If you've ever been to an Ignite event, you'll know they're often funny, thought-provoking and highly entertaining. Ignite is a series of energetic 5-minute talks by experts in their fields ranging from designers and entrepreneurs to lawyers and writers. Each speaker gets 20 slides that auto-advance every 15 seconds, so it's a race against the clock to share your passionate insights, ideas and demonstrate your expert with the Powerpoint slide presentation format.

For those in the Bay Area, the next Ignite will be held Monday, May 3rd (at Mezzanine, 444 Jessie Street, San Francisco)and you can send your witty and compelling ideas for a 5-minute talk in until midnight on April 11th. Ignite notes, "Historical, knowledge-sharing, and funny talks tend to resonate better than product pitches in this format, and we encourage you to think big. Our only ask: enlighten us, but make it quick."

So, get out there and share your passion and know-how. Here are the details on how to apply:

Write to ignitesf@gmail.com with "submission idea" included in your subject line. Send a paragraph pitch by midnight on April 11 for consideration. Speakers will be notified the week of April 19 for the next set of public talks to be hosted by Ignite co-founder Brady Forrest, TechWeb, and Bay Area planners Carmel Hagen and Emily Goligoski.

Head over to the site for more info and to watch videos of previous presentations from Ignite events all over the country.