ELTons 2012 winners include first ever app

25 May 2012

The British Council has announced the winners of the ELTons 2012 – which include, for the first time, a smartphone app. Now in their tenth year, the awards, run by the British Council and sponsored by Cambridge ESOL, are a celebration of excellence in English language teaching (ELT) from around the world.

The awards have been organised into 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 and the British Council Lifetime Achievement Award. 

For the first time, UK and international ELT professionals competed alongside each other in the same categories – in recognition of the increased mobility and globalisation in the sector.

The winners are:

The Macmillan Education Award for Innovative Writing:
Sensing Humour ‘in English’, by Kate Khoury, Sarah Raybould and Louise Salim
A book contemplating the language of humour and how that translates into English. 

Excellence in Course Innovation:
Bell Blended Learning for ELT, Bell
An innovative approach to developing teachers’ knowledge and abilities to understand and develop their own blended learning courses for students. 

Innovation in Learner Resources:
Sounds: The Pronunciation App, Macmillan Education
The first ever app to win an ELTon. The app (for Apple iOS and Google Android devices) that helps students and teachers study, practise and play with English pronunciation wherever they are. 

Innovation in Teacher Resources:
Digital Play, Delta Publishing
A pioneering book on the use of computer games in language teaching, offering an eye-opening journey for teachers who want to move with the times – and with their learners. 

Digital Innovation:
WORDREADY Academic English, L2
A powerful online vocabulary learning resource aimed at students preparing to study, or already studying, at an English medium college or university

Local Innovation:
The Colour of Words, Colour Trick S.l.
An innovative and user friendly new method to learn how to pronounce English correctly, using colour as the link between the written word and its pronunciation.   

Lifetime Achievement Award:
Alan Maley
Described at the ceremony as ‘a national living treasure of ELT’, Alan has been a tireless advocate for the needs of teachers and learners in developing contexts, particularly Asia. 

Michael Carrier, Head of English Language Innovation at the British Council said:“I'm delighted that the seven winners of this year's ELTons awards were all able to attend in person to receive their well-deserved awards for innovation and creativity. The ELTons event has become a key fixture in the ELT calendar, and we believe it inspires more and more young teachers and writers to develop new ways of making learning effective and fun.

“This year we had over 260 guests celebrating the best of the English Language Teaching world and networking across the industry. With the generous support of our sponsors Cambridge ESOL and Macmillan Education the British Council will continue to promote excellence and innovation, and we all look forward to receiving nominations for next year's ELTons awards." 

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.  

To find out more about the winners and to see footage and photos from the awards ceremony, visit http://englishagenda.britishcouncil.org/eltons

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

Notes to Editors: 

ELTons

The ELTons (British Council Innovation Awards) are offered to outstanding new language learning products and services, and aspiring ELT authors, that use innovative ideas to help learners achieve their goals, or to innovative research which has clear practical benefits for English language teaching. For more information please visit http://www.britishcouncil.org/learning-eltons.  

The British Council

The British Council creates international opportunities for the people of the UK and other countries and builds trust between them worldwide. We are a Royal Charter charity, established as the UK’s international organisation for educational opportunities and cultural relations. 

Our 7000 staff in over 100 countries work with thousands of professionals and policy makers and millions of young people every year through English, arts, education and society programmes. 

We earn over 75% of our annual turnover of nearly £700 million from services which customers pay for, education and development contracts we bid for and from partnerships. A UK Government grant provides the remaining 25%.  We match every £1 of core public funding with over £3 earned in pursuit of our charitable purpose.  

For more information, please visit: www.britishcouncil.org. You can also keep in touch with the British Council through http://twitter.com/britishcouncil andhttp://blog.britishcouncil.org/.