Thank you for your interest in applying to become a TEDxAkron speaker for our 2025 “Shaking The Rules” event this fall!
Please fill out the application below so we can learn more about you and your TEDx Talk idea(s) for this year’s event and theme. We will be accepting applications through Sunday, May 4, 2025. And while we assume you have thoroughly read the Learn More page, here are a few quick key reminders before you begin:
The best TED talks are about sharing BIG IDEAS. Sharing a big idea is about informing, inspiring, and creating surprise and delight with our audience.
Your idea should be unique and have the potential to spark conversations and make a positive impact. Do your research. Watch other TEDx and TED talks. You are being asked to share something innovative, a new take, a fresh perspective on something that is well known or entirely new.
We ask that you think critically about this year’s theme when pitching us your idea. You might have a dozen amazing TED Talk ideas, but if they don’t fit this year’s theme, that might just mean you need to wait until we have a theme during a year that does match your idea and apply then.
What do we mean by “Shaking The Rules” this year?
This year’s TEDxAkron event is seeking speakers who have questioned the status quo, redefined boundaries, or seen the world through a different lens. A play on the idea of “breaking the rules”, the theme of “Shaking The Rules” isn’t just about the classic idea or actions of rebellion—it’s about presenting a vision, offering an exploration, and having the courage to ask, What if? From exploring bold innovations to calling for quiet revolutions, from rethinking our shared history to redesigning the future of Akron, we are seeking speaker topics that will explore the gray spaces where transformation happens. Because sometimes, progress isn’t about breaking the rules—it’s about shaking them.
Are you seeing the vision? Are you excited? Is this the right year to have you on stage? Then let’s get started….
SPEAKER APPLICATION | TEDxAkron 2025 Shaking The Rules