FAQs
Applications for TEDxFolkestone 2021 open on Monday 15th June 2020. You can apply by clicking here
Applications for TEDxFolkestone close at midnight on Monday 15th September. You can apply by clicking here
By 30th September we will have selected a shortlist of 20 speakers and 6 performers who will then progress to a 20 minute telephone interview. The outcomes of these telephone interviews will then be used to select a final group of 10 speakers and 3 performers by 31st October
Like a good magazine article, your idea can be new or surprising, or challenge a belief your audience already has. 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, it instead takes evidence or observations and draws a larger conclusion. (copied from the official TEDx Speaker guide)
TEDx talks are locally organised versions of TED talks and have to follow all the same rules, guidelines and aims of TED. However, all TED and TEDx talks are about ideas and not about the person speaking. What we look for when choosing talks, is to ask ourselves that when someone finishes listening to a talk, will they will remember the idea more than the person who delivered it? Therefore, when thinking about your speaker application, do not worry about previous speaking experience or confidence in presenting as we will help you with this and instead try to be clear on what your idea is and whether it (or at least your take on it) is truly new and innovative, and will leave the audience with something truly thought provoking. (this was largely lifted from the licence feedback from TED)
The theme for 2021 is ‘A New Horizon’. We are more than happy for all applications to have their own take on this theme, but here are some things to think about to help with your application with this theme: What is coming next? How can you reimagine something that hasn’t happened yet? What will be possible in the future that wasn’t possible before? What things do we need to think about for the future? What can we change today to reimagine our future?
We have had a range of talks and performances over the past 3 years, delivering 33 talks and 5 performances, which have to date received almost 1,400,000 views from all over the world and counting. To see some of our previous talks, please click here
Applications for TEDxFolkestone are open from 15th June to 15th September 2020. You can only apply via the application form on the TEDxFolkestone application page, which gives you details on what we are looking for, the key dates all speakers need to adhere to our Social Agreement. At the bottom of the application page, click to apply based on whether you are a potential speaker or performer and you will have several questions to answer plus the requirement to share a photo (ideally good lighting and a white background) the link to a 2 minute (maximum) video to support your application (see separate FAQ if you need help on how to record and upload a video). Once submitted we will upload your application to its own dedicated folder and send you confirmation that your application has been received.
By the 30th September we will have defined a shortlist of 20 speakers and 6 performers who will then all have a 20-minute telephone interview before the 14th October, with one of the TEDxFolkestone team, with the final selection of 9 speakers and 3 performers being finalised by 31st October.
After this point, all speakers and performers will be supported via a team of experts and mentors to help them refine their talk or performance, build confidence and ensure they deliver the best talk or performance possible on Saturday 27th February 2021 at the Quarterhouse in Folkestone.
Please note: Due to COVID-19 there is a need to remain flexible in the event of further lockdown measures that could be enforced by the UK government. Should this occur, there may be a need to revise the date of the main event itself and hence some of the workshop dates. If this is the case, we will notify all those involved as soon as possible and advise of revised dates in our contingency plan. Until then we will proceed as outlined here and appreciate your understanding.
1. Please provide your full name, address, email and contact number.
2. Please outline your main idea in relation to the theme ‘A New Horizon.’ (250 words max).
You will also be asked to:
3. Upload a well-lit, good-quality photo of you. (jpg, png, gif, webm only).
4. Tell us what is your favourite TED/TEDx talk and why? Please provide a link to the talk (250 words max).
5. Provide a video of yourself (2 minutes max) (youtube or vimeo link address and password if applicable).
6. Confirm that you have read and agree with the terms of the TEDx Folkestone Privacy Policy and Social Agreement.
Yes. As the nature of talks and performances are different there is a separate application form for speakers and performers . However, the process of selection in terms of key dates, telephone interviews and adherence to the TED rules remains the same.
In your 2 minute (max) video, we would like you to tell us a bit about yourself in terms of who you are, what you do and why you are passionate about the idea in your application. Please do not replicate what you have put in your written application, but instead try to add value by bringing your passion and idea to life.
As part of every application we require a 2-minute (max) video to support your written application. At the bottom of the online application form after you have entered all your details about you and your talk, there will be a place to input a link to your video. A video can be uploaded to the internet in various ways, but the most popular and effective ways are to add it to YouTube or Vimeo, or uploading it to an online storage location such as Dropbox or Google Drive. All of these options are free (some with a free trial) but may require you setting up an account if you don’t have one already. You can set these videos as private and even password protect them (please let us know the password in your application so we can view your video) if you don’t want any third parties to see them. If you are unsure on how to upload your video there are many tutorials online that show you how in detail.
You can film your application video on any device that enables you to record video, whether this is a phone, video camera, webcam etc. It doesn’t need to be super polished so can be done selfie style with just your face or your whole body. All we require is a video that is 2 minutes or less that supports your application and we can easily hear what you are saying, so don’t stand too far away from the camera!
We need a video that is 2 minutes or less. If your video is over 2 minutes we will be unable to review it and will ask for a shorter version to be resubmitted.
If you do not submit a video as part of your speaker application (or another form of content as part of the performance application), then we will be unable to consider you to speak or perform for TEDxFolkestone 2021, as it is an integral part of the application process.
At TEDx Folkestone, we pride ourselves on building a community of speakers, who not only deliver thought provoking messages, but who build friendships and networks within the TEDx community too. This is why we have developed a Social Agreement (hyperlink to pdf social agreement in new tab) that outlines to all applicants what we expect of our speakers and performers, and what they can expect in return. We ask all applicants to read and agree to this Social Agreement before applying, as we only want to accept speakers and performers who are as dedicated as the volunteer team who run TEDxFolkestone to deliver the best talks and performances possible.
It’s all about having a good idea. It needs to be interesting, new or unique (or at least a new perspective on an existing idea), it needs to be factual and realistic, and it has to have a connection with the theme of “A New Horizon”. If it does all of this, then you will have the foundations of great TEDx talk.
If you have more than one idea that aligns with the theme of “A New Horizon”, is thought provoking and you can credibly talk about it, then please feel free to do another application and it will be considered. However, please do not submit more than one idea per application otherwise it will not be considered.
Yes. We know that it can take time to refine your idea and that those ‘a-ha’ moments can come at any time, so are more than happy for you to refine your application by contacting us before the deadline of 15th September 2020. Please note that these updates must only relate to the questions asked in the application or an updated video and not any supplementary information, in order to keep the application fair for all applicants.
All the rules for delivering a TED talk can be found here in the official TEDx Speaker guide or here in the official illustrated TEDx speaker guide. The most notable rules are that the talks cannot be longer than 18 minutes, any information shared is fact checked from credible sources, no selling of services, all imagery fully licenced, not to share bad science, pseudoscience and health hoaxes and not to push any extreme agendas. As a TEDx event we follow all of the rules laid out by TED, which cannot be deviated from otherwise your final talk may not be approved and uploaded by TED.
All performances must adhere to the same TED guidelines as the speakers would – including a maximum duration limit of 18 minutes. Performance applications will also be subject to feasibility and technical approval – subject to Production Team and venue/Quarterhouse approval. Please note that due to copyright regulations, we cannot publish to TEDx videos of any performances which use licenced music. Therefore, all performances should only feature music they have the rights to use or have produced themselves. If this is not possible, these performances will still be considered to be a part of the event day, but as an audience participation performance where no video of the performance will be published.
Unfortunately not. TEDxFolkestone is run entirely by volunteers who do this around their day jobs and lives, meaning we do not have the capacity to speak with any applicants. Any questions you have should be covered within these FAQs. Should you have a question that is not covered here, then please contact us here, and we will endeavour to get back to you with an answer. However, please note we cannot respond to any questions regarding individual feedback on an application until the application window ends.
We will not accept any applications to speak at TEDxFolkestone 2021 that does not come via the application page and does not link with the theme of “A New Horizon”. If we do receive direct applications to speak we will be unable to consider them.
We think it is important to give feedback to anyone who took the time to apply to TEDxFolkestone, which is why we are committed to getting back to all unsuccessful applicants with feedback, so they can learn and develop from it in the event they want to apply again next year or to another TEDx event.
There are many reasons why your talk or performance may not have been selected, but the main criteria for selection is on the strength of the idea. Our aim is to get back to all applicants that were unsuccessful in their application with feedback to help them with future applications.
If you do not get selected to speak or perform, try to take on board the feedback provided and use this to develop your idea further so you can apply again in the future. However, if you would still like to be involved with TEDxFolkestone we have spaces for volunteers to help us on the day of the event and can express your interest by contact us here.
If you feel that a previous submission aligns with this year’s topic then of course you can apply, however you will need to follow the same application process as all other applicants in order to ensure fairness in selection.