The TED Idea Search wraps up in Amman, Jordan, in a 2,000-year-old Roman amphitheater and in front of a crowd of 4,000. What unfolds inside those stone walls is something the series hasn’t quite seen before: speakers shaped by the weight of living in a region the world tends to define for itself. From a mountaineer who turned grief into motivation to a therapist rewriting the Arab world’s language around mental health, the final city makes the strongest case yet that the best ideas can come from anywhere.
Watch the full talks from the TEDxAmman Idea Search:
00:00 – Intro
3:24 – Rehearsals
16:00 – The Talks
36:28 – Deliberation
38:48 – The Winner Is…
The most interesting ideas often come from the most unexpected places. We searched the globe for ideas with the power to inspire, motivate and change lives — and we found them at @TEDx events around the world. The TED Idea Search follows extraordinary speakers from 9 countries competing for a spot on the TED main stage in Vancouver this April.
A WING London production for TED
Join us in person at a TED conference:
Become a TED Member to support our mission:
Subscribe to a TED newsletter:
Follow TED!
Instagram:
LinkedIn:
TikTok:
Facebook:
X:
The TED Talks channel features the best talks and performances from the TED Conference, where the world’s leading thinkers and doers give the talk of their lives in 18 minutes (or less) — plus originals, podcasts and exclusive content. Look for videos on Technology, Entertainment and Design as well as science, business, global issues, the arts and more. Visit for our entire library, transcripts, translations and personalized recommendations.
TED videos may be used for non-commercial purposes under a Creative Commons License, Attribution–Non Commercial–No Derivatives (or the CC BY – NC – ND 4.0 International) and in accordance with the TED Talks Usage Policy: . For more information on using TED for commercial purposes (e.g. employee learning, in a film or online course), submit a request at
#TED #TEDTalks #TEDIdeaSearch
@deecooke311
April 9, 2026 at 11:44 am
Love this!
@klemenpetric74
April 9, 2026 at 12:14 pm
Ted idea or Ted truth… I can seka hours of bulshit the politics is selling us…
@klemenpetric74
April 9, 2026 at 12:17 pm
But this is all truth bulshit from media life and how to set your mindset away… It is not easy.. This is thing no one tell you.. But it could be done
@TheStudySteps
April 9, 2026 at 1:04 pm
It’s so encouraging to see that even a brain trainer can forget her lines during rehearsal and still crush it on stage. But here is the real question: Does the TED stage favor ’emotional stories’ over ‘complex scientific data’? Could a quiet genius with a world-changing idea but no ‘stage presence’ ever win this search?
@AhmadGhaziNazer
April 9, 2026 at 5:41 pm
Wow!
@WisdomBeacon
April 10, 2026 at 9:19 am
Deeply meaningful and personal stories
@najwaaref
April 10, 2026 at 10:28 am
ُTala was great as always
@SkyLong-m6u
April 10, 2026 at 10:51 am
I used TinaMind’s TubeLens to extract the video highlights. I hope this is helpful to everyone.
1. 00:38 The TED Idea Search initiates a global project to find unique, impactful ideas from around the world, providing speakers with expert coaching to prepare them for the prestigious TED Main stage.
2. 01:51 Dina Halles, a brain trainer, presents her idea that cognitive abilities are not fixed and that anyone can improve their mental performance through targeted training techniques.
3. 03:07 Speakers undergo an intense 24-hour preparation phase where they receive critical feedback from mentors to improve their stage presence and refine the emotional delivery of their talks.
4. 05:02 Nelly Atar shares her personal journey of using risk-taking as a tool for personal growth, reflecting on how she moved from teaching underground dance classes in Saudi Arabia to climbing K2.
5. 06:52 Reema D. Rosas discusses the paradox of global inequality, challenging the corporate definition of ‘resiliency’ by highlighting the need for empathy and systemic change in a world shaped by conflict.
6. 09:04 Tala Al-Sud introduces the necessity of breaking the taboo around mental health in the Arab region by framing it within cultural roots, poetry, and faith.
7. 14:30 The speakers perform their final talks in a historic Roman theater in Amman, facing the challenge of connecting human-to-human within a massive, 6,000-seat amphitheater.
8. 36:19 Following a difficult deliberation by the expert panel, Nelly Atar is chosen as the winner to represent Amman on the global TED Main stage for her inspiring story of risk and perseverance.