About the Ben Warren Trust Prize

The idea of establishing a Trust in Ben's name surfaced almost immediately after he was killed. The difficult part was to decide how the Trust could be best used as a vehicle to commemorate Ben's work and consequently, what the specific aims of the Trust should be. There was no shortage of suggestions but eventually it was decided that perhaps the most effective way to achieve the desired aims would be to set up a fund which could be used to finance an award, to be known as the "Ben Warren Trust Prize". It was also decided that the prize should be awarded on an annual basis to the author or authors of the most outstanding work in the field of language teacher education.

Teacher education has always been at the heart of the International House World Organisation. The Cambridge ESOL CELTA course (originally the RSA/UCLES CTEFLA), which is the most highly respected training course for EFL teachers ever developed, is based squarely on the pioneering work of John and Brita Haycraft at International House, and IH is still widely regarded as the foremost language teacher training organisation in the world.

Ben Warren was also dedicated to the idea of improving the standards of language teaching through teacher education. The Teacher Training Department at International House Barcelona - which is the largest training centre of its kind outside the UK - is a vibrant testimony to Ben's commitment to this idea, and so it seemed entirely appropriate that the prize should be awarded to someone working in this field.

The prize - which is a cash prize of £2,000 – is normally presented during the International House Directors' Conference, which is held annually in May.

A panel of judges consisting of two representatives from International House and a third person who is not directly connected with International House, evaluate all the entries and the finalists are normally announced by the end of March.

The Ben Warren Trust Prize has quickly become established as the most highly esteemed award in its field. It therefore constitutes a suitable memorial to the life and work of a remarkable man.