Franklin Electronic Publishers to Host Third Annual Franklin Global SpellEvent® Championship

BURLINGTON, N.J. and ALEXANDRIA, Va., July 21, 2011 /PRNewswire/ --Franklin Electronic Publishers, Inc. announced today that 15 finalists from 15 countries around the world have earned the right to participate in its Third Annual Global SpellEvent Championship.  This spelling championship is a global program specifically designed for nonnative-English-speaking students who are learning English as an additional language.  The Third Annual Global SpellEvent Championship will be held at The Marriott Marquis Times Square, New York City, on August 17, 2011.

(Logo:  http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20110721/NY38729LOGO )

Thousands of students, ages 15 and under, participated in the quest to represent their homelands in New York City and to compete for the grand prize, a $10,000 scholarship.  The 15 finalists qualified in local and regional finals held in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, China, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Italy, Mexico, Russia, Senegal, South Korea, Spain, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates.  

"We continue to be awestruck by the pride, diligence and enthusiasm that these children display," said Barry J. Lipsky, president and chief executive officer of Franklin Electronic Publishers, Inc. "I've participated in some of the final 'in-country' events and I'm just so inspired by these young learners.   They glow with excitement about their English language learning as they recognize the opportunities that doing so can provide in their future."  Mr. Lipsky added, "In just a few short days these students form lifetime friendships, which in some small way helps to bridge the world's cultural divide. They are all already winners, having taken the top placements in each of their respective countries, and just the chance to come to New York can only be paralleled by how proud they have made their parents and teachers feel."

To assist with the in-country local and regional spelling championships, Franklin Electronic Publishers, Inc. partnered with TESOL International Association (TESOL), the global association of English language educators, and their network of 100 affiliate organizations around the world.  The first place finisher from each country has earned an all expenses paid trip to the United States for themselves and a parent/guardian.  In the end, there will be nine female students and six male students from 15 countries in total participating in the Third Annual Global SpellEvent Championship this year.

"TESOL has always supported English language education throughout the world," explains Rosa Aronson, executive director of TESOL.  Partnering with Franklin Electronic Publishers, Inc. for its Global SpellEvent Championship has helped bring new English language education techniques and opportunities to different countries in support of TESOL's mission to advance professional expertise in English language teaching and learning for speakers of other languages worldwide.  The association especially appreciates Franklin's commitment and all the support provided by TESOL's affiliates in making the Global SpellEvent Championship such a success.

Ms. Tamara Kirson, the New York Times® ESOL (English for speakers of other languages) Teacher of the Year 2009, will once again host this year's Annual Global SpellEvent Championship.  Mr. Peter Sokolowski, Editor-at-Large for Merriam-Webster, will return as the official Third Annual Global SpellEvent Championship pronouncer. The judges for the Third Annual Global SpellEvent Championship will be Dr. Rosa Aronson, Executive Director of TESOL and Mr. Brock Brady, past president of TESOL.

This year, the 2011 Franklin Global SpellEvent Championship Scholarships will be as follows: $10,000 (first place), $2,000 (second place), $800.00 (third place), $400.00 (fourth place), and fifth place finisher and below will all receive the same cash award of $100.00.

The Third Annual Global SpellEvent Championship prize monies help students with their future educational needs and allow them to continue to focus on their education in the English language.  English has become increasingly important to students worldwide as the language continues to bind nations together in international business, science, and technology.  English is also the world language of diplomacy and is used as one of the six official languages of the United Nations. For more details on the Third Annual Global SpellEvent Championship, please visit: www.spellevent.org.

About Franklin

Franklin Electronic Publishers Incorporated is a world leader in electronic handheld information, having sold approximately 44,000,000 electronic books.  Current titles available directly or through partners number more than 110,000 in sixteen languages under license from world class publishers, such as Merriam-Webster, Oxford University Press, Larousse, Langenscheidt, PONS, and HarperCollins, focused in four areas: Language Expansion, Language Learning, Reading Enhancement and Writing Enhancement.  The Company also licenses its underlying technology to an array of partners including Adobe and Oracle. Franklin's products are available at 49,000 retail outlets worldwide, through catalogs, and online at http://www.franklin.com.

About TESOL

Founded in 1966, TESOL International Association (TESOL) is a professional community of educators, researchers, administrators and students committed to advancing excellence in English language teaching for speakers of other languages worldwide. With more than 12,000 members representing 156 countries, TESOL fosters the exchange of ideas, research and peer-to-peer knowledge, and provides expertise, resources and a powerful voice on issues affecting the profession. Through professional development programs, its international conference, special interest groups and publications, TESOL engages tens of thousands of professionals to collaborate globally and create a world of opportunity for millions of people of all ages who want to learn English.

SOURCE Franklin Electronic Publishers, Inc.