Three Minute Thesis

Think you can distill your PhD research into an exciting, engaging, and easy-to-understand three-minute talk? The Three Minute Thesis (3MT) Competition is the challenge for you!
The concept

The Three Minute Thesis competition, developed by the University of Queensland, asks doctoral researchers to present their research in a clear, engaging, and jargon-free way in just three minutes. Your talk will be judged by both an expert panel and the audience, based on content, clarity, and delivery.

The competition consists of online and onsite training workshops, a preliminary round and a grand final at Think Corner.

Please see more information about the schedule, rules and prizes of the competition below.

Workshops

Get competition-ready with our presentation training workshops. The first workshop is organized online on 8 May at 13-15 and the second is organized as a live coaching workshop on 2 June at 10-12 (UH Main Building). 

We warmly recommend attending both workshops if you plan to participate in the competition. The online workshop will cover the basics of preparing your presentation and you will have a chance to put the final touches into your presentation with a presentation coach in the live workshop. 

Preliminary Rounds

A preliminary round is organized on 3 June at 15–17 at Kino Engel. In this round, ten competitors are selected by an expert panel for the final. 

Final

The final is organized on 4 June at 17–19 at Think Corner as a public event. The expert panel will choose the winner, and the public will choose their favorite for the People's Choice winner.

The winner of the 3MT competition will receive a consultation and half a day of 1-on-1 coaching with Kaskas Media’s experts on science communication and presentation. The runner-up of the final as well as the People’s Choice winner will also receive small prizes (to be announced later). 
  • Presentations are limited to 3 minutes maximum and competitors exceeding 3 minutes are disqualified. 
  • Presentations are to be spoken word (e.g. no poems, raps or songs). 
  • Presentations are considered to have commenced when a presenter starts their presentation through either movement or speech. 
  • A single static PowerPoint slide is permitted (no slide transitions, animations or movement) and is to be presented from the beginning of the oration. 
  • No additional electronic media (e.g. sound and video files) are permitted. 
  • No additional props (e.g. costumes, musical instruments, laboratory equipment) are permitted. 
  • The decision of the adjudicating panel is final. 

Every competitor will be assessed on (1) the comprehension and content of the presentation as well as (2) engagement and communication. The judging panel is composed of 3–5 members representing different fields. Each criterion below is equally weighed.

Comprehension and content

  • Presentation provided clear motivation, background and significance to the research question
  • Presentation clearly described the research strategy/design and the results/findings of the research
  • Presentation clearly described the conclusions, outcomes and impact of the research

Engagement and communication

  • The oration was delivered clearly, and the language was appropriate for a non-specialist audience
  • The PowerPoint slide was well-defined and enhanced the presentation
  • The presenter conveyed enthusiasm for their research and captured and maintained the audience’s attention

If you would like to participate, you can register by filling out this form. The registration deadline is 30 April. Spots are limited! If registrations exceed capacity (40 participants), we’ll ensure fair representation from all doctoral programmes and/or doctoral pilot consortia.