# TEDx talk: how experts are selected and what it costs

Author: Marin Niehues, Stage Starter · Published: 2026-04-15
Topic: Becoming a Speaker (https://www.stage-starter.de/en/blog/topic/becoming-a-speaker/)
Source: https://www.stage-starter.de/en/blog/tedx-talk/

A TEDx talk cannot be bought, because TED declares every fee-based TEDx service illegitimate, and the volunteer teams behind each event select their speakers solely on the idea. The occasion is the TED2026 conference, which began in Vancouver on 13 April 2026 and is the last one held at its current venue before TED moves to San Diego in 2027. On its [programme page](https://www.ted.com/about/programs-initiatives/tedx-program) TED states that more than 4,000 TEDx events are held every year, and local teams organise each of them independently. For experts this means applying through the public application form of an event and bringing an idea that works without promoting their own company. For sales, specialist conferences with a call for papers remain the complement.

**Key points at a glance**
- TED2026 began in Vancouver on 13 April 2026 and is, according to TED, the last conference at the current venue, with San Diego following in 2027.
- TED announced the move on 2 December 2025 after twelve years in Vancouver and cites more than 13,000 TEDx events in 150 countries since the start.
- More than 4,000 TEDx events take place every year according to TED, which is about eleven a day.
- A TEDx talk typically runs under 18 minutes, 3 to 9 minutes is ideal, and TEDx events may neither pay speakers nor charge them.
- According to the TEDx rules, speakers may not promote their own products, books or businesses from the stage.

## TEDx talk and TED2026: what the move from Vancouver to San Diego means

On the first day of TED2026, 13 April 2026, the session “All of Us” opened with seven speakers, as the [TED blog](https://blog.ted.com/7-things-we-learned-at-day-1-of-ted2026/amp/) reports. Among those on stage were Malala Yousafzai and Mark Rober as well as Silvana Konermann of the Arc Institute. The blog calls the conference the last at the current venue in Vancouver before TED begins a new chapter.

TED described that chapter on 2 December 2025 in a [post about the move](https://blog.ted.com/ted-finds-its-next-stage-in-san-diego/): after twelve years in Vancouver, the annual main conference will take place in San Diego from 2027. TED intends to announce the programme, the ticket structure and the prices for 2027 after the 2026 conference. In the same announcement TED cites more than 13,000 TEDx events in 150 countries since the start. The move concerns the main conference. TEDx events are run by local teams independently of it.

## What a TEDx talk is and how it differs from TED

A TEDx talk is a talk at a locally and independently organised event that works under a free licence from TED and follows the TEDx format. TED2026 in Vancouver, by contrast, is the main conference of TED itself. According to TED, the organisers are volunteers who commit to the format and to guidelines for curation and production.

These volunteers matter to you, because they do the selecting. On its page [Speaking at TEDx](https://www.ted.com/about/conferences/speaking-at-tedx), TED writes that each speaker is selected by the volunteers without influence from sponsors, government or any organisations, and solely on the idea the speaker is putting into the world through their work. On professional speakers the page is explicit: TEDx is not a platform for professional or circuit speakers, such as motivational speakers and life coaches.

## How speakers are selected for a TEDx talk

The [guide for organisers](https://www.ted.com/participate/organize-a-local-tedx-event/tedx-organizer-guide/speakers-program/what-is-a-tedx-talk) sums up the selection in five words: “Look for ideas, not speakers.” An idea is accordingly either new and surprising, or it brings a new, challenging argument to a familiar thought. It needs evidence and a conclusion, because according to the guide an anecdote or a list of facts is not yet an idea. Stories may illustrate an argument and do not replace it. The organisers also check whether a speaker is rooted locally, presents their field in a new way and adds diversity to the programme.

The following table compares the TEDx rules with a talk at a specialist conference, where the right-hand column describes the usual case and individual organisers may differ.

**TEDx talk and talk at a specialist conference compared**
Criterion | TEDx talk | Talk at a specialist conference
Application | Public application form on the event page at TED.com | Call for papers with an abstract
Who selects | Volunteer team, solely on the idea | Programme committee, by abstract and topic
Length | Typically under 18 minutes, ideally 3 to 9 minutes | Varies by format
Fee | Speakers are neither paid nor charged | Varies by conference
Promoting your own company | Excluded | Regulated by each conference

For experts in B2B fields the last row gives a clear picture. The TEDx rules permit product demos, technology or books only when they bolster an idea presented in the talk. A TEDx talk therefore gives you a recording that TED distributes on its digital channels under the release you sign, and selling from the stage is excluded. How talks at specialist conferences generate business is covered in [Why the specialist conference works so well as a sales channel](/en/blog/industry-conference-as-a-sales-channel/).

## Applying for a TEDx talk: an example calculation with ten applications

TED gives no figure for acceptance rates, so the following calculation is an example with assumptions. Suppose one in ten applications to a TEDx event leads to a talk, then you need ten applications for one talk. If you allow three hours per application for describing your idea and your details, that comes to 30 hours of application work.

Set against this is the number of opportunities. With more than 4,000 events a year, at least eleven take place worldwide on an average day. You can only apply to events that offer a public form and that you can reach.

## How to apply for a TEDx talk: five steps

1. Put the idea in one sentence: As a test, the organisers’ guide says: if a speaker can be described without the idea coming up, the idea needs sharpening. Your sentence therefore contains an argument with evidence from your work.
2. Look for events with a public form: TED advises contacting only organisers that provide a public application form on their official event page at TED.com. According to TED, unsolicited messages to volunteers on social media are likely to receive a cold response.
3. Apply once per event: According to TED, multiple nominations for the same person do not influence the selection.
4. Check the local connection: Organisers look for speakers who are rooted locally. Name your city, your region or your client base there in the application.
5. Cut the topic to nine minutes at most: According to the TEDx rules, 3 to 9 minutes is ideal. An idea that is too large for that belongs at a specialist conference, as [How to get on a conference stage](/en/blog/how-to-get-on-a-conference-stage/) describes.

An application costs you time and no money. Under TED’s rules a speaker may pay nothing, including production costs, recruiting sponsors, buying ticket blocks or hiring coaches, and an offer that sells a place operates outside those rules. How to assess such offers at other conferences is covered in [Do speakers have to pay for the stage?](/en/blog/do-speakers-have-to-pay-for-the-stage/).

**A TEDx talk comes from an idea backed by evidence and an application through the public form of an event, and it gives you a stage without promotion for your own company.**

**Stage Starter and your way onto conference stages**
Stage Starter is a speaker agency for entrepreneurs and independent professionals and works with specialist conferences that run a call for papers. We develop your talk with you, write your abstracts in several versions, research the conferences where your customers are, submit on your behalf and follow up with the organisers. We do not place speakers at TEDx events, because TED declares every fee-based TEDx service illegitimate. Marin Niehues, the founder of Stage Starter, has received more than 100 invitations and has spoken at more than 50 conferences in 30 countries on six continents, and Sessionize named him Most Active Speaker in 2024 and 2025. In an [initial consultation](/en/erstgespraech/) we discuss the topic that takes you onto the stages of your industry.

**Anyone who wants to give a TEDx talk applies with an idea backed by evidence through the public form of an event and plans for nine minutes at most, without promotion. For business that comes out of a talk, specialist conferences with a call for papers belong alongside, because they leave more time for your work and your cases.**

## Frequently asked questions

### How do I get a TEDx talk?

You apply to a TEDx event that offers a public application form on its official page at TED.com and describe your idea with evidence. The event’s volunteers select speakers solely on the idea. According to TED, multiple nominations for the same person do not help, and unsolicited messages on social media are likely to receive a cold response.

### Does a TEDx talk cost money?

No. According to TED, TEDx events may neither pay speakers nor charge them, and every fee-based “TEDx service” is illegitimate. Anyone who offers to sell you a TEDx place is acting outside TED’s rules.

### How long is a TEDx talk?

A TEDx talk typically runs under 18 minutes. According to the TEDx rules 3 to 9 minutes is ideal, and dialogues or interviews can last up to 30 minutes.

### May I promote my company in a TEDx talk?

No. According to the TEDx rules, speakers may not promote their own products, books or businesses, nor those of their employer. Product demos and technology are allowed only when they bolster an idea presented in the talk.

### What is the difference between TED and TEDx?

TED2026 is the main conference of TED, which began in Vancouver on 13 April 2026. TEDx events are organised by local volunteers independently, work under a free licence from TED and follow its format.