Johannesburg, South Africa. This March Johannesburg joins Doha, London, Nairobi, Tunis and 9 other cities, on 6 continents in hosting TED 2013 Worldwide Auditions, a public search to uncover new talents, voices and ideas the world needs to hear, for TED 2013 themed “The Young, The Wise, The Undiscovered”.

Applications will open separately for each city, at least two months before auditions and are only accessible online. The online application process for the Johannesburg Auditions runs for 20 days from Friday, 24th February to Thursday 15th March 2012. Applicants are encouraged to include a 1-minute video of themselves, and 30 of the best applicants will be invited to each audition.

Applicants can apply to their nearest city even if they are from a different country and in exceptional cases TED may contribute to costs of attending the audition. The auditions will be held in Johannesburg on Thursday 03rd May 2012. Auditions will take the form of a 3 to 6 minute talk or performance in English only.

The line-up of previous TED Speakers includes former US President Bill Clinton, Microsoft founder Bill Gates, writer Chris Abani, scientist Neil Turok, musicians Vusi Mahlasela & Paul Simon, and many others: Nobel laureates, CEOs, designers and inventors.

The rapid expansion of TED’s footprint across the globe and in Africa has largely been driven by its TEDX programme, where qualifying applicants can host independently organised TED events. With over 25 TEDX licenses issued to South Africans since 2009, the country is one of the most active on the African continent.

In South Africa, TED has partnered with TEDXSoweto to deliver the Johannesburg leg of the auditions. TEDXSoweto convener Kelo Kubu, who also happens to be TEDXAmbassador for Africa, had this to say: “Our goal is to find remarkable people doing great work, across disciplines, wherever they may be. This is a great opportunity to showcase Africas’ ingenuity to the world”.

For more information please visit: http://conferences.ted.com/TED2013/auditions/ or http://www.tedxsoweto.co.za

For media queries please contact Ayob Vania or Vanessa Perumal on 011 788 7631 or media@jtcomms.co.za

NOTES TO EDITOR:

>Note 1: < About TED<

TED is a non-profit organization devoted to Ideas Worth Spreading. Started as a four-day conference in California 25 years ago, TED has grown to support those world-changing ideas with multiple initiatives. The annual TED Conference invites the world’s leading thinkers and doers to speak for 18 minutes. Their talks are then made available, free, at TED.com. TED speakers have included Bill Gates, Al Gore, Jane Goodall, Elizabeth Gilbert, Sir Richard Branson, Nandan Nilekani, Philippe Starck, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Isabel Allende and former UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown. The annual TED Conference takes place each spring in Long Beach, California, along with the TEDActive simulcast in Palm Springs; the annual TEDGlobal conference is held each summer in Edinburgh, Scotland.

TED’s media initiatives include TED.com, where new TEDTalks are posted daily, the Open Translation Project, which provides subtitles and interactive transcripts as well as the ability for any TEDTalk to be translated by volunteers worldwide, and TEDBooks, short e-books by speakers that elaborate on a single idea originally presented on TED’s stage. TED has established the annual TED Prize, where exceptional individuals with a wish to change the world are given the opportunity to put their wishes into action; TEDx, which offers individuals or groups a way to host local, self-organized events around the world, and the TED Fellows program, helping world-changing innovators from around the globe to become part of the TED community and, with its help, amplify the impact of their remarkable projects and activities.

Follow TED on Twitter at http://twitter.com/TEDTalks, or on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/TED

>Note 2: < About TEDX<

TEDx, x = independently organized event

In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TEDTalks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. 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.)

>Note 3:

• Doha, Qatar – April 17

• London, U.K. – April 22

• Johannesburg, South Africa – May 3

• Nairobi, Kenya – May 5

• Tunis, Tunisia – May 8

• Shanghai, China – May 17

• Bangalore, India – May 20

• Seoul, South Korea – May 23

• Sydney, Australia – May 27

• Tokyo, Japan – May 29

• Vancouver, Canada – May 31

• New York, United States – June 7

• São Paulo, Brazil – June 11

• Amsterdam, Netherlands – June 20

Issued by JT Communication Solutions on behalf of TEDXSoweto