Mid-America Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages (MIDTESOL) Annual Conference (“The Wise Learn fromEveryone”) will be held at the University of Central Missouri in Warrensburg, Missouri, on October 24th-25th, 2014.
The MIDTESOL Board invites submissions for the following conference awards:
● Travel Awards
If you have been notified of acceptance to present at 2014 MIDTESOL, you are encouraged to apply for a Travel Award to help fund expenses. Up to three Travel Awards of $150 each will be granted.
To apply, the following items must be submitted to Denise C. Mussman (denisemussman@yahoo.com), MIDTESOL Awards Chair, by September 5. The subject line of your email should read “2014 MIDTESOL: Travel Award Submission.”
All application materials must be combined into one continuous document arranged in the order listed below:
a. Contact information, including name, email, and institutional affiliation;
b. Notification of proposal acceptance;
c. A brief statement (approximately 300 words) describing the benefit that attending and presenting at the MIDTESOL conference will bring to you and other ELT professionals in your community;
d. An account of any outside funding sources received for travel to the conference;
e. A list of MIDTESOL Travel Awards received in the past; and
f. An agreement to submit a report outlining your presentation within a month of the conference for publication in MIDTESOL Matters, the organization’s electronic newsletter.
You will receive confirmation from the Awards Chair that your submission has been received and a notification if you are an award recipient by September 26. Submissions undergo blind peer review. Incomplete applications or applications that are not in compliance with the instructions listed above will not be considered out of fairness to all applicants.
In the event that there are more proposals deemed worthy than there is money available to fund them, preference will be given to the applicant who (1) does not have external support for travel to the conference and (2) has never before received a MIDTESOL Travel Award. Decisions made by reviewers are final.
● Best Student Proposal Award
MIDTESOL recognizes the contributions students make to the success of the conference as well as to the field at large. Indeed, the MIDTESOL Board strongly encourages all student presenters to apply for this prestigious $200 award.
To apply, submit your proposal through the call for conference proposals. Indicate your eligibility for the award by checking the provided boxes on the proposal form.
Proposals undergo blind peer review. They are evaluated according to (1) significance and relevance of topic as it relates to ESL/EFL teaching and/or research; (2) organization and clarity of proposal; and (3) originality / creativity. Decisions made by reviewers are final.
● Best High School Essay Award
MIDTESOL is pleased to invite teachers to submit student essays for the Best High School Essay Award.
Eligibility: Must be a high school student (grades 9-12) in good standing who is enrolled—or was enrolled formerly—in an ESOL/ELL program in a K-12 school in Iowa, Kansas, or Missouri.
Topic: Student essays must relate to this year’s conference theme: The Wise Learn from Everyone.
Rules and Format:
○ Each student may submit only one essay.
○ Essay must be submitted with a cover page, including the following
■ student name and contact information (phone number, address, email)
■ school (name, address, phone number)
■ grade level
■ sponsoring teacher
○ Essay must be solely the work of the student with limited guidance from others.
○ Essay must be 500 to 700 words in length; typed (12-point Times New Roman font) and double-spaced.
○ There should be no identifying information listed on any pages of the essay. 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.
Scoring Criteria: Essays are scored on content, organization, vocabulary, language use, and mechanics. In short, judges look for writing that is clear, creative, articulate, and logically organized.
Awards: The selected recipient will be awarded $100. His/her name, photo, and school affiliation will be published in the ensuing issue of MIDTESOL Matters, the organization’s electronic newsletter Additional awards include one second place award of $50 and one third place award of $25.
To apply, submit essay, including cover page, to Denise Mussman (denisemussman@yahoo.com), MIDTESOL Awards Chair, by October 10. The subject line of the email should read “MIDTESOL 2014: Best High School Essay.” You will receive confirmation from the Awards Chair that your submission has been received and a notification if you are an award recipient by September 26. Please note that essays will not be returned. All applicant information will be kept confidential. Decisions made by reviewers are final.
● Pat-on-the-Back Award
You are invited to participate in the celebration of extraordinary service to our organization by nominating an individual you believe is most deserving of the Pat-on-the-Back Award. This award honors an individual’s dedication to and leadership in MIDTESOL. The selected recipient will be awarded a life-time membership.
Nominations may be made only by organizational members of MIDTESOL; no current member of the MIDTESOL Board is eligible for nomination.
Include the following items in the nominating dossier (combined into one continuous document arranged in the order listed below):
a. Nominating letter explaining your rationale for the choice of this individual, verifying, too, that s/he meets the eligibility requirement;
b. Up-to-date curriculum vitae of the candidate; and
c. An account of any MIDTESOL Pat-on-the-Back Awards received (on the part of the nominee) in the past.
Submit nominating dossier to Denise C. Mussman (denisemussman@yahoo.com), MIDTESOL Awards Chair, by October 10. The subject line of your email should read “2014 MIDTESOL: Pat-on-the-Back Award Nomination.” You will receive confirmation from the Awards Chair that your submission has been received. Neither incomplete dossiers nor self-nominations will be considered.
Nominations will be judged on the individual’s service to and participation in the profession at the regional (i.e., MIDTESOL) level as detailed in the candidate’s nominating letter and CV. All other criteria being equal, preference will be given to the applicant has never before received a MIDTESOL Pat-on-the-Back Award. Decisions made by reviewers are final.