Hilton is giving 15 teachers a chance to experience the world…will it be you?

Hilton HHonors™  believes that as nurturers of future generations of travelers, teachers play an important role in spreading understanding of other cultures. This year they are giving 15 teachers the opportunity to travel and bring their experiences back to the classroom through the Hilton HHonors Teacher Treks Travel Grant Competition.

This information is straight from the website:

ABOUT THE TEACHER TREKS COMPETITION

The Inspiration

Hilton HHonors™, the guest loyalty program of Hilton Worldwide, has long believed in the power of travel to bring people together and foster greater understanding between countries.

This year, Hilton HHonors™ is celebrating culture by giving once-in-a-lifetime opportunities to teachers, many of whom rarely get to experience different cultures firsthand.

As nurturers of future generations of travelers, teachers play an important role in spreading understanding of other cultures and can have a profound impact on their students’ lives. Whether analyzing a historic work of art or telling a riveting account of an ancient civilization, teachers are the ultimate conduits to cultural enlightenment.

Hilton HHonors™ is giving teachers a passport to see the world and bring their experiences back to the classroom through Teacher Treks.

The Competition

Teacher Treks is an award program in which teachers vie for the chance to travel, explore and share culture firsthand. Through an essay submission, teachers discuss cultural destinations they have always wanted to visit and explain how they would share the learnings and experiences from a trip there with their students.

Thirty finalists will be selected by a panel of judges that will include education experts and actual teachers. The judging process will be managed independently by the Institute of International Education, a non-for-profit organization that fosters mutual understanding worldwide through educational exchange and training programs.

Fifteen grants will be awarded to 15 teachers selected by both public votes and an expert panel. Winning teachers will travel to their proposed destinations, chronicle their journeys and share their experiences with their students. Each winning teacher must travel sometime during his or her 2013 summer break. In addition to the trip, each winning teachers’ school will also receive a $2,500 donation to use for cultural activities or enhancements.

Prizing

• 15 winners will receive a trip to the destination of their choice, valued at $6,000, along with a $2,500 donation to their school
• 15 runners-up will receive a $2,500 donation to their school
• One winner will be randomly selected from all submissions to receive a cultural excursion for their classroom valued at $1,500
• From those who voted in the Teacher Treks competition, 10 random winners will receive one Hilton HHonors™ Gift Card valued at $250

The Submission

Your Teacher Treks submission will consist of a photo, a 140 character title, two essays, and a letter of recommendation from your principal.

We recommend that you write your essays in a word processing application and check the word count before you copy-and-paste the essay into our submission form. The essays should be between 300 – 600 words. Please note that formatting (bold, italics, etc.) will not be retained.

Entry Summary:

Please summarize your entry in 140 characters or less (the length of a tweet) to tell voters why they should consider you. For example, “How exactly were the pyramids built? I’d like to find out! 4th grade history @ Parker Middle School will never be the same!”

Essays:

1. The Teacher Treks program was established to recognize teachers who build awareness of cultural diversity within the classroom and to provide an opportunity for them to further their commitment to acting as cultural curators and molding the future generation of travelers. Please use this section to describe your proposed global cultural adventure: Where will you go (outside the U.S.)? What will you do? Why do you want to take this trip? How will your experiences help you better teach your subject to your students and contribute to your personal or professional goals?

2. Please use this section to describe your plan for sharing your experiences on the Teacher Treks Program with your students and colleagues. How will you infuse your experience into your curriculum? You should include specific details on projects or programs which you will implement upon your return.

Letter of Recommendation:

Request a letter of recommendation from your principal and save it as a JPG or PDF. The letter should illustrate the principal’s support for your participation in the Teacher Treks Competition. Click here for a letter of recommendation request template you can customize and then send to your principal.

Judging Criteria:

• The applicant clearly and creatively articulated where and what their trip would entail and how their experiences would help them educate their students and contribute to their personal or professional goals: 25%
• The applicant clearly articulated a plan to share the Teacher Treks Program experience with students and colleagues: 25%
• Overall quality of the submission: 40%
• Trip feasibility and availability of property within the Hilton Worldwide portfolio: 10%

Questions?

If you have specific questions about the competition, we recommend you first read the Official Rules. If you still have a question, please email teachertreks@iie.org. For technical issues or questions about this site, please send an email from the FAQ form.