The final learning week of the New Voices Program at Darwin Innovation Hub has been completed with 14 contestants moving into the October 17 Final as part of NT October Business Month.
For the past six weeks a group of enthusiastic public speaking students has been mentored by Darwin Innovation Hub’s Dante St James in a unique Saturday morning program designed to give those afraid of public speaking the chance to not only speak in front of others, but compete for $1000 of paid speaker bookings in 2026.
Following the success of the 2024 program, Dante St James decided that this year there would be a few changes.
“Last year we started with 34 people and ended up with 10, so this year I compressed the process into six weeks, rather than four months, and we’ve held on to a steady 15-20 throughout the process.”
The finalists are now busy finishing their speeches and practicing them before a final rehearsal on October 16, just one night before the gala event on Friday October 16, 2025 in Darwin Innovation Hub’s gallery.
The gala event will be hosted by last year’s winner, Veronica Matapira and a panel for three judges are currently being recruited for the event.
New Voices 2025 is organised by Speakstarter and sponsored by Darwin Business Events and Darwin Innovation Hub.
