO WRITERS ASSOCIATION TEXAS TRUCK INVITATIONAL
2023 - Top Pick and overall winner
Top Pick and overall winner: Adventure Rigs Magazine (two-vehicle review) "His and Hers Mitsubishi Pajeros"
TEXAS AUTO WRITERS ASSOCIATION TEXAS TRUCK INVITATIONAL
2023 - REVIEW CATEGORY
First place: Adventure Rigs Magazine two-vehicle review "His and Hers Mitsubishi Pajeros"
TEXAS AUTO WRITERS ASSOCIATION EXCELLENCE IN CRAFT COMPETITION
2023 - SOCIAL MEDIA CATEGORY
First place: Andy and Mercedes Lilienthal for our Alcan 5000 Rally coverage during the event, competing with Subaru of America in their Outback Wilderness, via our own outlet, Crankshaft Culture
TEXAS AUTO WRITERS ASSOCIATION TEXAS TRUCK INVITATIONAL
2023 - FEATURE CATEGORY
First place: OffRoad Xtreme, "From The Driver’s Seat: 2022 Rebelle Rally – A Journey And Adventure"
TEXAS AUTO WRITERS ASSOCIATION EXCELLENCE IN CRAFT COMPETITION
2023 - REVIEW CATEGORY
Second place: OffRoad Xtreme, "First Drive: Production-Ready INEOS Grenadier 4×4"
TEXAS AUTO WRITERS ASSOCIATION EXCELLENCE IN CRAFT COMPETITION
2023 - FEATURE CATEGORY
Second place: The New York Times, "10 States, 2,400 Miles and More Than 100 Classic Cars"
SEMA BUSINESSWOMEN’S NETWORK'S NEWEST #SHEISSEMA SPOTLIGHT MEMBER
2022 - She is SEMA Spotlight
Mercedes Lilienthal was recognized as a SEMA Businesswomen's Network (SBN)'s #SheisSEMA spotlight member (January 2022). SEMA Businesswomen's Network is part of the Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) organization.
MOTOR PRESS GUILD AWARDS
2022 - BEST OF THE YEAR FEATURE ARTICLE
Winner: New York Times, “10 States, 2,400 Miles and More Than 100 Classic Cars”
TEXAS AUTO WRITERS ASSOCIATION EXCELLENCE IN CRAFT COMPETITION
2022 - REVIEW CATEGORY
First place: Tread Magazine, "Volkswagen ID.4 Tackles the Rebelle Rally"
TEXAS AUTO WRITERS ASSOCIATION EXCELLENCE IN CRAFT COMPETITION
2022 - FEATURE CATEGORY
Second place: Forbes, "Electric Realization: The Volkswagen ID.4 AWD Successfully Finishes The 2021 Rebelle Rally"
TEXAS AUTO WRITERS ASSOCIATION TEXAS TRUCK INVITATIONAL
2022 - FEATURE CATEGORY
Third place: Forbes, "Electric Realization: The Volkswagen ID.4 AWD Successfully Finishes The 2021 Rebelle Rally"
LINKEDIN NEWS EDITORS' PICKS
2021
2021 LinkedIn Editors' Picks for The New York Times: “Breaking the Garage’s Glass Ceiling”
TEXAS AUTO WRITERS ASSOCIATION EXCELLENCE IN CRAFT COMPETITION
2021 - REVIEW CATEGORY
First place: Andy and Mercedes Lilienthal, Tread Magazine, "Stars vs. Space: Dueling Delicas of the 1980s and 1990s"
TEXAS AUTO WRITERS ASSOCIATION EXCELLENCE IN CRAFT COMPETITION
2021 - SOCIAL MEDIA CATEGORY
First place: Andy and Mercedes Lilienthal for our Alcan 5000 Rally and Mitsubishi Pajero one-year recap via our own outlet, Crankshaft Culture
TEXAS AUTO WRITERS ASSOCIATION EXCELLENCE IN CRAFT COMPETITION
2021 - FEATURE CATEGORY
Third place: Tread Magazine, "Bad-Ass Bandoola: a 1953 Willys M38A1 Beast"
MOTOR PRESS GUILD AWARDS
2021 - BEST OF THE YEAR NEWS ARTICLE
Finalist: New York Times, “Breaking the Garage's Glass Ceiling”
MOTOR PRESS GUILD AWARDS
2020 - BOB D’OLIVO AWARD FOR PHOTOGRAPHY
Winner: Mercedes Lilienthal for TREAD magazine, “Mitsubishi Delica right-hand-drive 4x4 van at Alabama Hills in California”
MOTOR PRESS GUILD AWARDS
2020 - BEST OF THE YEAR NEWS ARTICLE
Winner: New York Times, “Life on the Road in Pandemic America”
MOTOR PRESS GUILD AWARDS
2020 - BEST OF THE YEAR NEWS ARTICLE
Finalist: Tread Magazine, “Jessi Combs, A Legend Lives On”
MOTOR PRESS GUILD AWARDS
2020 - BEST OF THE YEAR NEWS ARTICLE
Finalist: New York Times, “Driving Across the Globe to Fight Child Trafficking”
MOTOR PRESS GUILD AWARDS
2020 - BEST OF THE YEAR SOCIAL MEDIA
Finalist: Crankshaft Culture
TEXAS AUTO WRITERS ASSOCIATION EXCELLENCE IN CRAFT COMPETITION
2020 - NEWSPAPER WRITING
First place: New York Times, “Driving Across the Globe to Fight Child Trafficking”
TEXAS AUTO WRITERS ASSOCIATION EXCELLENCE IN CRAFT COMPETITION
2020 - NEWSPAPER WRITING
Third place: New York Times, “Life on the Road in Pandemic America”