TED Announces Global Talent Search for TED2013 Speakers

NEW YORK, Jan. 31, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- TED, the nonprofit devoted to "Ideas Worth Spreading," opens registration today for its TED2013 conference – with a twist. In order to unearth some of the world's most remarkable voices and ideas, TED will host a 14-city global audition series.  Organizers expect to fill at least half of next year's program, themed "The Young. The Wise. The Undiscovered," with people they discover through the process.

"The search was borne of a realization that TED's best moments often come from unexpected places. We thought, why not leverage TED's expanding global footprint to find even more of those undiscovered voices, to do something completely different?" said Chris Anderson, TED's curator.  "The search is designed to bring together the most remarkable lineup in TED's history. Given what we've already seen from our global TED community, we're confident we'll be wowed."

Audition events are confirmed on six continents: in Amsterdam, Bangalore, Doha, Johannesburg, London, Nairobi, New York, Sao Paulo, Seoul, Shanghai, Sydney, Tokyo, Tunis and Vancouver – all between April and June 2012. TED has tapped local TEDx organizers in each city to produce the events.

Online audition applications, which include the option to upload a short video, will be available for each city at least two months before the audition. From those submissions, TED will invite 30 of the best applicants to each audition, where speakers will have 3-6 minutes to deliver a proposed talk in English. Anyone – with the exception of those who have already spoken at an official TED Conference or have a talk on TED.com – is eligible to apply to auditions in his or her nearest city. In some exceptional cases, TED will contribute to travel costs. 

After auditions in each city have been held, TED will post video of all candidates' talks on TED.com, inviting the public to vote for their top choices. Many of the 50 most popular selections will officially be invited to speak or perform at TED2013, and will make up at least half of the program.   TED will offer coaching and audio-visual support as needed, as well as cover travel and accommodation to Long Beach, California.  Members of the top 50 who aren't a fit for the program will nonetheless receive global recognition on TED.com. 

"Every TED conference weaves together a surprising mix of voices – and 2013 will be no exception," said TED director and talent search judge Kelly Stoetzel.  "By adding the emerging trailblazers, under-celebrated sages, and hidden geniuses we find on this global search to our usual lineup of well-known speakers, we hope to deliver the most thrilling TED conference yet."

For more information about TED's global talent search, click here.

To apply for a membership for the TED2013 conference, click here.

About TED

TED is a nonprofit organization devoted to Ideas Worth Spreading. Started as a four-day conference in California 25 years ago, TED has grown to support those world-changing ideas with multiple initiatives. The annual TED Conference invites the world's leading thinkers and doers to speak for 18 minutes. Their talks are then made available, free, at TED.com. TED speakers have included Bill Gates, Al Gore, Jane Goodall, Elizabeth Gilbert, Sir Richard Branson, Nandan Nilekani, Philippe Starck, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Isabel Allende and former UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown. The annual TED Conference takes place each spring in Long Beach, California, along with the TEDActive simulcast in Palm Springs; the annual TEDGlobal conference is held each summer in Edinburgh, Scotland.

TED's media initiatives include TED.com, where new TEDTalks are posted daily, the Open Translation Project, which provides subtitles and interactive transcripts as well as the ability for any TEDTalk to be translated by volunteers worldwide, and TEDBooks, short e-books by speakers that elaborate on a single idea originally presented on TED's stage. TED has established the annual TED Prize, where exceptional individuals with a wish to change the world are given the opportunity to put their wishes into action; TEDx, which offers individuals or groups a way to host local, self-organized events around the world, and the TED Fellows program, helping world-changing innovators from around the globe to become part of the TED community and, with its help, amplify the impact of their remarkable projects and activities.

Follow TED on Twitter at http://twitter.com/TEDTalks, or on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/TED

Contact: Margaret Sullivan, [email protected], +1 (646) 833-0205

SOURCE TED