YOU’VE BEEN DISCOVERED!

Congratulations! The person who directed you here thinks you have something amazing to share with the community at Ignite Phoenix! We’re anxious to hear what that is, but you may not know much about our event, so here are the details.

WHAT IS IGNITE PHOENIX?

It’s one evening of 18 passionate speakers from a variety of communities and walks of life. They each take five minutes to share their fascination. It’s a spectacular night of inspiration, education, and laughter. And you could be a part of it all! We’re not looking for seasoned performers or experienced speakers; we’re looking for real people who have sincere passions they are willing to stand up and share. There are amazing things happening all across Arizona, and we believe we all benefit when people share their ideas and we can learn from each other.

If you’re scared of public speaking, this is the best place to overcome it. The audience is a supporting group of fans who came to see you and are there to cheer you on. If you’re chosen to speak, we’ll also have presenter training sessions to coach you through the process so you can feel cool, calm, and collected when it’s time to step on stage. It’s obvious that you’re passionate about something and you want to teach, show, explain, or share with others… so what is it? We want to know!

WHAT'S IT LIKE TO SPEAK AT IGNITE PHOENIX?

We'll let some of our past speakers answer that question.

WHICH TOPICS ARE GOOD FOR IGNITE PHOENIX?

We want to learn about tangible activities people do (Building Miniature Giant Robots), things they know about (Taiko Drumming), pivotal life experiences they’ve had (DREAMER: An Undocumented American, adventures they’ve tried (Paragliding), projects they’re starting (Year of Music) or subjects they’ve studied (Thinly Slicing Brains), just to name a few. Any topic is fair game as long as it’s PG-13 or lower and not a sales pitch. The purpose of Ignite Phoenix is not self-promotion, but rather, to give you a form to share your story or talk about a topic that makes you talk with your hands, nerd out, and get excited. People who come to Ignite Phoenix love hearing about new things, so if you share it honestly and from the heart, our audience will love it.

WHEN IS THE NEXT EVENT?

Details on the next Ignite Phoenix can be found here.

HOW CAN I APPLY TO PRESENT?

All you need to do is give us a short description of who you are and a few sentences that describe what you want to speak about—no long essays, crazy presentations, or hoops to jump through. It’s super easy and should only take a few minutes at most. Your entry doesn’t guarantee that you’ll speak. All submissions go through a voting process after the deadline, and then you’ll be notified if yours was selected.

WHEN IS THE DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSIONS?

Submissions are currently open.

WHAT DO I HAVE TO DO IF I’M SELECTED?

We’re excited that you’re interested in participating, but keep in mind that Ignite Phoenix does take some effort. If you submit an idea, you’re committing to doing the following:

Speak about your topic for five minutes in front of a crowd
Create a 20-slide presentation to support your talk
Attend a 2-hour presenter training session before the event
Arrive at the event a few hours before showtime (typically around 4:00 or 4:30 p.m.)
Avoid pitching or advertising for a product or business (including your own)
Allow your submission, presentation, and a video of your talk to be posted online (your email address and phone number will be kept private)
Abide by our Privacy Policy

For more information on what the Ignite Phoenix judges will be looking for, you can learn more about our approach, read the Submission Guidelines, or see the talks that have already been submitted for the last event. We love to see past presenters continue to support Ignite after speaking at one of our events. However, in order to allow everyone a chance to share their passion, submissions will only be accepted from people who have not spoken at a previous numbered Ignite Phoenix event (e.g., Ignite Phoenix #1, #2, etc.). Presenters who have spoken at a smaller event like Ignite Phoenix After Hours or Ignite Food are welcome to submit a talk.

If you have any questions, please contact us and ask away!