TED Speaker Nominations [Self-Nominations Accepted; No Deadline]: Submit Online

TED is accepting speaker nominations for its future conferences. Individuals may nominate themselves or recommend another person with a distinctive, original idea worth sharing. Nominations are accepted throughout the year, with no fixed submission deadline.

Click here to submit a TED speaker nomination.

About TED

TED is a global nonprofit media organisation devoted to discovering and sharing ideas.

TED Conferences bring together thinkers, researchers, artists, entrepreneurs, educators, innovators and community leaders whose work can inform, challenge or inspire audiences.

TED also identifies emerging thinkers and creators who may not yet be widely known but have a compelling idea and the ability to communicate it effectively.

About TED Speaker Nominations

The TED Speaker Nomination Form allows people worldwide to recommend potential speakers for future TED Conferences.

You may:

• Nominate yourself.
• Nominate someone you know personally.
• Nominate someone you do not know.
• Recommend a colleague, client or employee.
• Suggest an emerging thinker, creator or changemaker.

The nomination goes directly to TED’s speaker-selection team and remains in its database for consideration for future conferences.

Important Clarification: TED and TEDx Are Different

This nomination form is for future conferences organised directly by TED.

It is not an application for a local, independently organised TEDx event. Those interested in speaking at a TEDx event must contact the relevant TEDx organiser through that event’s website or social-media channels.

Selection by a TEDx event does not mean selection as a speaker for a TED Conference.

Who Can Be Nominated?

The official nomination form does not specify:

• An age restriction.
• A nationality requirement.
• A minimum educational qualification.
• A required profession.
• A fixed number of years of experience.
• A requirement to be famous or publicly recognised.

TED considers speakers from different countries, disciplines and stages of their careers.

The central requirement is a strong, original idea that can be presented clearly and supported by relevant knowledge or experience.

Can You Nominate Yourself?

Yes. Self-nominations are accepted.

Candidates may nominate themselves by selecting the relevant option in the form and providing the requested information about their background, work and proposed talk idea.

A nomination from another person does not automatically carry more weight than a self-nomination.

Can You Nominate Someone You Do Not Know?

Yes. TED permits nominations of people whom the nominator does not personally know.

Applicants should explain how they learned about the proposed speaker, why that person’s work is important and why the idea would be suitable for the TED stage.

If some contact information is unavailable, the nominator should provide as much accurate information as possible.

What Is TED Looking For?

TED searches throughout the year for speakers who can:

• Inform and educate audiences.
• Present a genuinely new or under-recognised idea.
• Challenge conventional thinking.
• Explain complex subjects clearly.
• Offer credible evidence or firsthand insight.
• Introduce meaningful work to a wider audience.
• Inspire reflection or action without giving a promotional speech.

The strongest nomination focuses on the proposed idea, rather than listing awards, job titles or general achievements.

Eligible Subject Areas

The nomination form allows up to three categories to be selected from areas including:

• Adventure and exploration
• Architecture
• Art, design and literature
• Business and economics
• Education
• Environment
• Food and agriculture
• Law and human rights
• Media and entertainment
• Music
• Religion and spirituality
• Science and medicine
• Social sciences
• Sports
• Technology
• Other relevant fields

Information Required About the Nominator

The person submitting the nomination must provide:

• First name
• Last name
• Email address
• Telephone number

The nominator must also consent to TED processing the submitted information for evaluating the nomination.

Information Required About the Nominee

The form asks for:

• First and last name
• Email address
• Telephone number
• City and country
• Gender
• Brief biography
• Connection between the nominee and the proposed topic
• The distinctive idea they want to share
• Explanation of what makes the idea new
• One-sentence audience takeaway
• Relevant subject categories
• Previous public-speaking experience
• Links to video or audio recordings
• Links to articles or webpages about the nominee
• Whether the nominator knows the person personally

How to Present the Talk Idea

The nomination should identify one focused idea rather than a broad subject.

A strong response should explain:

1. What is the central idea?
2. What makes it different or new?
3. Why is the nominee qualified to present it?
4. Why does the idea matter now?
5. What should the audience understand, feel or do after hearing it?
6. What evidence, experience or work supports the idea?

Avoid vague descriptions such as “the nominee will speak about leadership” or “the speaker will inspire young people.”

A stronger proposal identifies a clear claim, insight, discovery or approach that the audience is unlikely to have encountered before.

Click here to open the official TED Speaker Nomination Form.

Supporting Links

TED allows nominators to provide links to:

• Previous talks
• Interviews
• Podcasts
• Lectures
• Presentations
• News coverage
• Research
• Articles
• Personal or organisational webpages

Previous public-speaking experience can help the selection team understand the nominee’s communication ability, but the official page does not state that it is mandatory.

Does Submitting Multiple Nominations Help?

No. TED states that multiple nominations for the same person do not influence its selection team.

Having friends, colleagues or followers repeatedly submit the same nomination will not improve the candidate’s chances. One complete, thoughtful and evidence-supported nomination is sufficient.

Selection and Communication

TED reviews every nomination it receives.

However, because of the volume of submissions, TED cannot personally respond to every nominator or nominee. Someone from TED will contact the candidate or nominator only if additional information or further discussion is required.

Submitting a nomination does not guarantee:

• A response from TED.
• An interview.
• Selection as a speaker.
• Participation in a particular conference.
• Publication of a TED Talk online.

Nominations remain in TED’s database and may be considered for future conferences.

What Happens If Someone Is Selected?

TED works with selected speakers in advance to shape and prepare their presentations.

TED talks generally focus on a single idea and are carefully prepared within a short format. TED states that many presentations last approximately 10–12 minutes, while some may be as short as six to eight minutes.

TED does not pay speakers a speaking fee. However, for selected speakers, it provides:

• A full conference pass.
• Travel to the conference.
• Accommodation.
• Pre-conference coaching and training.
• Networking opportunities and special events.
• A small stipend intended to reduce the financial impact of participating.

A presentation delivered at a TED Conference may later be published as an official TED Talk, but online publication is not automatic for every presentation.

How to Submit a Nomination?

Interested nominators may follow these steps:

1. Open the official TED Speaker Nomination Form.
2. Enter the nominator’s contact information.
3. Indicate whether it is a self-nomination.
4. Provide the nominee’s contact and location details.
5. Write a brief, relevant biography.
6. Describe the unique proposed talk idea.
7. Explain what makes the idea new.
8. Write the main audience takeaway in one sentence.
9. Select up to three relevant categories.
10. Add speaking, media, research or article links where available.
11. Review the privacy information.
12. Provide consent and submit the nomination.

Nomination Deadline

There is no fixed deadline.

TED accepts speaker nominations throughout the year. However, submitting early gives its team more time to research the nominee and consider the idea when planning future conference programmes.

Click here to nominate yourself or another person for a future TED Conference.

Click here to read TED’s official speaker FAQ.