TED Opens Application Process for Fellows Program

NEW YORK, Jan. 18, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- TED, the nonprofit devoted to Ideas Worth Spreading, today announces it is opening submissions for the next round of TEDGlobal Fellows. Launched by TED in February 2009, the Fellows program handpicks world-changing innovators from around the globe, and brings them to the TED stage – literally and figuratively – to raise international awareness for their remarkable work. The next round of Fellows will participate in the TEDGlobal 2011 conference in the extraordinary city of Edinburgh, Scotland.

Fellows hail from 58 countries, six continents and many endeavors including technology, entertainment, design, science, humanities, the arts, entrepreneurship and the NGO world. Examples include a Chilean primatologist who works with bonobos in the Congo, an Israeli clean-energy designer, a world-class Indian-American violist who brings classical music to the mentally ill, a Nigerian presidential candidate, an Australian underwater performance artist, two Kenyan co-creators of a website for crowd-sourced crisis information, a Spanish architect who bases his buildings in part on fractals, and an Indian scientist using computation to create artificial life.

"We're seeking amazing people who have demonstrated phenomenal achievement in their chosen fields and who have the potential to have a huge and positive further impact," said TED Fellows Director Tom Rielly. "The Fellows program aims to slingshot each Fellow's eye-opening ideas and projects."

The TED Fellows program seeks candidates who demonstrate remarkable achievement in their field of endeavor, focusing on individuals from five regions: Asia/Pacific, Africa, the Caribbean, Latin America and the Middle East. The program focuses on candidates from 21-50, though anyone over the age of 18 is eligible.

As part of the Fellowship, TEDGlobal Fellows receive conference admission, round-trip transportation, and room and board for TEDGlobal 2011, July 11-15, 2011, in Edinburgh, Scotland. Fellows participate in a two-day pre-conference where they can present a short talk about their work that may be considered for TED.com. Other benefits include skill-building courses taught by world experts, social opportunities and world-class coaching and mentoring.

Fellows who have attended past conferences have reported validation of their work, emotional and creative recharging, powerful relationships, and a chance to step outside their disciplines. Tangible results include public nonprofit and startup funding, grants, arts projects, board members, book deals, scientific papers, new laboratories, other fellowships and honors, and inter-fellow collaboration, among a myriad of other concrete outcomes.

For more information about TED Fellows and to apply, please visit www.ted.com/fellows. To recommend a great candidate, email [email protected]. Follow TED Fellows on Twitter, Facebook and watch Fellows talks on YouTube.

The program is made possible by the visionary support of the Bezos Family Foundation and the Harnisch Foundation.

About TED

TED is a nonprofit organization devoted to Ideas Worth Spreading. Started as a four-day conference in California 26 years ago, TED has grown to support those world-changing ideas with multiple initiatives. At TED, the world's leading thinkers and doers are asked to give the talk of their lives in 18 minutes. Talks are then made available, free, at TED.com. TED speakers have included Bill Gates, Al Gore, Jane Goodall, Elizabeth Gilbert, Sir Richard Branson, Benoit Mandelbrot, Philippe Starck, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Isabel Allende and former UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown. Two major TED events are held each year: The TED Conference takes place every spring in Long Beach, California (along with a simulcast, TEDActive, in Palm Springs), and TEDGlobal is held each summer in Edinburgh, Scotland.

TED's media initiatives include TED.com, where new TEDTalks are posted daily; the Open TV Project, bringing TEDTalks to global broadcast networks; and the Open Translation Project, which provides English subtitles and interactive transcripts and allows any TEDTalk to be translated into any language by volunteers worldwide. TED has established the annual TED Prize, where exceptional individuals win "one wish to change the world"; TEDx, which supports individuals and groups in hosting 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 amplify the impact of their remarkable projects and activities.

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.

TED's media initiatives include TED.com, where new TEDTalks are posted daily; the Open TV Project, bringing TEDTalks to global broadcast networks; and the Open Translation Project, which provides subtitles and interactive transcripts as well as the ability for any TEDTalk to be translated by volunteers worldwide.

TED2011, "The Rediscovery of Wonder," will be held February 21-25, 2011, in Long Beach, California, along with the TEDActive simulcast in Palm Springs, California. TEDGlobal 2011, "The Stuff of Life," will be held July 11-15, 2011, in Edinburgh, Scotland.

Contact: Ben Kellogg, Group SJR, [email protected], (646) 495-9722

SOURCE TED