Call for Proposals:
(Deadline: December 15 th , 2025)
In recognition of Professor Shou-hsin Teng’s 鄧守信 achievements and contributions to Chinese linguistics and L2 pedagogy, the Cheng & Tsui publishing company established the “Shou-hsin Teng Pedagogical Innovation Prize” (referred to as the “Teng Prize”), to be awarded through the CLTA.
Prof. Teng is an internationally renowned expert in Chinese language and linguistics. Following the completion of his doctoral studies in linguistics at the University of California, Berkeley, he embarked on an academic journey that included teaching at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, and the National Taiwan Normal University, Taipei, where he established the very first graduate degree program on teaching Chinese as a second language.
Prof. Teng has been a dedicated member of the CLTA, where he served as the editor of its JCLTA for many years and the founder of its Newsletter. He was also the second recipient of the Walton Lifetime Achievement Award from the CLTA. Prof. Teng’s impact extends beyond scholarly publications in Chinese linguistics, as he has tirelessly dedicated himself to advancing Chinese language education by contributing to material development, teacher training, and mentoring students.
The objective of this prize is to promote pedagogical innovations that effectively and creatively engage in various aspects of Chinese language education, such as grammar, phonetics, pragmatics, in a Chinese language classroom. In accordance with Prof. Teng’s wishes, the Teng Prize supports junior and mid-career faculty of Chinese in the U.S. in conducting pedagogical research projects and presenting their findings at the CLTA Annual Conference. Each year during the Teng Prize period, one recipient (either an individual or collaborative effort) will be selected and awarded a certificate and a prize of $1200.
Eligibility Criteria for the Teng Prize:
- Eligible applicants for this prize must be junior or mid-career faculty of Chinese in the U.S. and should have no more than 15 years of formal full-time teaching experience at a two-year or four-year college/university.
- Applicants must be current CLTA-USA members at the time of submitting their applications.
- The project submitted by the applicant can be either single-authored or a collaborative effort. If an applicant’s project is selected, the prize will be distributed equally among the individual applicants involved. If there are no qualified proposals among applications received in a given year, the prize will not be granted that year.
- Only individuals who have NOT previously received the Teng Prize (as an individual or as part of a group project) are eligible to apply. Additionally, as a general principle for CLTA awards, an applicant should only apply for one award each year. A project that has been previously awarded or funded by CLTA in any other category will not be considered for the Teng Prize.
When applying, applicants should submit the following documents to the CLTA Award Committee at cltaaward@gmail.com, with the subject line of “2025 Teng Prize Application” by 12/15/2025.
(1) A comprehensive cover letter, three to four pages, that encompasses the theoretical foundation of the pedagogical project, project design (including information on participants, timeline, implementation steps, etc.), assessment of results, and the project’s significance.
(2) A concise curriculum vitae indicating your current status, institutional affiliation, educational background, and contact information. Additionally, provide a brief (not exceeding one page) account of your career in teaching L2 Chinese.
Please note that identifying information will be removed prior to anonymous review. A shortlist of three finalists will be contacted by the CLTA Award Committee and asked to submit a full and complete version of their proposed projects, formatted in accordance with the CLTA journal stylesheet, with a minimum 12 formatted pages by 2/15/2026. (This submission does not guarantee publication in the CLTA journal.) Recipient(s) are required to present during the CLTA-US’s Annual Conference.
Recipient(s) will be notified before the CLTA Annual Conference and announced at the CLTA Conference Awards Ceremony. The name(s) of awardee(s) will also be featured in the CLTA Newsletter and on the association’s website.
Award Recipients
2024-25 – Jun Lang (Pomona College): “AI-Supported Pronunciation Learning: Pedagogical Innovation for Beginner L2 Chinese Learners Beyond the Classroom”
2025-26 – Zhe Luo & Siyan Shao (Defense Language Institute): “Live Action Role-Playing Criminal Mystery Activities (LARPCMA) for Cognitive-Linguistic Engagement in Foundational Chinese Courses”