MIDTESOL is pleased to invite its members to announce and submit student essays for the Best K-12 ESL Student Essay Award and Best Adult ESL Student Award.
Topics reflect this year’s conference theme: “Building on the Past, Looking to the Future”.
Eligibility:
Best K-12 Essay Award – The student must be a K-12 school student in good standing who is enrolled in an ESOL/ELL program in a K-12 school in Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, or Nebraska.
Best Adult ESL Student Essay Award – The student must be an adult ESL learner enrolled in a higher education ESL/EAP program, intensive English program, or adult education program in Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, or Nebraska.
Essay Topics:
Choose one of the following topics related to this year’s MIDTESOL Conference theme of “Building on the Past, Looking to the Future”.
#1 Good advice is often given from older generations to younger generations. Think about advice that your parents, grandparents, or older people in your life have given you. How has that advice helped you? How will it affect your decisions in the future?
#2 We learn about what has happened in the past so that we can form our own thoughts and opinions in order to make the future better. What is something you have learned that you would like to change for the better in the future?
#3 Describe a tradition or value in your home culture. Choose one that is important to you or your family and explain it and its importance. How has it changed recently, if at all? Why has it changed? Do you believe it will continue into the future? Will it stay the same or alter somehow as the world is becoming more global?
Rules and Format:
Each student may submit only one essay and must be an ELL/ESL student in good academic standing who is enrolled in an ESOL/ELL/ESL program in Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska, or Missouri. The essay must be solely the work of the student, with limited guidance from others. The essay must be 500 to 700 words in length; typed (12-point Times New Roman font) and double-spaced.
The essay must be submitted with a cover page, which includes the following:
- student name and contact information (phone number, address, email)
- school (name, address, phone number)
- grade level (High School Essay) or ESOL/ELL/ESL level in program (Adult ESL Essay)
- sponsoring teacher and teacher’s contact information (phone number, address, and email address)
Notes:
There should be no identifying information listed on any pages of the essay, only the cover page. This includes any mention of name or school.
Failure to abide by any of the above conditions will result in immediate disqualification.
Judging:
Essays undergo blind peer review by the MIDTESOL Awards Committee.
Scoring Criteria:
Essay submissions will be scored based on ideas/content, organization, conventions, voice, sentence fluency, and word choice. In short, judges look for writing that is clear, creative, articulate, and logically organized.
Awards:
The selected recipient of each contest will be awarded $100. The name of the recipient, photo, and school affiliation will be published in the upcoming issue of MIDTESOL Matters, the organization’s electronic newsletter. Additional awards include one (1) second place award of $50 and one (1) third place award of $25.
How to Apply:
To apply, submit the essay, including cover page, to Lindsey Simanowitz at simanowitz@ucmo.edu MIDTESOL Awards Chair, by April 2, 2018. The subject line of the email should read “MIDTESOL Essay Contest 2018” You will receive confirmation from the Awards Chair that your submission has been received and a notification if you are an award recipient by the end of April. All applicant information will be kept confidential. Decisions made by reviewers will be final.
