Terms and Conditions of Entry

These Terms and Conditions (“Terms”) govern participation in the ELS Malaysia Best Applied Linguistics / English Studies or TESL PhD Thesis Award and the Antony John Kunnan Best Assessment PhD Thesis Award (collectively, the “Awards”), organised as part of the TNTELT 2025 Conference scheduled to be held on 21–22 August 2025 in Melaka, Malaysia.

By submitting an entry, the Participant agrees to be bound by these Terms.

1. Registration and Presentation Requirement

1.1 All entrants must register for the TNTELT 2025 Conference and pay the applicable registration fee.

2. Judging and Selection

2.1 Submissions shall be reviewed by an independent panel of judges appointed by the organisers.

2.2 Evaluation shall be based on, but not limited to, the following criteria:

• Originality and innovation
• Theoretical and methodological rigour
• Relevance to the specified field
• Contribution to academic and/or professional practice
• Clarity and quality of presentation

2.3 The decision of the judging panel is final, non-negotiable, and not subject to appeal or correspondence.

3. Award and Prizes

3.1 One winner per award category may be selected. Each winner shall receive:

• A cash prize of USD 300
• An official certificate and commemorative medal
• Recognition at the TNTELT 2025 closing ceremony and on official channels

3.2 The organisers reserve the right not to confer an award in any category if, in their sole discretion, no submission is deemed to meet the required standards of academic excellence.

4. Disqualification

4.1 The organisers reserve the right to disqualify any submission that:

• Contains plagiarised content;
• Misrepresents authorship or academic credentials;
• Is found to be incomplete or ineligible;
• Violates academic or ethical standards.

5. Intellectual Property and Consent

5.1 All intellectual property rights in the submitted thesis shall remain with the author.

5.2 By entering the Awards, participants grant the organisers a royalty-free, non-exclusive, worldwide licence to use the participant’s name, likeness, biography, thesis title, abstract, and poster materials for promotional, marketing, and publicity purposes in any media, without further notice or compensation.

6. Amendments and Cancellation

6.1 The organisers reserve the right to cancel, postpone, or amend the Awards, these Terms, or any part thereof, at any time without prior notice or liability.

7. Governing Law

7.1 These Terms shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of Malaysia.

7.2 Any disputes arising out of or in connection with these Terms shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of Malaysia.