TESOL and National Geographic Learning Honor the 2025 TESOL Teacher of the Year
TESOL International Association (TESOL) is pleased to announce Osman Solmaz as the recipient of the 2025 TESOL Teacher of the Year Award. The award, presented by National Geographic Learning, honors exceptional English language teaching at all levels. Solmaz was recognized in Long Beach, California, during the 2025 TESOL International Convention & Expo, March 18-21.
Osman Solmaz is an associate professor at Dicle University, Türkiye. A Fulbright alumnus, he earned his doctorate from the University of Arizona. Throughout his career, he has conducted professional development workshops worldwide, published extensively in respected academic journals, and made significant contributions to both local and global English language teaching initiatives. Beyond the classroom, he has served as vice dean at the Faculty of Education, focusing on student affairs, and currently heads the university’s International Office, playing a key role in the institution’s internationalization efforts.
As an example of Solmaz’s innovative teaching, he introduced in his undergraduate course, Literature and Language Teaching, a project based on fictional linguistic landscapes. Inspired by Frank Herbert's Dune series, Solmaz created tasks for his students to engage with the fictional linguistic landscapes of the “Duniverse” (reference to the Dune movies). Students created fictional street signs, designed tattoos for characters, reimagined song lyrics, curated social media profiles, and developed lesson plans for English language classrooms—all centered around the world of Dune. His forthcoming monograph, “Fictional Linguistic Landscapes: Merging Fan Practices and Linguistic Landscapes for Language Classrooms,” will be published later this year.
“I am deeply honored and humbly grateful to be named the TESOL Teacher of the Year. I share this recognition with my students, who teach me as much as I teach them, and with my own teachers, as well as the global community of educators who inspire us to keep learning and pushing the boundaries of language teaching,” said Solmaz.