Speaking at TED

At TED, we search year-round for speakers who will inform and inspire, surprise and delight. Our presenters run the world's most admired companies and design its best-loved products; they invent world-changing devices and create ground-breaking media. TED also seeks out emerging artists, scientists and thinkers, introducing them to the TED community well before they hit the mainstream.

Collectively, TED speakers have won every major prize awarded for excellence, including the Nobel, Pritzker, Fields, Pulitzer, Oscar, Grammy, Emmy, Tony and MacArthur "genius" grant.

Some of these remarkable people have included primatologist Jane Goodall, Microsoft founder Bill Gates, legal expert Bryan Stevenson, roboticist Simone Giertz, Nigerian finance minister Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, AI pioneer Kai-Fu Lee, mental health activist Dixon Chabanda, biologist E.O. Wilson, photojournalist James Nachtwey, astronaut Mae Jemison, Nobel laureates including Daniel Kahneman, Murray Gell-Man, Jodie Williams and Leymah Gbowee, designer Phillipe Starck, theorist Zeynep Tufekci, moviemaker JJ Abrams, Segway inventor Dean Kamen, writers including Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and Elif Shafak, Google founders Sergey Brin and Larry Page, educator Rita Pierson …Browse all TED Speakers

If you know someone who belongs on our roster, or if you belong there yourself, we want to hear from you! Please use our speaker nomination form, and tell us why this person would be well-matched to the TED stage.

Multiple nominations for the same person won't influence the speaker selection team in any way. We review every nomination that comes in, and it only takes one.

TED isn't a typical conference. The TED audience has high expectations of the speakers; the TED speaker team works with speakers well in advance of the conference to help shape a presentation that will succeed on the TED stage. TED is the place to give the talk of your life.

How do I suggest a speaker?
Use our speaker nomination form, and fill in as much information as you can. This form goes directly to our speaker selection team.

Can I suggest someone I don't know personally? You ask for their email address, and I don't know it.
Please do! Just let us know how you've heard about this person, and why you think they should speak at TED.

Can I suggest someone I work for, or a client of mine?
Yes.

Can I suggest myself as a speaker?
Yes.

Can I speak at TED by becoming a sponsor?
No. Read more about partnering with TED. Sponsoring TED has many benefits, but a guaranteed speaking slot is not one of them.

Will it help if I submit multiple nominations, or have my friends nominate me several times?
No. It really only takes one suggestion.

Is there a deadline for suggesting a speaker?
We accept nominations all the time. It's best to get your suggestions to us as early as possible, so we can research them carefully and make the best decision on the speaker roster.

I want to speak at TED, but my usual talk runs 50 minutes. Can I get a longer slot?
We strictly enforce the clock for all speakers. TED is the place to condense your ideas into a compelling 18-minute talk that communicates your best ideas. We've found that a carefully prepared presentation of this length can have astonishing impact.

Do you have keynotes or panels?
At TED, everyone hears every presentation; there are no breakout sessions or tracks, no keynotes, and very rarely are there panels (though we have had debates).

What do you pay speakers?
TED does not pay speakers. We do, of course, cover travel costs and provide excellent hotel accommodation -- as well as a covetable pass to all five days of TED. Most speakers stay for the whole conference, soaking up the talks and connecting with other attendees. Other benefits include pre-conference coaching and training, special events for networking, the gift bag, and a web archive of the full conference. We are committed to creating an experience that's tremendously fulfilling and beneficial on all sides.

An additional benefit of speaking at TED is that your presentation may become a TED Talk, part of our beautifully produced, broadcast-quality video series. Not all talks given on the TED stage will automatically become online TED Talks, but we hope most do.