Declare who you are.
The world is listening.
NGA Talks invites teens and young adults to take the stage and declare who they are, where they’re headed, and the help they need to get there. Three events. One year. Up to $100,000 in prizes — scholarships, venture funding, and apprenticeships for the heroes bold enough to ask.
One year. Three stages. One great adventure.
An NGA talk isn’t a speech contest — it’s a public declaration of your next great adventure, judged on courage, clarity, and the promises you keep between events.
The Open Stage
Submissions open to every teen and young adult with a story to declare. The strongest new talks premiere at the Fall Showcase, and every speaker gets feedback from the NGA guide panel.
Submissions open nowThe Gauntlet
The boldest talks return sharper. Audience doors opened, asks answered, and progress on every promise — semifinalists are selected and prize pools start to land.
SemifinalsThe Grand Finale
The season culminates on a live stage. Finalists deliver their talks in front of founders, builders, and mentors who can open real doors — and the season's biggest prizes are awarded.
Up to $100,000 awardedPrize pool of up to $100,000 across the season — awarded as scholarships, venture grants, and funded apprenticeships. Details announced event by event.
Start where you are.
The Next Great Adventure runs as a series of quests. Whether you already know your adventure or you’re still searching, there’s a place for you this season.
Discover
Who am I? Map your gifts, your flow states, and a mission worth aiming your life at — in a six-week cohort.
Audition →Commit
Choose to do something hard. Put a stake in the ground in public, and build real proof — hours, mentors, work.
Audition →Declare
Give your NGA Talk: a ten-minute public declaration with one specific ask — and up to $100,000 in prizes this season.
Audition →The best of NGA
The talks our guides keep coming back to — heroes with a clear vision, a bold promise, and an ask you might be able to answer.
The Builder Who Finishes What He Starts
Reid Patterson · Wonder WichitaA year ago he stood on an NGA stage and asked for a SketchUp subscription; he taught himself 3D modeling and cold-emailed his way into four apprenticeships. Now he's headed to an 80-hour summer apprenticeship at Gensler in Chicago - the largest architecture firm in the U.S. - chasing one question: what is architecture in the era of AI?
The Founder Who Shipped Before Asking
Aryan Shah · Humanist AcademyThree Yale contract-law courses and 300+ hours of legal apprenticeships later, Aryan built Legal Duck - an AI contract-analysis platform now being beta tested by practicing transactional attorneys. His credo: most people wait for permission. He started building anyway.
Research Depth, Real Validation
Yatharth Patel · Humanist AcademyFounder with research depth and real validation; 2 years on vagal nerve stimulation, built RegPilot with a med school resident, and named three industry hurdles backed by real examples (MelaFind, Pear)
The Entrepreneur with a Real First Customer
Geneva Golding · Acton Leadership Academy MagnoliaShe grew up wiring stage lights for portable churches that were built from scratch every Sunday morning. Now she's launching Churchtec Ministries - troubleshooting, upgrades, and volunteer training for church tech teams - with three churches already saying they'd pay, and a promise to launch the day she turns 18.
A Through-Line from Age Ten
Sebastian Capuano · Acton Academy GuatemalaFuture textile engineer with a through-line from age 10; deep apprenticeships, self-directed study, and a clear path to Wilson College of Textiles
The Coach on the Olympic Path
Keane Leong · Acton Academy Kuala LumpurHe got absolutely cooked in his first two fencing competitions - then trained every day for seven years, won the Malaysian Games, and fenced at the SEA Games. Now he's mapping a year-by-year route to the Brisbane 2032 Olympics and a career as a world-class strength coach.
You’re not just watching. You’re in the room.
An NGA talk is the culmination of a young person’s journey — and the first step of the next one. Here’s your part.
Watch a talk
In under ten minutes, a young hero tells you who they are, where they’re headed, and why it matters — warts and all.
Open a door
Every talk ends with a specific ask: an introduction, a mentor, an apprenticeship, a hard question. If you can answer it, your message goes straight to the speaker.
Follow the journey
Subscribe to the categories you care about and be in the room every time a new hero takes the stage.
Find a talk in your field
Heroes declare a domain to master. Browse by the world they’re stepping into — it might be yours.
Science
Ecology, astro-chemistry, neuroscience & the biggest questions
3 talksEngineering
Textiles, machines & the builders of real things
2 talksTechnology & Software
Legal tech, AI products & code that ships
2 talksDesign & Architecture
Architecture, industrial design & fashion
4 talksBusiness & Entrepreneurship
Founders, first customers & bold pitches
3 talksHealth & Medicine
Medicine, midwifery, medtech & mental health
4 talksSports & Coaching
Coaches, athletes & the Olympic path
2 talksLaw & Justice
Advocates and reformers for a fairer world
2 talksArts & Media
Storytellers, makers & performers
0 talksOther
Callings that don't fit a box — yet
0 talksBe there when the next hero takes the stage.
One email per new talk, in the categories you choose. These are real young people making real asks — sometimes the door they need is yours to open.