TEDxCanberra 2025: The People's Blueprint

Get ready to design the future at TEDxCanberra 2025, where our theme The People’s Blueprint takes centre stage. In an era where change is inevitable but direction is uncertain, this event offers a bold new vision - one drafted not by the few, but by the many.

TEDxCanberra 2025 invites us to rethink how progress happens. It’s a celebration of the collective imagination, experience, and wisdom that shape our world from the ground up. Our speakers will share powerful ideas that reframe systems, challenge the status quo, and propose bold, community-led solutions to today’s most pressing challenges.

This event is for those who know the future isn’t handed to us - it’s something we co-create. Whether you’re a builder of ideas, a breaker of moulds, or someone simply seeking a better path forward, this is your space to imagine, question, and help design what comes next.

Since 2010, TEDxCanberra has brought together thousands of Canberrans to celebrate great ideas on science, technology, arts, culture and the humanities. In 2025, we will build on this history.

Join us on Saturday 18 October at The National Film and Sound Archive of Australia (NFSA), where we present a series of brilliant ideas and the people behind them.

Event registration includes access to all sessions, Innovation Alley + lunch, afternoon tea and networking drinks.

Early bird pricing available until 14 August!

Need further convincing to attend?

• Gain fresh insights that highlight new ways of thinking and solving problems.

• Connect with a diverse group of people who share your passion for change.

• Support the local businesses and social enterprises who will be showcasing at 'Innovation Alley' - our outdoor activation space!

Our speakers and performers

Our speakers will make you laugh, cry and - most importantly - feel inspired. Our 2025 speakers are:

• Hannah Andrevski - the founder and CEO of Roundabout Canberra, a charity she launched in 2018 that now supports nearly 5,000 children annually by providing essential goods to families in need.

• Dr Kate Grarock - an environmental scientist, hiker and filmmaker who inspires others to overcome challenges and connect with nature through powerful storytelling, wilderness adventures, and her appearance on SBS’s documentary series Alone.

• Charlie Maher - a proud Western Arrarnta man and the first Indigenous Australian to complete all six World Major Marathons, using his remarkable running journey to inspire others and create positive change through the power of sport and community.

• Victor Ni - a senior at Canberra Grammar School and a passionate advocate for youth empowerment, having founded International Youth MUN to connect students from over 20 countries and served in leadership roles with organisations including UrVoice Australia and the Vinnies Social Justice Council.

• Sarah Patterson - an award-winning strategic designer and founder of The Good Cartel, who draws on two decades of cross-sector experience to lead relationship-driven collaborations that drive systems change in areas like climate, energy, and social cohesion.

• Tom Rogers AO - Australia’s longest-serving Electoral Commissioner, who led the AEC through a decade of democratic disruption and now advises global institutions on electoral integrity, trust, and democratic resilience.

• Dr Sarah Stephens - an Australian medical doctor and mitochondrial biochemist who helps people proactively support brain health and prevent early Alzheimer’s disease using evidence-based approaches like the Bredesen Protocol.

• Satara Uthayakumaran - a legal and social reform advocate and Australia’s 2025 UN Youth Representative, with a strong track record in policy, media, and youth leadership across national and international platforms.

Our event will also feature some of Canberra's best emerging artistic talent. Stay tuned as we announce these performers over the next few months!

Our event MC is disability and LGBTIQ+ advocate Wayne Herbert.

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

Program timing

• 10:00am - 10:15am - Registration

• 10:15am - Doors to the theatre open

• 10:30am - 12:30pm - Session 1

• 12:30pm - 1:30pm - Lunch + Innovation Alley

• 1:30pm - 3:30pm - Session 2

• 3:30pm – 4:30pm - Afternoon tea + networking drinks + Innovation Alley

Our partners

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

• Principal Partner - Synergy Group

• Media Partner - Region Media

• Creative Partner - Impress Design

• Venue Partner - The National Film and Sound Archive of Australia

• Human Potential Partner - Yellow Edge

• Celebration Partner - Capital Brewing Co

• Community Partners - Gavin Blake, Clockwork Advisory and Apollo Law