Every year, TESOL gets the chance to celebrate excellence in the field. At the 2016 TESOL Annual Convention & English Language Expo in Baltimore, Maryland, USA, over 60 awards were given to outstanding teachers, researchers, students, and EL 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.

Dr. Jun Liu is vice provost for global affairs, dean of international academic programs and services, and professor of linguistics at State University of New York, Stony Brook. From 2006 to 2008, he became the first Asian and nonnative-English-speaking president of TESOL International Association, and he has served TESOL in numerous capacities for more than two decades. A well-respected teacher, researcher, and scholar, Dr. Liu has published extensively in the area of intercultural communication, communicative competence, and language education.

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.

Shannon Tanghe, assistant professor and department head at Dankook University’s Graduate School of TESOL in Korea, holds a doctorate in composition and TESOL from Indiana University of Pennsylvania. Originally from Minnesota, Shannon has been teaching in Korea for 16 years. Her interests include teacher collaboration, teacher development and education, and World Englishes.

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.

Bonny Norton is a professor and distinguished university scholar in the Department of Language and Literacy Education, University of British Columbia, Canada. She is also research advisor of the African Storybook project. Many of her key ideas are found in the second edition of "Identity and Language Learning," published in 2013 by Multilingual Matters. A fellow of the American Educational Research Association (AERA), she was the inaugural recipient of the Senior Research Leadership Award of AERA’s Second Language Research SIG.

Ron Darvin is a doctoral candidate and Vanier scholar at the University of British Columbia, Canada. His research focuses on digital literacy and equity, learner investment, and social class. Together with Bonny Norton, he has published in TESOL Quarterly, Annual Review of Applied Linguistics, and Journal of Language, Identity, and Education.

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.

Dr. Najma Janjua is a past chair of ESPIS at TESOL International Association. Her research interests include English for medical purposes (EMP), language transfer, and EFL education in Asia. She has developed EMP curricula at three Japanese universities and is currently a professor at Kagawa Prefectural University of Health Sciences, Japan.

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.

Darren Lingley is professor of intercultural communication and comparative culture at Kochi University in Japan. His research areas include analysis and assessment of spoken language, intercultural communicative competence, and language teacher education. His recent international comparative study of primary school language education in Japan and Australia made it possible for several teachers from each country to travel abroad for in-service PD and exchange work. Darren is former editor of JALT Journal, and chairs the annual Shikoku JALT Conference.

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.

Alannah Fitzgerald is an open education practitioner and researcher working in the area of technology-enhanced English language education. Her research interests include open educational and research practices for devising and delivering digital English language learning interventions that can be scaled and assessed across both formal classroom-based and informal online education.

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.

Gustavo Torres is the executive director of CASA, an immigrant advocacy and direct services organization active in Maryland, Virginia, and Pennsylvania. In this position, he has overseen the successful growth of an ESOL program in Maryland. Many of the classes within the program are embedded in CASA's Welcome Centers, which offer a wide variety of direct services in a safe, supportive, and accountable environment. Learners in the programs he oversees are encouraged to engage in CASA's advocacy campaigns that build power in low-income immigrant communities.

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.

The International Association of Teachers of English (IATEFL) is one of the largest professional associations of English Language teachers in the world, with members from nearly 135 countries, and 125 associates, which are local teaching associations, around the world. Since its founding in 1967, it has developed a rich array of networks and a number of different routes by which teachers and other ELT professionals can participate in its activities.

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 2016, click here.