Grab an insider’s view of one of the ways TEDxOshkosh speakers are selected

The community is invited to hear a sampling of prospective speakers in for an upcoming TEDx event in Northeast Wisconsin during public auditions Tuesday, April 30, 2024, in Oshkosh

TEDxOshkosh Pitch Night is open to prospective speakers who wish to apply to speak at the fall event. The public is welcome and encouraged to attend.

Limited slots are available for people interested in becoming a speaker, at which presenters will have four minutes to pitch their Idea Worth Spreading. The curation team will review these along with other candidates, which have in past years topped 300 people per year.

“Pitch Night will give potential speakers and performers the chance to make their case for a spot at the main TEDxOshkosh conference in November,” said Craig Burnett, TEDxOshkosh co-organizer. “The highlight of the event is seeing people engage with each other, sharing their own stories and being inspired to further their ideas and their dreams.” 

This FREE community event gives people an opportunity to hear some of the Idea Hopefuls for TEDxOshkosh 2024.

Important Notes for Speaker Candidates

1. All candidates must read through the details of what TEDxOshkosh is looking for in talk topics, and expectations for speakers
2. Pre-registration is required: complete the online registration form

TEDxOshkosh 2024 Pitch Night | April 30, 2024
The Waters, 1393 Washington Ave., Oshkosh, WI 54901
5:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.

Admission is free - cash bar available

TEDxOshkosh will return to the historic stage at The Grand Oshkosh on Nov. 16

TEDxOshkosh is a full-day conference highlighting live speakers and a small number of select TED videos. The day is designed to build community and conversation during breaks allowing audience members to engage with speakers and other attendees, and during a catered lunch.

TEDxOshkosh will present between 12 and 5 speakers who will share ideas that spark global conversations. Local and international experts including scientists, artists, educators, technology innovators, musicians, social scientists, leading medical practitioners and pioneer manufacturing visionaries have all graced the stage in prior years of TEDxOshkosh. 

“We emphasize the expertise in our own community, which we acknowledge was built by indigenous people, immigrants, refugees, and transplants of all backgrounds and from all over the world. This vibrancy fuels the vision for TEDxOshkosh — a world strengthened by shared curiosity” said Craig Burnett, TEDxOshkosh co-organizer.

Speaker selection for 2024 is underway. For more information about speakers and selected speakers, visit the website. A live, in-person audition will be held in April. 

A nonprofit, TEDxOshkosh is locally organized and produced by a core group of volunteers. The event is open to the public. Registration will open in September. To receive your reminder, updates and registration information, join the mailing list. 

TEDxOshkosh | Nov. 16, 2024
The Grand Oshkosh, 100 High Ave., Oshkosh, WI 54901
8:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.

Put up a Poster at Work, School, or Elsewhere

You may have seen posters about TEDxOshkosh 2023 around town. Would you like to have one to put up at your place of work, school, or play?  We've got you covered with a downloadable, printable (8.5" x 11") PDF poster you can put up to let others know about TEDxOshkosh. Do feel completely free to share the poster with others! 

TEDxOshkosh 2023 - Untamed Imagination Presents 13 Speakers to Challenge Conventional Thinking on Nov. 4

TEDxOshkosh is a full-day conference highlighting live speakers and a small number of select TED videos. The day is designed to build community and conversation during breaks allowing audience members to engage with speakers and other attendees, and during a catered lunch. TEDxOshkosh 2023 will present speakers who stretch common thinking on topics including technology, perception, art, the human experience and more. 

AI-Assisted Theme in 2023

Like TEDx events around the world, TEDxOshkosh curates each annual event with a theme. For 2023, the TEDxOshkosh team took the titles of all of the speakers’ talks, and supplied them, along with goals for theme to Artificial Intelligences (AI) and requested the AIs generate the theme. With that AI assist, TEDxOshkosh selected the theme Untamed Imagination.

The theme-generation process didn’t stop there. Using another AI, the team developed a visually abstract graphic that supports the Untamed Imagination theme and reflects the global reach of TEDxOshkosh talk videos once they are released on the Internet.

Outstanding Speakers Selected from Large Candidate Pool

“Over the seven years of TEDxOshkosh events, our team has consistently been impressed and inspired by the dedicated people who seek to present their ideas — for no financial compensation — on the TEDxOshkosh stage,” said Craig Burnett, TEDxOshkosh co-organizer.

“Our team’s task of speaker and talk selection is a large one. In 2023, for instance, the 13 talks selected were drawn from over 340 candidates. Their breadth of ideas will make for an extremely engaging and enlightening day for our audiences.”

Keep Up With TEDxOshkosh News & Register to Attend

A nonprofit, TEDxOshkosh is locally organized and produced by a core group of volunteers. The event is open to the public. Registration is required. Prices to attend the all-day conference range from $69, $89 or $99 for seats in different areas of the theatre, as well as a special price of $39 for up to 30 high school or college students.

• Register to attend by Oct. 29. 
• To receive your reminder of updates and registration information, join our email list. 

Diverse, Thought-provoking, and Timely Ideas Worth Spreading

Back for our 7th year, the TEDxOshkosh team is thrilled to bring another great group of speakers to the stage at The Grand Oshkosh on November 4. Including the 2023 speakers, TEDxOshkosh will have brought Oshkosh and the world just less than 100 amazing ideas, delivered by an equally amazing group of people with a passion to spread their idea.

Keep track of the speaker announcements every Tuesday and Friday as they appear on our Speakers & Talks page, and in the meantime, start gathering friends to attend Saturday, November 4. It's going to be another great year.