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3MT competition

Three Minute Thesis (3MT®) is a competition for doctoral students to develop and showcase their research communication skills.

The rules

The winner of the UniSA 3MT competition will go on to compete in the virtual Asia-Pacific competition. The office of the Dean of Graduate Studies will schedule the video recording after the UniSA Grand Final and will submit the video on behalf of the winner.

Please refer to the full virtual competition rules on The University of Queensland 3MT® website. There is also a 3MT video recording competitor guide available online.

Some key things to remember:

  • Presentations must be a maximum of 3 minutes, presentations over 3 minutes will be disqualified
  • Time commences when the presenter starts talking. The title slide is not included in the time, timing begins when the presenter starts speaking
  • Videos must:
    • be filmed horizontally: remember this if you are filming on your phone or tablet—the recording must be horizontal
    • have a plain background
    • be filmed statically from one single angle
    • contain a 3MT® title slide
    • contain a 3MT® PowerPoint slide which can be:
      • in the top right corner
      • on the right hand side
      • 'cut to' (single or multiple times, displaying for a maximum of 1 minute total)
      • submitted via email if not included in the presentation
  • No slide transitions, animations or 'movement' are permitted. 1 single static slide is permitted.
  • The audio must be 1 single continuous file:
    • no sound edits or breaks are permitted
    • no additional sound or video files are permitted. The audio must only be of the competitor presenting in spoken word (no singing, rapping, poems, etc.)
  • The use of props is not permitted
  • Presentations must be in video format
  • After each round you are able to either:
    • resubmit the same presentation
    • record and submit a new presentation

Remember you will not be judged on your editing abilities or the quality of your video. The video must adhere to the competition rules to be eligible but you will be judged on your presentation, your slide and your ability to communicate your research to a non-specialist audience. Refer to the judging criteria for more information. 

To check if you are eligible to compete in the 3MT® please consult with your local unit or check online here. 

Interested to participate? Contact your Academic Unit for more information, and to register your interest.