Bora Yoon, multi-instrumentalist and composer (upper left); Camille A. Brown, choreographer and dancer (right); David Sengeh, biomechatronics engineer and National Geographic Emerging Explorer. Photo: Lynn Johnson, National Geographic photography fellow (lower left).

If you could pursue your most extraordinary passions, what would you do? Be an asteroid hunter out to save planet Earth? A theater director who brings indigenous voices to the stage? Or a news publisher who helps young people protect freedom of speech in Kyrgyzstan? Yes, real people get to do this incredible work. In fact, they’re all TED2016 Fellows. Even better: applications are now open for you to join the newest class as a TED2017 Fellow.

Welcoming innovators of all kinds, the TED Fellows program is a 400-person global network of makers and doers, a breeding ground of interdisciplinary collaboration that is making a positive impact on the world. The program is designed to catapult careers…