Welcome to Talent Night

Have you ever had a great idea but kept it to yourself because you were afraid to speak up? You are not alone. Many people struggle with self-doubt and fear of failure when it comes to public speaking. Every year TEDxAmsterdam Women hosts Talent Night where we want to give the stage to individuals with little or no experience in public speaking.

At Talent Night, we believe that everyone has a story to tell, a talent to share, and a voice that deserves to be heard. Whether you’re a seasoned public speaker or someone who has never stepped foot on a stage before, Talent Night welcomes you. We give Talent Night participants an opportunity to present their ideas on the prestigious stage in 5 minutes. During these 5 minutes, they strive to convince the jury and the audience of their TED-worthy speech. The winner will get the chance to stand on the main TEDxAmsterdam Women stage in front of 900 people.

Each year, Talent Night and Main Event have a theme, where we look for great ideas relating to that year’s theme. This 2024 theme is ‘Let’s Celebrate’.

In addition to the theme, we look for talks that touch on one of the TED pillars – Technology, Entertainment, Design, Global Issues, Business, Entrepreneurship, Art & Music, Science or Sustainability. Let’s celebrate women, let’s celebrate diversity, let’s celebrate the unseen and unheard. Anything that needs to be celebrated.

Apply Now

Seeking inspiration?

Have a look at our previous contestants and winners of Talent Night!

Lies from Talent Night 2023

Malou from 2022

Sophie-Anne from 2021

Keep up to date!

Follow us on Instagram @tedxamsterdamwomen to get updates on 2024 Talent Night application dates, ticket sales and more.

Press release Talent Night 2024 - Download here

What is TEDxAmsterdam Women?

TEDxAmsterdam Women is a non-commercial, non-political organization, so it is not permitted to refer to a commercial business – there will be no selling from the stage, no political agendas, no proselytizing – only reliable, good science.

Your idea must be new or surprising. It can challenge a pre-existing belief. Or it can be a great basic idea with a compelling new argument behind it. An idea isn’t just a story or a list of facts. A good idea takes evidence, observations and draws a larger conclusion.

Do you have a groundbreaking, heartwarming, or inventive story that you would want to share? Apply for this year’s Talent Night and get a chance to stand on the famous TEDx ‘red dot’.

Applications for Talent Night 2024 are now open!

March 8 – Applications Open
April 30 – Applications Closed
May 12 – Announcement of 20 Finalists
May 25 – Announcement of 10 Finalists
June 6 – Talent Night

Apply now and share your heartening and uplifting ideas!

Apply Now

Application Tips

Application Tips

When it comes to an idea worth spreading, we have 3 essential points to take into account:

  1. Do you have an idea worth spreading? Tell us your idea and make it into one clear sentence
  2. Answer all the questions on the application forms and make sure to keep it short and concise (not more than 3 sentences). It will help you to keep the focus on your idea, and your answers to the questions should strengthen your idea
  3. Remember, even if your story is a personal one, where are you going with it? What’s the key takeaway message for your audience? How do you want to inspire others?

Tips for a successful TEDx Talk

  • Dream big. Strive to create the best talk you have ever given. Reveal something never seen before. Do something the audience will remember forever. Share an idea that could change the world.
  • Show us the real you. Share your passions, your dreams and also your fears. Be vulnerable. Speak of failure as well as of success and connect with your emotions.
  • Make the complex plain. Don’t try to dazzle intellectually. Don’t speak abstractly. Explain! Give examples. Tell stories. Be specific. And make sure you check your sources and data. Oh and skip any commercial, political or religious agenda.
  • Make the story worth listening to. Connect with your audience, make them laugh! Make them cry! Take them on a journey. And make sure your audience feels motivated or more self-aware after your story.
  • Rehearse and prepare. Don’t read your talk. Notes are fine, if necessary. But rehearse a lot and practice out loud and time it!

FAQ Talent Night

Yes, all pitches need to be done in English.

No, participation is totally free of charge

No, we are happy to welcome all participants regardless of location as long as you live in the Netherlands. If you are joining us from out of town, please be aware that you are responsible for any associated expenses.

Our team will review all entries after the submission deadline and respond to all applications. If you haven’t heard from us yet, it might be because we have your incorrect contact details. Please reach out to us at info@tedxamsterdamwomen.nl or send us a DM on Instagram so that we know how to reach you.

After we have reviewed all initial applications, we will update you via email, if you have been selected to proceed to the video submission round. If you haven’t heard anything by May 12, please contact us via email. After the round of video submissions all finalists will be contacted individually.

If you missed the deadline but feel passionately about your idea, please reach out to us at talentnight@tedxamsterdamwomen.nl. We’ll evaluate this and get back to you as soon as possible..

All pitches must be made in person. We want to give you a stage to share your ideas worth spreading. We believe that you need to be there in person to connect with your audience and ensure that your pitch has the biggest impact. You will perform in front of a small live internal audience of the TEDxAmsterdamWomen team, representatives of our partners, our crew, and invited guests by the speakers.

Yes, but consider refining your original idea or submit a new idea that will be in line with this year’s theme.

Team members of the TEDxAmsterdamWomen’s Talent Night team will be reviewing all applications and video submissions

We welcome all people regardless of gender identity. TEDxAmsterdamWomen specifically focuses on the unique way in which women and those who identify as women contribute to the world and women’s issues, spoken from the perspective of all genders. We are looking for ideas that reflect this.