TESOL members in good standing who are public officials, institutional leaders, or community professionals. Any TESOL member may nominate another member for this award.
Purpose
To recognize an exceptional leader and professional who has demonstrated outstanding advocacy efforts in the TESOL field that are aligned with the vision, mission, values, and commitments of the association.
How to Apply
A commemorative plaque is given to the recipient.
Criteria for Evaluating Applications
The recipient is selected according to evidence of:
- Dedication, leadership, and efforts that have positively affected a policy or change with direct positive impact on multilingual learners and/or TESOL professionals.
- A long-standing commitment to equity, diversity, inclusion, and access in the TESOL field.
- Advocacy efforts that have effected positive change over a period of time, commitment, and passion for advocacy.
You will be asked for the following information to complete the nomination process. You are strongly encouraged to gather this information before you begin the application to expedite the nomination process.
- Nominee's information: full name, institution (place of work), place of residence (city, state/province, country), email address, and phone number.
- The nominee's professional bio.
- Description of the nominee's achievements and activities that demostrate their advocacy at the local/public level and efforts towards advancing DEIA (500 words max).
- The nominee's CV (5 pages max).
For more details, please see the Evaluation Rubric.
Apply Now
Submit Your Online Application
The application deadline is 15 September.
2025 Recipient
Dr. Özgehan Uştuk is a research assistant professor at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Department of English and Communication. He chaired TESOL’s Research Professional Council from 2022–2024. He has worked as a teacher, researcher, and teacher educator in Türkiye, the United States, and Hong Kong and promoted an identity-oriented language teacher education.