This award is aimed to identify and reward innovative projects in English language teaching in public primary schools to sustain the new and successful approaches to the learning of English as a foreign language within the boundaries of Argentina. The competition is being organised by the British Council, with the support of British Airways, Cambridge ESOL and IATEFL.

The winner, Silvana Piergiovanni, will fly to the UK on British Airways, spend 3 nights in London, 4 nights in Cardiff and a day in Cambridge, at the invitation of Cambridge ESOL. She will also attend the IATEFL Conference taking place in Cardiff from 31 March to 4 April 2009.

Silvana is a teacher working in a school located in the City of Buenos Aires but bordering the Province of Buenos Aires and with pupils from both districts.  The school is in a disadvantaged neighbourhood and a number of the pupils live in ‘Fuerte Apache’. With 7th year pupils she developed and produced in English a play ‘Cinderella’. This was a real challenge – and a great achievement – given the resources, or lack of, available.

It was a cross-curricula project, applying knowledge and skills from language, maths, science, technology, music, art and physical education classes.  Students designed the stage, wrote the script, produced invitations and planned the choreography.  Before developing the play, they watched a film of Cinderella, which led to an interesting discussion on discrimination.  Teachers and students from other schools and people from the area were invited to the performance which took place in the playground.

The British Council and the judges would like to also congratulate Jorgelina Carlassare, Natalia Fumi, Amalia Suárez Cepeda and Ruben Mazzei, whose projects received special mentions.