Speaker Applications Open for 2026 TEDxSaltLakeCity
Apply to share an idea on the red dot: TEDxSaltLakeCity invites local speakers to explore “Serendipity, Hacked.”
Salt Lake City’s growing reputation as a hub for innovation and creativity will take center stage this fall as TEDxSaltLakeCity returns for its 14th annual event. Organizers are seeking speakers to explore the theme “Serendipity, Hacked,” highlighting how unexpected discoveries can lead to breakthroughs in technology, entertainment and design.
"Some of the world's greatest breakthroughs started as detours or happy accidents" said Jennafer Martin TEDxSaltLakeCity licensee and organizing committee member. "But what if we could cultivate serendipity rather than waiting for luck to find us?".
The local, independently organized event licensed by TED will be held Saturday, Sept. 26.
TEDxSaltLakeCity offers LOCAL Solutions to LOCAL Challenges.
At a TEDx event, live speakers and performers combine to spark deep discussions and a connection in our community. Applications to speak or perform at TEDxSaltLakeCity are open through March 31, 2026. Those wishing to apply can visit TEDxSaltLakeCity.com.
What to Expect: Visionary Ideas & Impactful Solutions
This year, TEDxSaltLakeCity explores the art and science of unexpected discoveries along the theme Serendipity, Hacked. From breakthroughs in science and technology to creative transformations and social innovation, this event will examine how curiosity, experimentation, and openness can turn chance encounters into powerful ideas that change everything.
Key Dates:
Speaker Applications Open: March 19-31
Performer Applications Open: March 31-April 31
Event Date: Saturday, September 26, 2026 | Salt Lake City
For partnership opportunities or media inquiries, contact
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About TEDxSaltLakeCity
In the spirit of "ideas change everything," TED has created TEDx. TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. Our event is called TEDxSaltLakeCity, where x = independently organized TED event. At TEDxSaltLakeCity, TEDTalks video and live speakers will combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events, including ours, are self-organized.
About TEDx, x = independently organized event
In the spirit of ideas change everything, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TED Talks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x = independently organized TED event. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized. (Subject to certain rules and regulations.)
About TED
TED is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to discovering, debating and spreading ideas that spark conversation, deepen understanding and drive meaningful change. Our organization is devoted to curiosity, reason, wonder and the pursuit of knowledge — without an agenda. We welcome people from every discipline and culture who seek a deeper understanding of the world and connection with others, and we invite everyone to engage with ideas and activate them in your community.
TED began in 1984 as a conference where Technology, Entertainment and Design converged, but today it spans a multitude of worldwide communities and initiatives exploring everything from science and business to education, arts and global issues. In addition to the TED Talks curated from our annual conferences and published on TED.com, we produce original podcasts, short video series, animated educational lessons (TED-Ed) and TV programs that are translated into more than 100 languages and distributed via partnerships around the world. Each year, thousands of independently run TEDx events bring people together to share ideas and bridge divides in communities on every continent. Through the Audacious Project, TED has helped catalyze more than $3 billion in funding for projects that seek to make the world more beautiful, sustainable and just. In 2020, TED launched Countdown, an initiative to accelerate solutions to the climate crisis and mobilize a movement for a net-zero future, and in 2023 TED launched TED Democracy to spark a new kind of conversation focused on realistic pathways towards a more vibrant and equitable future. View a full list of TED’s many programs and initiatives.