293 TED Talks Unveiled after Global Talent Search

NEW YORK, July 11, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- TED, the nonprofit devoted to "Ideas Worth Spreading," today released the 293 short TED Talks given during a global talent search [http://talentsearch.ted.com].  The talks were recorded during a 14-country, six-continent tour designed in part to find speakers for the TED2013 conference in Long Beach, CA, themed "The Young. The Wise. The Undiscovered." 

A minimum of 20 of the 293 speakers and performers will receive invitations to TED2013. And today TED is opening that selection process to public participation. From now through August 31, people can view, rate and comment on the videos. While TED will ultimately maintain curatorial control, public ratings and feedback will play a key role in determining who takes the stage at TED2013.

"It was a remarkable experience to travel the globe and be blown away by unexpected people," said Chris Anderson, TED's curator. "We want to share this experience and open the selection of next year's speakers to the world. We're confident that the combination of this global search, paired with feedback from around the world, will create a thrilling lineup of the young, wise, and undiscovered. And quite apart from that, this new archive of talks offers a stimulating and inspiring viewing experience in its own right. You will find here amazing inventions, brilliant insights, persuasive arguments, glorious creativity, hilarious stories and fabulous performance skills."

TED talent search events were held between April and June 2012 on six continents and in 14 cities: Amsterdam, Bangalore, Doha, Johannesburg, London, Nairobi, New York, Sao Paulo, Seoul, Shanghai, Sydney, Tokyo, Tunis and Vancouver. For each, TED tapped local TEDx organizers to produce the events.

TED received more than 2,000 online applications. From those – plus additional speakers and performers specifically invited by TED – the team selected 293 speakers to present short versions of a TEDTalk (typically 3-6 minutes). Now, the public will score their top choices.

Selected speakers will be notified in September. TED will offer them additional coaching and audio-visual support, as well as travel and accommodation to Long Beach. 

"What makes TED unique is the incredible array of experiences, voices, and backgrounds represented both onstage and in the audience," said TED Content Director Kelly Stoetzel.  "By opening up the speaker selection process, we have unearthed some beautiful stories and inspiring speakers. I am eager to hear what the public has to say, and who will ultimately take to the TED stage."

For more information about TED's global talent search, 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: Erin Allweiss, [email protected], +1 (917) 512-2118

SOURCE TED