Everyone has a book in them, or so the saying goes. Now aspiring authors have the chance to get their brilliant classroom ideas published, by entering a brand-new British Council Award for 2010 – the Macmillan Education Innovative Writing Award.

A British Council ELT Innovation Award (or ELTon) is the ELT industry’s gold standard for innovative new English Language Teaching products and services which support the learning and teaching of English. 

Unlike other awards which reward the outstanding language-learning resources of the year gone by, this new ELTon looks to the future, recognises emerging talent and provides the ultimate opportunity for realising ideas that will help English language learners and teachers achieve their potential. 

Entrants are simply required to complete an application form and submit this along with sample material and a CV. There may be no grilling panel of judges to pitch to, but applicants will have to impress some of the top names in the business. The ELT experts judging the entries include Senior Advisor for Learning and Teaching, John Knagg, and Macmillan Education Publisher, Emily Rosser. 

The shortlist will be announced in December and the winner will receive the award at a ceremony held in London on 3 March 2010. 

If the project is deemed viable, Macmillan Education commits to considering the work for publication. The lucky winner will be treated as any potential author would be, assigned an editorial team and be consulted as their innovative product idea is brought to life. 

The prize doesn’t end there: in addition to this big break, the winner will also receive a £1000 cash prize to spend as they wish. 

The British Council and Macmillan Education have joined forces in the year the Council celebrates 75 years of cultural relations and both hope the new award will discover some true talent in the making. 

Michael Carrier, British Council Head of English Language Innovation, said: ‘The ELTons have grown to become an essential fixture in the ELT calendar as a celebration of innovation in the sector. I am delighted that Macmillan Education have partnered with the British Council.’ 

International Marketing Director for Macmillan Education, Jo Greig, said the award really reflected the ethos of the company, known for embracing innovation. 

‘As an award-winning publisher, passionate about delivering high-quality products in various media and to new niche markets, we're delighted to be sponsoring this award.'

‘This really is a brilliant way to help give new authors a chance to make their first step into a writing career with the assistance of an internationally recognised publisher. It’s a really exciting award and we wish every applicant the best of luck.’ 

If you have the flair, ideas, and ambition to change the face of ELT publishing, a professional author/publisher relationship with Macmillan Education could be waiting for you. The application form, along with full terms and conditions, is available at www.britishcouncil.org/learning-eltons. 

Full proposals including application form, sample material and CVs are to be submitted to Joanne.stafford@britishcouncil.org by 30 September 2009.