ELTon Award facts for kids

The ELTon Award is a special prize given by the British Council. It celebrates new and exciting ideas in teaching the English language. Think of it as an award for the coolest and most helpful ways to learn English!

What are the ELTon Awards?

The ELTon Awards are like the "Oscars" for English language teaching. They honor people and groups who come up with fresh and creative ways to help others learn English. This could be anything from new textbooks and online tools to fun games and teaching methods. The awards highlight the best innovations each year.

Who Gives the Awards?

The awards are given by the British Council. This is a well-known organization from the United Kingdom. Their main goal is to share the UK's culture and language around the world. They help people learn English and connect with others globally. By giving out the ELTon Awards, the British Council encourages teachers and creators to keep finding better ways to teach English.

What Kind of Innovations Win?

Winners of the ELTon Awards often show how technology can make learning fun. They also focus on making learning easier for different types of students. Some awards go to new coursebooks or digital apps. Others celebrate ways to help teachers improve their skills. The goal is always to make English learning more effective and enjoyable for everyone.

A Look at Some Winners Over the Years

Many talented people and organizations have won ELTon Awards. Their work has helped millions of students and teachers around the world. Here are some examples of the types of innovations that have been recognized.

Early Winners (2003-2006)

In the early years, the awards recognized a variety of teaching tools.

• In 2003, Tim Kelly and Hilary Nesi from the University of Warwick were winners. So were Fiona Joseph and Peter Travis from Flo-Joe.
• The 2004 awards included Richard Cauldwell for his speechinaction CD-ROM. The Macmillan Education Dictionaries Team also won for their range of dictionary products. Scott Thornbury from Oxford University Press was honored for his book Natural Grammar.
• In 2005, Vanessa Reilly from Oxford University Press won for Three in a tree. Simon Mellor-Clark and Yvonne Baker de Altamirano from Macmillan Education won for their Campaign 1 coursebooks. Sophie Ioannou-Georgiou and Pavlos Pavlou from Oxford University Press won for Assessing Young Learners.
• The 2006 winners included Corony Edwards and Jane Willis from the University of Birmingham and Aston University for Teachers Exploring Tasks. Carol Read and her team from Macmillan Education won for their Bugs multimedia course. Stuart Rubenstein and his team from Camden College of English won for their "English Language Cultural Experience."

Later Innovations (2007-2016)

As technology grew, so did the types of innovations that won.

• In 2007, Alison Sharpe, Professor Ronald Carter, and Professor Michael McCarthy from Cambridge University Press won for The Cambridge Grammar of English. David Warr won for his Language Gardening CD-ROM. Nicky Hockly and Gavin Dudeney won for their online course ICT in the Classroom.
• The 2010 awards recognized Russell Stanard for his teacher training videos website. Mary Slattery and her team from Oxford University Press won for Teaching with Bear, which used puppets. Scott Thornbury, Luke Meddings, and others won for Teaching Unplugged.
• In 2011, Rinku's World by BBC Learning English was a winner. Communication Station by United International College also won. Marcos Benevides and Adam Gray won for Fiction in Action: Whodunit. Brian Abbs and Ingrid Freebairn received a Lifetime Achievement Award.
• The 2012 winners included Sensing Humour in English and Sounds: The Pronunciation App by Macmillan Education. Kyle Mawer and Graham Stanley won for Digital Play, about computer games. Alan Maley received a Lifetime Achievement Award.
• In 2013, Mary Glasgow Scholastic and CLIL - Biology Towards IGCSE were among the winners. Kieran Donaghy won for "Film English". Brita Haycraft received a Lifetime Achievement Award.
• The 2014 awards included Dyslexia for Teachers of English as a Foreign Language (Dystefl) and Academic Skills Series by Collins. The "Disabled Access Friendly campaign" also won. Michael Swan received the Lifetime Achievement Award.
• In 2015, Oxford Discover and Oxford Learner’s Dictionary of Academic English by Oxford University Press were winners. "Life Skills" by Macmillan Education also won. Henry Widdowson received the Lifetime Achievement Award.
• The 2016 awards recognized Keynote by National Geographic Learning and Literacy for Active Citizenship. "Digital Video – A Manual for Language Teachers" also won. Catherine Walter received the Lifetime Achievement Award.