Thanks to the generosity of KOTESOL lifetime member Kara Mac Donald, we are offering up to TWO travel grants of up to one million won (1,000,000 KRW) each to support accepted presenters with demonstrated financial need, especially those based in eligible low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) and other countries traditionally under-represented at KOTESOL conferences. In addition, the grant includes a 1-year international membership and conference registration fees.
Eligibility
To apply, you must:
- Have demonstrated financial need;
- NOT be based in Korea;
- Have submitted a proposal for the KOTESOL International Conference (and this proposal must be accepted to the conference).
The Grant
This grant is good for a maximum of 1,000,000 KRW and can be used for the following:
- transportation expenses to/from the conference;
- a 1-year international KOTESOL membership;
- conference registration fees (waived; does not require grant money).
Up to two grants of up to 1,000,000 KRW each will be awarded to individual applicants. The grants can be used to pay for transportation expenses (i.e., flight/train tickets) and an international KOTESOL membership (70,000 KRW, as all presenters must be KOTESOL members). Upon completion of the conference, grantees will submit receipts for their transportation expenses (e.g., plane tickets), and the grant founder will transfer the amount (up to 1,000,000 KRW) to the grantee's bank account via PayPal or Wise. (Please make sure you are able to receive transfers in this way.) The KOTESOL membership fees will be sent directly to KOTESOL. In addition, the grantees' in-person registration fees will be waived.
Selection Process
The proposal will be evaluated according to:
- The contribution of the proposal to the field of TESL/TEFL.
- Originality and creativity in concept.
- Relevance and broad impact.
Applicants will also submit a personal statement of up to 200 words addressing the following:
- How attendance at the KOTESOL conference will further their professional development;
- How attending the conference will benefit their ESL/EFL community;
- Why this travel grant is needed, including demonstrated financial need.
Proposals will be evaluated "blind"; the grant committee members will not be able to see applicants' names or contact information. (Only the grant team facilitator will have this information until after the grantees are selected.) The TESOL International travel grant rubric will be used to guide the selection committee.
Preference will be given to presenters based in an eligible LMIC or from other countries traditionally under-represented at the conference.
To Apply Online
Applicants will submit their conference proposal title and abstract (150 words maximum) and a statement of 200 words or fewer explaining their need for this travel grant. Use the application form below. (You must be logged into your online account to view the application form.) Deadline: January 31
Grant applications can be submitted prior to acceptance to the conference, but only presenters with accepted proposals are eligible for the grant. Applications with rejected proposals will be disqualified.
Notification
Grant recipients will be notified by February 20. This is after final conference acceptance letters have been sent out but long before the presenter registration deadline. If you are not selected for the grant and thus find yourself unable to participate in the conference in person, you can change your proposal to an online-only (pre-recorded video) format and can register as an online-only presenter. KOTESOL membership fees and online registration fees will still apply.