The organizers behind TEDxSMU are hosting three sets of auditions for the annual conference that celebrates ideas worth spreading. But this year, they are dividing the auditions by topics to allow people to follow their interests when helping to choose the speakers.

First up will be live auditions on topics related to global issues, humanities, and education. A panel of guest judges and the audience will vote for their favorites, and winners will be announced at the end of the evening.

Auditioning speakers and their topics are:

• Lauren Bagwell | Why the Social Studies Needs Her Poets
• Candice Bledsoe | Education as a Human Right
• Sally Le | What If I Was A Refugee?
• Kevin Lee | What it means to believe...From the CEO suite to the dumpster
• Diana Miller | Global Diversity - It's Here!
• Jonathan Swiatocha | Brain Injury: The Invisible Me
• Linda Swindling | The World Needs You to Ask Outrageously
• Rashmi Varma | An Education System for Mars

Howard Goldthwaite, the banjo-playing 2014 TEDxSMU speaker and audition winner, will host the evening. Guest judges are Susan Hoff, Chief Strategy and Operating Officer of the United Way of Metropolitan Dallas; Jake Minton, 2015 TEDxSMU speaker and teacher, and Krista Nightengale, managing director of The Better Block Foundation.

Parking for the frst 100 guests is free behind the theater.

The next auditions are scheduled for Thursday, March 31, on the topics of science, technology and health and submissions will close March 2. The last round of auditions will be Thursday, May 26 on the topics of art, entertainment and design and submissions for audition will close April 17.  Applications for the second and third auditions are available at www.TEDxSMU.org/tedxsmu-2016-auditions/.