ELT professionals can apply in five new categories this year: Excellence in Course Innovation, Innovation in Learner Resources, Innovation in Teacher Resources, Digital Innovation, and Local Innovation, as well as The Macmillan Education Award for Innovative Writing, which is now in its third year.

Michael Carrier, Head of English Language Innovation for English and Exams at the British Council said: “The ELTons have grown to become an essential fixture in the ELT calendar. They are a wonderful opportunity to showcase innovative ELT products and creative ELT authors from around the world, and we are very proud to be able to bring the ELT community together to celebrate innovation in our profession.”

The new categories will reward published ELT products and services developed either in the UK or overseas. For the first time, UK and international ELT professionals will compete alongside each other in the same categories – in recognition of the increased mobility and globalisation in the sector.

The Macmillan Education Award for Innovative Writing is sponsored by Macmillan Education and gives previously unpublished writers the opportunity to win a £1,000 prize and have their work published. Through this award the British Council aims to discover and encourage up and coming ELT authors to take the next step in their writing careers.

The British Council Lifetime Achievement Award, now in its second year, awards an ELT professional who has made a substantial contribution to the ELT profession throughout their career. “This is an important award,” Michael Carrier added, “as it enables all of us in the ELT profession to highlight and celebrate the achievements of those who came before us – the experts, writers, academics and professionals who helped to build ELT into the powerhouse that it is today”

The British Council is the UK’s cultural relations organisation, and builds relationships for the UK through English, education and the arts. It teaches English in more than 80 countries through face-to-face contact and innovative methods including radio, the internet and mobile technology.

Any ELT professional can apply for consideration for one of the categories including authors, teachers, trainers and publishers. Application packs can be downloaded from http://www.britishcouncil.org/learning-eltons-2012 and the deadline for submissions is 2 December 2011.

Applications will be judged by a panel of ELT experts and the winners are announced at a prestigious ELTons awards ceremony, held in London on 23 May 2012.

For more information, contact Mark Moulding in the British Council Press Office on +44 (0) 207 389 4889 – or mark.moulding@britishcouncil.org

New for 2010, the Macmillan Education Award for Innovative Writing is open to aspiring ELT authors who have not yet been published. The winner receives £1,000 and the opportunity to publish their work.

The UK Award for Innovation and The Cambridge ESOL International Award for Innovation International categories continue to thrive with an increase in submissions from around the world. Entries from the UK doubled from 2009.

Michael Carrier, Head English Language Innovation for English and Exams at the British Council says: “The ELTons are a wonderful opportunity to celebrate innovative ELT resources from around the world, and the new Innovative Writing Award category will also provide the opportunity for aspiring creative writers to make their first break into the English language publishing industry. It is an exciting time for anyone at the forefront of developing and teaching English around the world”.

There are twelve entries short listed for an award in the UK category, seven in the International category and six in the Innovative Writing category. There will be three winners in the UK category, one winner in the International category and one winner in the Innovative Writing category. The winners will be announced at a prestigious ceremony in London on 3 March 2010. Each of the winners receives £1,000 cash prize along with the much sought after ELTon statuette.

ELTons 2010 UK Nominated Entries

•  Nik’s Daily English Activities – Blog – Nik Peachey

•  Vocabulary Matrix – Book Heinle ELT, Cengage Learning

•  Teaching Unplugged – Book Delta Publishing

•  www.teachertrainingvideos.com – Russell Stannard

•  Fast Track to Reading: Accelerated Learning for EFL & ESOL Students – Book
Garnett Education

•  Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English 5th edition Pearson Education

•  Teaching with Bear: Using puppets in the language classroom with young learners – Book, DVD, Bear Puppet Oxford University Press

•  IH Online Teacher Training Institute International House World Organisation Ltd (IHWO)

•  The Bell Online Delta – online training – The Bell Educational Trust

•  Primary i-Box – classroom presentation software Cambridge University Press

ELTons 2010 International Nominated Entries

•  Small Stars – comprehensive ELT course English First – Signum International S.A.R.L Zug Branch (Switzerland)

•  Welcome to English 3! – primary learner handbook Tic Tac Toe – Didactic Material (Argentina)

• English for Very Young Learners – online course
Net Languages (Spain)

•  Ways with Words – website
Lexitronics (Cyprus)

• Hoola Hoop – course
Porto Editora (Portugal)

•  Global Issues in the ELT Classroom – book
Spolecnost pro Fair Trade (Czech Republic)

•  Activities for Interactive Whiteboards – book and CD-Rom
Helbling Languages GmbH (Austria)

ELTons 2010 The Macmillan Education Award for Innovative Writing

•  Ekaterina Belozerova (Russia)

•  Richard Brittain (UK)

•  Stuart Wiffin and Helen Gibbons (UK)

•  Chris Lima (Brazil) and Maria Manuela De La Fuente (Peru)

•  Carla Cruz D’Elia (Brazil)

•  Helen Broady (UK)