3-minute thesis competition

Eligibility

Anyone who is active in a PhD* or MPhil* program (including thesis under submission) will be eligible to participate in 3MT. Graduates are not eligible.

MRes candidates are welcome to enter the Macquarie competition, but the national eligibility rules prevent them from progressing to the Asia-Pacific event.

* Note: degree must be at least two thirds research (definition drawn from Grant Guidelines 2006 for Higher Education Support Act (HESA) 2003) and must produce a thesis that is examined externally.

Competition dates

Prizes for the Macquarie Winners 2024

• Winner: $1000
• Second Place: $500
• Third Place: $250
• People's Choice Winner: $250

Note: Prize money is to be used for research costs only and is not a cash prize.

Prizes for the Asia-Pacific 3MT Competition 2024

• Winner: $5000 research grant
• Runner Up: $2000 research grant
• People's Choice: $1000 research grant

Judging panel

TBC

The University of Queensland (UQ) has made the decision to host the 2023 Asia-Pacific Three Minute Thesis Competition in a virtual format (video submission).

Competitors have three minutes to give an engaging and dynamic talk on their thesis topic, and its significance, in language appropriate to an intelligent but non-specialist audience. The talk should engage the audience without reducing the research to entertainment value only. As such, the competition does not trivialise or "dumb-down" research but forces students to consolidate their ideas and crystallise their research discoveries.

Modifications to the 3MT rules have been made to accommodate the new virtual format.

• Presentations are limited to 3 minutes and competitors exceeding 3 minutes are disqualified.
• Presentations are considered to have commenced when a presenter starts their presentation through speech (timing does not include the 3MT title slide and commences from when the competitor starts speaking, not the start of the video).
• Videos must meet the following criteria:
  • Filmed on the horizontal;
  • Filmed on a plain background;
  • Filmed from a static position;
  • Filmed from one camera angle;
  • Contain a 3MT title slide;
  • Contain a 3MT PowerPoint slide (top right corner/right side/cut to).
• A single static slide is permitted in the presentation (no slide transitions, animations or ‘movement’ of any description). This can be visible continuously, or ‘cut to’ (as many times as you like) for a maximum of 1 minute.
• The 3 minute audio must be continuous – no sound edits or breaks.
• No additional props (e.g. costumes, musical instruments, laboratory equipment and animated backgrounds) are permitted within the recording. Presentations are to be spoken word (e.g. no poems, raps or songs).
• No additional electronic media (e.g. sound and video files) are permitted within the video recording.
• The decision of the adjudicating panel is final.
• Submissions via video format (only video link provided to Event Coordinators). Files sent in other formats will not be accepted.
• Entries submitted for final adjudication to Wildcard or University Final are to be submitted from the School/ Faculty/Institute 3MT Event Coordinator. Competitors should not submit their videos directly to 3MT.

Note: Competitors *will not* be judged on video/ recording quality or editing capabilities (optional inclusions). Judging will focus on the presentation, ability to communicate research to a non-specialist audience, and 3MT PowerPoint slide.

Competitors can find additional information directly from the Asia-Pac Competitors Guide website.

Macquarie candidates participating in the Macquarie competition should download and use the Macquarie Identifying Slide for Competitors [PPT 1,118KB].

At every level of the competition each competitor will be assessed on the judging criteria listed below. Each criterion is equally weighted and has an emphasis on audience.

Comprehension and content - REVISED

• Presentation provided clear background and significance to the research question.
• Presentation provided clear positionality* of the presenter to the research and research approach.
• 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.

*Positionality

Positionality is the disclosure of how someone identifies (race/gender/class), their experiences, their privileges etc and how those things exert influence on their research. We have included this in the judging criteria to better inform the audience of how the presenter is positioned with regards to their research topic.

Positionality has been something that many 3MT presenters disclose naturally in their talks.

What proportion of the presentation might focus on positionality?

Guidance on the proportion of any elements within the criteria is not provided, this will depend on the flow and emphasis the presenter wishes to make.  However, it should not be the main focus of the presentation, rather a scene setting/disclosure element usually towards the beginning.

Positionality - Judging

Judges should consider whether the presenter clearly articulated how they are positioned with regards to their research. For example:

• A Maori health worker researching the impact of health interventions in the Maori population or;
• A person researching climate change because they are from Tuvalu and they have seen the impacts of climate change firsthand with rising sea levels in their country.
• A student researching a gene mutation that may cause breast cancer because their mother passed away from breast cancer when they were younger.

Storytelling Your Thesis

Did you miss our recent "Storytelling your Thesis" workshop? Don't worry, you can access all the materials here!

Delivered by our own Dr Megan Brewer and Dr Jen Rowland, find out everything you need to know about entering and acing this competition!

• Storytelling Your Thesis workshop recording
• 3MT info session recording
• Info Session slides
• Storytelling slides
• “ABT template” handout
• Copy of 3MT Info Session transcript

How to win the 3MT

Did you miss last year's "How to win the 3MT" workshop on Zoom? Don't worry, you can access all the materials here!

Delivered by Pitch & Communication guru, Peter Browne and our own Dr Megan Brewer, find out everything you need to know about entering and acing this competition!

• Workshop recording
• Megan's slides
• Peter's slides

3MT Editing video tutorials

• Video Tutorial 1

  Topics and Timestamps:

  • 02.35 converting Powerpoint slides in jpeg files
  • 04.30 accessing and setting up Kapwing*
  • 06.16 using Kapwing to add slide in top-right format**
  • 14.46 using Kapwing to create "cut-to" format
  • 21.44 vimeo set up
• Extra notes:
  • *nb that in this example I haven't created an account - one downside would be that you cannot save projects and you will have to do all the steps in one sitting
  • **forgot to mention that you need to download the file once done - see timestamp 18.45 for how that works See Part 2 if you want to learn how to use OpenShot Video editor for the "cut-to" format

• Video Tutorial 2

  This video covers using OpenShot Video Editor to create your virtual 3MT entry with the "cut-to" slide format. See Part 1 for instructions on how to convert powerpoint slides to jpeg images and vimeo set up