TESOL Awards, Honors, & Grants

Congratulations to Our 2021 Award Recipients!

Convention Travel Grants & Scholarships

TESOL International Association annually awards more than US$50,000 in travel grants and registration scholarships to help TESOL members attend the TESOL International Convention & English Language Expo.

The annual application deadline for the TESOL Teacher of the Year Award is 19 July and the annual application deadline for all other awards is 1 October. 

Travel Grants Available  

• The Betty Azar Travel Grants for Practicing ESL/EFL Teachers 
• The Albert H. Marckwardt Travel Grants 
• The Meral Güçeri TESOL/TEFL Travel Grant 
• The University of Pittsburgh Travel Award for IEP Instructors 
• TESOL Awards for International Participation at TESOL - Funded by the TOEFL Board of ETS 

• The Professional Development Scholarships
• The TESOL Leadership Mentoring Program
• The TESOL Award for an Outstanding Paper on NNEST Issues

TESOL Awards for Excellence & Service 

TESOL-sponsored awards and grants recognize exceptional TESOL members. These awards are made possible by the support of TESOL's partners National Geographic Learning and Eastern Carolina University, and generous donations from members like you. There are the available awards:

• TESOL Teacher of the Year Award 
• TESOL Award for Distinguished Research
• The D. Scott Enright TESOL Interest Section Service Award
• The Mary Finocchiaro Award for Excellence in Unpublished Pedagogical Materials
• The Ron Chang Lee Award for Excellence in Classroom Technology 
• The Ruth Crymes TESOL Fellowship for Graduate Study
• The TESOL Virginia French Allen Award for Scholarship and Service
• The James E. Alatis Award for Service to TESOL

Professional Learning Scholarships

The Rosa Aronson TESOL Professional Learning Scholarships were established to honor Rosa Aronson, who served as TESOL's executive director from 2010 to 2017, and her deep commitment to the professional learning of teachers in underserved countries. This new program will award seven scholarships to cover the cost of the Global Professional membership and any professional learning opportunity offered by TESOL International Association. 

Teaching Materials Grant

The Tina B. Carver Fund was established by her family and colleagues to honor the life and work of Tina B. Carver, longtime member of TESOL and the ESL/EFL community. Grants are available for funding the purchase of student classroom learning materials and/or teacher-related materials (e.g., ancillary materials that can be used in conjunction with textbooks or other instruction materials) to support adult ESL education programs in the United States.

TESOL Presidents' Award

Every year the TESOL president, in collaboration with the president-elect and the past president, selects a recipient for the annual Presidents’ Award. The award honors individuals and organizations outside of TESOL who have demonstrated a commitment to English-language instruction, helped TESOL further its mission, and supported education in general.

The recipient of the 2021 TESOL President's Award is International Rescue Committee (IRC): Education team

TESOL Outstanding Advocate Honor

The Outstanding Advocate Honor is presented annually at the TESOL International Convention & English Language Expo to an individual who has advocated for, and on behalf of, the ESL/EFL profession and English language learners. Each year the host affiliate for convention nominates an individual for recognition.