TED2022 A NEW ERA
A lot has changed since TED last gathered in Vancouver three years ago. We return not for more of the same, wonderful though that was, but to celebrate a new era. Despite the awfulness we’ve lived through, the future beckons with extraordinary possibilities we couldn’t have dreamt of. In medicine, in AI, in clean energy, in the ways we work, the ways we learn, and in the fundamental economic and social systems that underpin everything else.
Speaker & Performer Applications for
TEDxBrayford Pool 2026
We're pleased to open applications for TEDxBrayford Pool 2026. Rather than setting a theme in advance, we'll shape the event around the ideas and perspectives that emerge through the application process.
We're particularly interested in speakers with something new and surprising to share: an idea, invention, discovery, or perspective that our audience may never have encountered before. We also welcome applications from people exploring familiar topics, provided they bring a fresh argument, challenge established thinking, or offer a new way of understanding the world.
Above all, we're looking for ideas rather than stories or collections of facts. A strong TEDx talk takes evidence, experience, or observation and uses it to reveal a bigger insight—something that can change how people think, feel, or act.
We are eager to consider ideas that:
-
Are radically new
-
Showcase fresh approaches to enduring problems
-
Challenge our conceptions about what’s possible
-
Expose us to cutting-edge research, technology or design
-
Energetically redefine the human experience
We reject ideas that are:
-
Vague or underdeveloped
-
Based on pseudoscience rather than quantifiable and specific data
-
Purely personal or motivational in nature
-
Already ubiquitous
-
Solely about overcoming adversity or obstacles
-
Motivated by or seek to promote corporate, political, or religious agendas
-
Relate exclusively to mental health
-
Are designed to sell personal services such as coaching or marketing
KEY DATES
APPLICATIONS:
Mon 1 Jun
Stage One Applications Open
Fri 3 Jul - 5pm
Stage One Applications Close
EVENTS:
Mon 20 Jul - Evening
Speaker/Performer Orientation & Head Shots (Time TBC, Central Lincoln Venue TBC)
Tue 3 Nov
TEDxBrayfordPool 2026 (Time TBC, University of Lincoln)
COACHING:
ALL coaching dates are mandatory for all successful applicants. In-person session will take place in Lincoln
Mon 20 Jul to Fri 18 Sep - Weekly Release
Mandatory eLearning Programme
W/C Mon 10 Aug, Mon 24 Aug, Mon 7 Sep
1:1 Coaching Check-ins
(In-person, virtual or telephone)
Mon 24 Aug & Mon 21 Sep - 6pm - 7pm
Group Coaching Sessions (Virtual)
Mon 5 Oct & Mon 12 Oct - 6pm to 9pm
Group Coaching Sessions (In-person, Central Lincoln Venue TBC)
Mon 19 Oct & Mon 26 Oct - 6pm to 9pm
Group Coaching Sessions (In-person, Central Lincoln Venue TBC)
APPLICATION GUIDANCE
Before you apply, make sure that you have read the TEDx Content Guidelines. Applications that do not adhere to this guidance will not be considered.
The application process is broken into two parts:
Stage One Applications | Written Application | CLOSING FRI 3 JUL, 5PM
Please complete the application form below. Please aim to be concise, limiting your answers to approximately 500 words per question. You need to demonstrate your uniqueness or the unique perspective of your idea worth spreading, your credibility as an expert (either through qualification or experience) and how your talk fits with the ethos and purpose of TED/TEDx's global goals. You'll also need to demonstrate that you are located within our community or adhere to the geographic criteria of special events.
Our team will respond by Mon 6 Jul either inviting you to progress to stage two or letting you know you've been unsuccessful this time. We will always try to provide feedback to unsuccessful applicants.
Stage Two Applications | INVITATION ONLY | Video Application | CLOSING FRI 10 JUL, 5PM
Successful stage one applicants will be invited to upload a 3-minute video about their talk to a secure cloud service. Video submissions will be reviewed by our full selection committee and the final decision will be made by Mon 13 Jul.
NOTES:
-
Please remember, everyone involved with TEDxBrayfordPool is a volunteer; speakers and performers are unpaid.
-
In order to satisfy the criteria of our licences from TED, successful applicants will be expected to meet deadlines set by the committee, submit a full script for review of content and referencing, and attend mandatory coaching and presentation workshops. Failure to meet any of these requirements may result in your invitation to participate in the event being revoked. TEDxBrayford Pool reserves the right to change the line-up at any point.
-
Whilst anyone is welcome to apply to speak or perform at our events, applicants from Lincoln and Lincolnshire will be given preferential consideration over those from further afield. Applicants from outside the UK will not be considered.
-
Applicants under the age of 18 will need the consent of a legal guardian. Evidence of this will be required.
HAVE YOU READ THE GUIDANCE ABOVE?
TERMS AND CONDITIONS:
-
PLEASE NOTE: We cannot accept applications from outside of the UK.
-
Applicants under the age of 18 will need the consent of a legal guardian. Evidence of this will be required.
-
Presentations will be between 5 and 15 minutes in length, with the final length determined by the TEDxBrayford Pool coaching team.
-
Presenters will not be paid for their talk.
-
Successful applicants will be required to participate in mandatory coaching and presentation workshops.
-
No podium.
-
All talks will be video recorded and uploaded to the TEDx YouTube channel for global viewing.
-
Presenters should plan on being present throughout the whole TEDxBrayford Pool event; our audience wants to meet you and ask questions.
-
Presenters must have, and be able to demonstrate, copyright ownership of any images or videos included in their talk. If you use an image under a Creative Commons license, cite the source at the bottom of the slide.
-
TEDxBrayford Pool reserve the right to amend the line-up for any event at any time.