At TEDxCanberra 2021, we are showcasing the Canberrans who are setting out to change the world with great 'ideas worth spreading'. This year's theme is Lost/Found.

Since 2010, TEDxCanberra has brought together thousands of Canberrans to celebrate great ideas on science, technology, arts, culture and the humanities.

In 2021, we will build on this incredible history by inviting speakers and performers to present powerful ideas exploring how we might grow, learn, become more hopeful in the face of uncertainty and disconnection.

Our COVIDsafe event will present to you a day of live talks, performances and workshops by change-makers, trail-blazers and big thinkers from Canberra out to change the world, one idea worth spreading at a time.

The 2021 speaker and performer line-up is being progressively announced
through June and July on our social media channels - check them out on Facebook and Twitter.

What to expect

TEDxCanberra 2021: Lost/Found will be held in-person under COVIDsafe conditions at the Kambri Cultural Centre at the ANU. Your registration will give you access to:

Welcome to Country ceremony
Three sessions of TED Talks, music performances and selected short films - featuring up-and-coming Australians who are out to change the world
Option of an interactive Discovery Session in the afternoon where you can be part of the action
Morning tea as well as BYO lunch from options around the Kambri at ANU cultural precinct
Opportunities to network and meet fellow Canberrans who are making a difference

Our speakers and performers

Our speakers will make you laugh, cry and - most importantly - feel inspired by their world-changing stories. Our speakers are:

Alfred Chidembo - Founder of Aussie Books for Zim,a charity on a mission to improve the education and prospects of Zimbabwean children by raising literacy rates
Carlyn James - Cultural anthropologist with extensive experience in design and innovation across East and West Africa
Dhani Gilbert - Wiradjuri woman and 2021 ACT Young Woman of the Year who is passionate about climate action
Edwina Robinson - Creator of Canberra's first urban community micro-forest
Dr Elise Klein OAM - Senior Lecturer of public policy at the Crawford School of Public Policy with research interests in work, redistribution, decoloniality and care
Joshua Stanley - Landscaper and committed dad with an incredible tale and message for all fathers and fathers-to-be
Kon Karapanagiotidis OAM - CEO and Founder of the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre and fierce advocate for the rights of people seeking asylum and refuge
Mikaela Jade - Koori woman and founder of Indigital, Australia’s first Indigenous Edu-tech company which works to close the digital divide between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples
Merlin Kong - Director of InnovAGEING, Australia’s national innovation network for the age services sector
Sophia Hamblin Wang - Chief Operating Officer at Mineral Carbonation International and one of the few female executives leading the international development of carbon capture and utilisation technologies
Virginia Hausseger AM - Award winning journalist and women's advocate who is the founding Director of the 50/50 by 2030 Foundation

TEDxCanberra 2021: Lost/Found will also feature some of Canberra's best emerging artistic talent. Our performers are:

The Australian Voice Collective
Eden Plenty
Eleanor Malbon and Zoe Anderson

Our event will be emceed by disability and LGBTIQ+ advocate Wayne Herbert.

Learn more about our speakers and performers - visit us on Facebook and Twitter.

Our partners and supporters

TEDxCanberra would not be possible without the generous support of our local and regional partners:

Our special thanks to ThinkPlace for supporting our speaker coaching program.

TEDxCanberra is COVID safe

We are constantly working with our venue partner, Kambri at ANU, to make sure our events can take place safely and in accordance with ACT Health's directions. As one of the first events programs to return to in-person production last year in the national capital, we know how to host great events in a COVID-safe way that puts the health and safety of you and our crew first.

At this stage, there are no changes to our plans for TEDxCanberra 2021: Lost/Found. If the situation evolves, we will adjust our event plans accordingly. Registered attendees will always be offered a free exchange or refund if our events are postponed or cancelled as a result of COVID-19.