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 2020 conference theme: “Paradigm Shift in ELT Education: Forging an Educational Framework for a Post-Pandemic World“.
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 ESL 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 “Paradigm Shift in ELT Education: Forging an Educational Framework for a Post-Pandemic World”.
- Since the COVID-19 pandemic, many people have had to switch from in-person learning to virtual learning. Describe how learning has impacted you during the COVID-19 pandemic.
- There are positive and negative aspects of learning in-person versus learning virtually. Do you prefer to learn in-person or virtual? Explain.
- In some cases, the COVID-19 pandemic has separated teachers, students, friends, and family. Others have tried unusual or unconventional ways to stay in contact. What lessons have you learned about the importance of in-person or virtual communication?
- Students who learn virtually can learn from anywhere. What has your “classroom” looked like during the COVID-19 pandemic? Describe it and explain its advantages and disadvantages.
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 via e-mail by the sponsoring teacher, 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 ESL Essay)
- sponsoring teacher and teacher’s contact information (phone number, address, email address)
Note: 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
Best K-12 ELL Student Essay Award
1st prize: $100 award; the name of the recipient, photo, and school affiliation will be published in the upcoming issue of MIDTESOL Matters, the organization’s electronic newsletter
2nd prize: $50 award
3rd prize: $25 award
Best Adult ESL Student Essay Award
1st prize: $100 Award To Be Determined; the name of the recipient, photo, and school affiliation will be published in the upcoming issue of MIDTESOL Matters, the organization’s electronic newsletter
2nd prize: $50 Award To Be Determined
3rd prize: $25 Award To Be Determined
Note: Students on a VISA will receive an engraved plaque in lieu of a monetary award. Students not on a VISA will have the option to receive a monetary award or an engraved plaque.
How to Apply/Deadline Information
To apply, sponsoring teachers must submit all student essays, including cover page, to Lindsey Simanowitz, MIDTESOL Awards Chair, at lindsey.e.simanowitz@gmail.com by Monday, April 26, 2021, by 5 pm. The subject line of the email should read “MIDTESOL Essay Contest 2021”.
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 30, 2021, by 5 pm. All applicant information will be kept confidential. Decisions made by reviewers are final.
