Since 2013, BCG has co-hosted and co-produced 15 TED@BCG events in partnership with TED. Together, we combine the best of BCG with the best of TED to create and curate dynamic programs of TED Talks by BCGers, alumni and external experts. To date, over 100 BCGers and BCG alumni have shared their ideas with over 250 million viewers around the world.

How it works 

All BCGers and alumni are invited to fill out a written application. Applications are now closed for TED@BCG 2025. Results will be communicated via email in June. Selected speakers will craft their talk in collaboration with a TED coach before giving their TED Talk to a live audience in Dubai on 23 October. Please reach out to TED@bcg.com with any questions. 

The deadline to apply is Tuesday, 18 February. 

1. Please read through the guidelines below. This will give you a sense of what TED’s curation team is looking for! 
2. If you think someone has an idea worth spreading, encourage them to apply by completing an application.
3. From the applications, TED will select a small pool of applicants who will meet and discuss their idea via a short Zoom call. 
4. TED selects the final speakers, and they develop their talks with a speaker coach.

Application Guidelines

what is a ted talk?

TED Talks are short and engaging talks centered around a single “idea worth spreading.”  We’re looking for Ideas that are new, unique, and can offer an insight or new way of thinking that will be of interest to a curious general audience.

Pick an idea, not a topic 

TED Talks feature “ideas worth spreading.” That means an idea that is new, unique, actionable, and can offer an insight or solution to a large, global audience. For us, an idea is different from a topic. Here’s how we think about the difference:

A topic is high level — If you’ve ever been asked to give a keynote or presentation, you’ve probably been given a topic that’s designed to guide the general direction of your talk. For example:

• Effective leadership
• The future of the shipping industry
• How AI will impact productivity

Topics are broad and great if you’re giving a 30 minute keynote. But at TED, we’re looking for something different. That something is what we call an “idea.”

An idea is a specific angle that stems from a high level topic — it’s a unique message, solution, or insight that only you can share. It should have depth, examples and focus that can all be shared in 8-12 minutes. For example:

• The surprising reason the best leaders don’t always come from the C-suite
• How advances in green hydrogen could reduce emissions from the shipping industry.
• How to know when to use AI to improve productivity and when to let your human brain do the work

WHO ARE WE LOOKING FOR?

We’re looking for leaders and shapers who have new big ideas — or new small ideas with a big new impact. Someone who:

• Has led norm-shattering projects
• Is tackling an old problem with a new strategy
• Has an incredible personal story and a lesson to share
• Creates innovative art, poetry, dance or music
• Convincingly stands up for an unpopular opinion
• Has their nose deep in new research or a new technology
• Has carefully mastered admirable skills like leadership, conversation, time management and can share tips and tricks that have never been heard before.

BEFORE YOU APPLY, Ask yourself these questions 

• Does the idea worth spreading offer the audience a unique insight?
• Will the audience learn something they’ve never heard before?
• Will the audience learn about a new solution to a problem?
• TED is not a platform for product pitches. Are you confident that the idea is not a product pitch?
• Did you check TED’s massive library? Are you sure we don’t already have a talk about that idea?

What Not to Do 

COMMON SUBMISSION PITFALLS

• The idea is not new or unique. While an idea may be new to a speaker’s community, is this concept fresh to the wider world? Does it include new, counterintuitive solutions to a common problem? Could it speak to a greater trend. Check our massive, growing library to be sure the idea doesn’t already exist.
• The idea is too focused on a specific industry and not applicable to a worldwide audience. Challenge yourself to hone in on the universal aspect of the idea. What would make it interesting to someone in another industry or another country?
• It’s a personal narrative without an idea. While life stories can be moving, if they are not built around an idea that can apply to others, they are not well suited for the TED Talk format. If you notice this, excavate the idea within the story by asking: What surprising lesson did you take from this experience that others could learn from? How could you put that idea at the center of your talk and then build upon it with research and evidence to make an overarching point?

While industries continue to evolve, due to the volume of talks on the following topics, we’d encourage you to ensure your perspective is fresh:

• AI (yes, that includes generative AI) 
• Agile 
• Better leadership models 
• Climate (Note: TED is always looking for new and unique solutions to the climate crisis, but they already have a robust collection of talks explaining the science, severity and urgency of the problem. Please check out TED’s COUNTDOWN Talk Library before submitting your climate idea.) 
• Digital transformation 
• Remote work / New ways of working 
• The importance of DEI in the workplace (Note: TED believes DEI is vital, but they are looking for talks that take the DEI conversation to the next level.) 

Ideas we avoid 

Here are some examples of ideas that would likely not be considered: 

• Talks fully based on personal stories (Example: Three lessons I learned trekking the Camino de Santiago.) 
• Talks based on business metaphors (Example: What can businesses learn from sports, COVID, music, etc.) 
• Self-help / wellness advice (unless it’s backed by research and you are an expert in the field) 
• Talks based on a single religious philosophy 

• Talks that pitch a specific product or platform 
• Talks that raise awareness, but don’t offer a solution 

APPLY NOW!