TESOL celebrates excellence in the field every year at its convention. At the 2017 TESOL Annual Convention & English Language Expo in Seattle, Washington, USA, more than 60 awards were given to outstanding teachers, researchers, students, and English learner advocates. Here are some of this year's award winners.

James E. Alatis Award for Service to TESOL

The James E. Alatis Award for Service to TESOL was established to acknowledge outstanding and extended service by TESOL members at international, regional, and local levels.

Mark Algren has been an active TESOL International Association member since 1982 as a volunteer, course developer and teacher, board member, convention chair and president.  Mark has made more than 100 presentations in more than 20 countries.  He’s taught in and administered programs in four countries, currently serving as the executive director, Center for English Language Learning - University of Missouri. Strongly interested in professionalism, standards and accreditation, he has served on the TESOL Professional Development Committee and has been a program site reviewer for the Commission on English Language Program Accreditation.

TESOL Teacher of the Year Award

The TESOL Teacher of the Year Award was created by TESOL and National Geographic Learning to recognize and honor exceptional English language teachers at all levels.

Rawia Hayik is a lecturer at Sakhnin College, Israel. She is a PhD graduate from Indiana University, USA. Prior to that, she taught English at Israeli-Arab public schools for 20 years. Her teacher-research focuses on children’s literature on social justice issues, critical literacy, participatory documentary photography, and the linguistic landscape.

TESOL Award for Distinguished Research

The TESOL Award for Distinguished Research was created to recognize excellence in any area of research on language teaching and learning.

Gary Barkhuizen is professor at the University of Auckland, New Zealand. His research interests are in the areas of teacher identity, study abroad and narrative inquiry. He has taught English at the high school and college level, and has been involved in teacher education for many years.

Mary Finocchiaro Award for Excellence in Unpublished Pedagogical Materials

This award was created in 1987 in honor of Mary Finocchiaro, a noted educator, author, and TESOL president (1970–1971), to recognize a TESOL member(s) who has achieved excellence through the development of practical pedagogical materials not currently under consideration for publication.

Amanda Swearingen is an ESOL educator who spent 10 years teaching postsecondary EFL in South Korea and Argentina. She is completing her master’s in TESL at the University of Texas at San Antonio. Her interests include therapy dogs in second language acquisition, teacher education, L2 literacy, and newcomers and emergent language and literacy.

TESOL Virginia French Allen Award for Scholarship and Service

The TESOL Virginia French Allen Award was established in 1990 by Dr. Allen's former students in honor of her long-time contributions to the field. The award honors an ESOL teacher who has shared scholarship and provided service to a TESOL International Association affiliate.

Cynthia Schuemann is a professor of English for academic purposes and linguistics at Miami Dade College, and recognized as an award-winning faculty member, administrator, and grant project leader. Her research interests include corpus linguistics, content-based instruction, and assessment. She has given presentations and workshops worldwide, and authored and edited ESL materials, such as the English for Academic Success series. Dr. Schuemann is a current board member and past president of Sunshine State TESOL, and past co-chair of TESOL International Association’s Materials Writers Interest Section. She is also a leader on the Florida EAP Consortium for community colleges.

Ruth Crymes TESOL Fellowship for Graduate Study

This fellowship was created to support recent or current graduate students in the development of projects with direct application to ESOL language classroom instruction. The recipient of this award is expected to present the results of the project at a TESOL convention within 3 years of the date the award is received.

Ju Seong (John) Lee is a PhD candidate at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. His research interests include computer-assisted language learning (CALL)—particularly, videoconferencing and informal digital learning of English, English as an international language, and teacher preparation/development.

Outstanding Advocate Honor

The TESOL Outstanding Advocate Honor was created to recognize individuals who have advocated for, and on behalf of, the ESL/EFL profession and the constituency that it serves.

Dr. Gil Mendoza, in his recent positions as assistant superintendent of special programs and deputy superintendent of public instruction, strove to bring ELL, migrant, and Native American needs to the forefront.  With an understanding that English learners are not just the responsibility of one program and are impacted by decisions, policies, and legislation throughout the K–12 system, Dr. Mendoza has been a strong advocate for improving communication among state education programs and between departments so that the needs of the rapidly growing ELL population are not left off the table. 

TESOL Presidents’ Award

The TESOL President's Award winner is selected annually by TESOL’s Executive Committee in recognition of individuals or organizations who have supported efforts for the field in line with TESOL’s values. This year, it was presented to The International Research Foundation (TIRF).

TIRF is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to generate new knowledge about English language teaching and learning. TIRF applies research findings to practical language problems by working collaboratively with teachers, researchers, authors, publishers, philanthropic foundations, government agencies, and major companies. TIRF’s vision is that in the 21st century, personal and social value accrues to individuals who are proficient in English and in some additional language

TESOL Travel Grants and Scholarships

Each year, TESOL also presents a number of travel grants and scholarships to TESOL members. To view a list of TESOL’s Travel Grants and Scholarships recipients for 2017, click here (PDF).