The year-end championship of Speaker Slam®. The strongest speakers from every qualifier return for one night at CBC Glenn Gould Studio in Toronto. New theme. Fresh stakes. The biggest stage in inspirational speaking.
The Grand Slam is the pinnacle of the Speaker Slam® season, where the year's strongest speakers return to the stage for one final night.
The top two from each qualifier earn a spot, plus standout wildcards selected from the year's lineup.
Twice the panel of a regular qualifier. Leaders in storytelling, media, publishing, and speaking.
Same tight format as the qualifiers. Five minutes and 30 seconds to deliver a brand-new story.
The top three speakers earn the title of Inspirational Speaker of the Year.
What makes the Grand Slam different from every other speaking championship is what happens before the show even starts.
Speakers don't bring back the speech that won them their qualifier. The theme for the Grand Slam is revealed at the final competition of the year, and every finalist starts from scratch.
Same time to prepare. Same stakes. No favorites. No head starts. The championship is decided by who can craft the most powerful new story in the same window of time.
A quick walk-through of the format, how speakers earn their spot, the surprise theme, and what's at stake.
Nobody walks onto the Grand Slam stage without earning it first. Two pathways lead to the finals.
Speaker Slam® runs five themed qualifiers per season at Lula Lounge in Toronto. The first and second-place speakers from each event earn an automatic spot at the Grand Slam Finals. That's ten speakers who fought their way in across the year.
Standout speakers who didn't place but left a lasting impression earn a wild card invitation. For them, the Grand Slam is redemption. A chance to take a story that almost made it and deliver it on the biggest stage of the year.
The top three Grand Slam speakers earn the title of Inspirational Speaker of the Year. It is Speaker Slam®'s highest recognition and a credential carried by past champions into TEDx stages, book deals, paid speaking careers, and major media.
The title is more than a trophy. It signals leadership, impact, and a story that reaches far beyond the stage where it was first told.
The Grand Slam top prize is the largest in the inspirational speaking space. Donated by industry leaders and partners across the speaking, media, and publishing world.
A premium downtown Toronto theater that hosts the Grand Slam every November. A different venue than our qualifiers and a different kind of night.
250 Front Street West, Toronto, ON M5V 3G5
Steps from Union Station in downtown Toronto. A theater-style venue with seated audience and broadcast-grade production.
Two ways to take part. Get tickets to attend the year-end championship, or apply to compete in an upcoming qualifier and earn your spot on the stage.