MIDTESOL is pleased to invite its members to announce and submit student essays for the Best K-12 ELL Student Essay Award and the Best Adult ELL Student Essay Award. Topics reflect this year’s Fall 2019 conference theme: “Bridges to Success”.
The 2019 MIDTESOL Student Essay Contest has ended. Winners are announced here.
Eligibility
Best K-12 ELL Essay Award – The student must be a K-12 student in good standing who is enrolled in an ELL class or program in Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, or Nebraska.
Best Adult ELL Essay Award – The student must be an adult ELL learner enrolled in a higher education ELL/EAP program, Intensive English Program, or adult education program in Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, or Nebraska.
Essay Topics
Students may choose one of the following topics related to this year’s MIDTESOL Conference theme of “Bridges to Success”.
- People do not become successful without other people (such as, teachers, friends, parents, etc.) helping them. How are you helping other people be successful in your school, community, religious group, work, sports team, etc.?
- The people who are the most successful often have had many challenges in their lives. What is a challenge that you overcame in the path to finding success? How did this challenge make you a more successful person?
- How has learning English helped you to build confidence and communication skills? Explain the process and skills you have acquired (such as presentation, cross-cultural, or initiating conversation). How will this help you in your future endeavors?
- As lifelong learners, we sometimes come face to face with many challenges. What is one challenge you have had learning English and how did you change it into a success?
Rules and Format
- Each student may submit only one essay and must be a student in good academic standing who is enrolled in an ELL class or program in a K-12 school, or an adult ELL learner enrolled in a higher education ESL/EAP program, Intensive English Program, or adult education 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 (K-12 Essay) or ELL level in program (Adult ELL Essay)
- sponsoring teacher and teacher’s contact information (phone number, address, email address
- 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 an 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/Deadline Information:
To apply, submit student essays, including cover page, to Lindsey Simanowitz at lindsey.e.simanowitz@gmail.com MIDTESOL Awards Chair, by Friday, March 29, 2019, by 5 p.m. Central. The subject line of the email should read “MIDTESOL Essay Contest 2019”.
You will receive confirmation from the Awards Chair that your submission has been received and a notification if you are an award recipient by Friday, April 5 by 5 p.m. Central.
All applicant information will be kept confidential. Decisions made by reviewers are final.
The 2019 MIDTESOL Student Essay Contest has ended. Winners are announced here.
