{"id":12345,"date":"2021-11-29T16:52:07","date_gmt":"2021-11-29T08:52:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/students\/essentials\/higher-degree-by-research\/resources-and-development\/three-minute-thesis-3mt-competition\/"},"modified":"2026-05-14T12:05:26","modified_gmt":"2026-05-14T04:05:26","slug":"3mt-competition","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/students\/essentials\/higher-degree-by-research\/resources-development\/3mt-competition\/","title":{"rendered":"Three Minute Thesis (3MT) competition"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/students\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2026\/05\/3MT4-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"students in classroom laughing with lecturer\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>The&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/threeminutethesis.uq.edu.au\/home\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Three Minute Thesis<\/a> (3MT\u00ae) is a research communication competition that celebrates the exciting research conducted by research students. PhD students have three minutes to present a compelling oration on their thesis and its significance. 3MT challenges students to consolidate their ideas and research discoveries so they can be presented concisely to a non-specialist audience. Participation can help foster your academic, presentation, and research communication skills.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>3MT competition 202<\/strong>6<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The 3MT competition at Curtin will allow both live in-person presentations and pre-recorded presentations.&nbsp; All presentations will compete in faculty-based heats. The top 10 presentations from the heats (including one representing the Global Campuses), as determined by the faculty judging panels, will advance to the Curtin final. The heats* and final will be held as live events at the Perth campus with an audience and a judging panel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Students residing in Perth are encouraged to compete in person at the heats and the final. All other competitors who cannot compete in person can submit a pre-recorded video presentation.&nbsp;Students from the Global campuses will compete via pre-recorded video in a separate heat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Contact <a href=\"mailto:ROC-Excellence@curtin.edu.au\" data-type=\"mailto\" data-id=\"mailto:Contact ROC-Excellence@curtin.edu.au\">ROC-Excellence@curtin.edu.au<\/a> if you have any questions.<\/p>\n\n\n<mimas-block \n        block-name=\"accordion\"\n        role=\"complementary\"\n        aria-label=\"Accordion content\"\n        data-segment=\"all\">\n\n                \n\n                    <div class=\"accordion\" aria-labelledby=\"accordion-title-Registering-for-3MT-competition\">\n            <button type=\"button\" class=\"accordion__heading\" aria-controls=\"Registering-for-3MT-competition\" aria-expanded=\"false\">\n            <div class=\"title\" id=\"accordion-title-Registering-for-3MT-competition\">Registering for 3MT competition<\/div>\n            <div class=\"icon\"><\/div>\n        <\/button>\n        <div class=\"accordion__content\" id=\"Registering-for-3MT-competition\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\n                    <p><strong>Register your details for the Curtin 3MT by 5pm Thursday 23 July 2026<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/curtinresearch.qualtrics.com\/jfe\/form\/SV_aUVXljJ0dNzjOK2\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Register via online form<\/a><\/li>\n<li>Email questions to <a href=\"mailto:ROC-excellence@curtin.edu.au\">ROC-excellence@curtin.edu.au<\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n        \n                            \n                    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n                    <div class=\"accordion\" aria-labelledby=\"accordion-title-Competition-resources-\">\n            <button type=\"button\" class=\"accordion__heading\" aria-controls=\"Competition-resources-\" aria-expanded=\"false\">\n            <div class=\"title\" id=\"accordion-title-Competition-resources-\">Competition resources <\/div>\n            <div class=\"icon\"><\/div>\n        <\/button>\n        <div class=\"accordion__content\" id=\"Competition-resources-\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\n                    <p>To help prepare for 3MT, view these resources from competition owners, The University of Queensland:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/threeminutethesis.uq.edu.au\/higher-degrees-researchstart-your-3mt-journey-here\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">About 3MT <\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/threeminutethesis.uq.edu.au\/watch-3mt\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Watch 3MT presentations from around the world<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/threeminutethesis.uq.edu.au\/resources\/3mt-competitor-guide\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">3MT competitor guide<\/a><br \/>\nCovers 3MT drafting, 3MT slide, 3MT presentation + examples of 3MT presentations<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/threeminutethesis.uq.edu.au\/3mt-video-recording-competitor-guide\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">3MT video recording competitor guide<\/a><br \/>\nUse this guide if you are submitting a video entry. Covers covers 3MT drafting, 3MT slide, 3MT presentation + 3MT recording, 3MT video submission and examples of 3MT virtual presentations.<\/li>\n<li>Download the template to create your &#8216;identifying slide&#8217;:<br \/>\nAll competitors are requested to submit an identifying slide in addition to their &#8216;3MT slide&#8217;. If you are participating using a pre-recording video, both the identifying slide and your 3MT slide must feature in your recording.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/students\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2025\/06\/3MT-Identifying-Details_Title-Slide.pptx\">3MT Competitor identifying-details slide template<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n        \n                            \n                    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n                    <div class=\"accordion\" aria-labelledby=\"accordion-title-Eligibility-and-entry-requirements\">\n            <button type=\"button\" class=\"accordion__heading\" aria-controls=\"Eligibility-and-entry-requirements\" aria-expanded=\"false\">\n            <div class=\"title\" id=\"accordion-title-Eligibility-and-entry-requirements\">Eligibility and entry requirements<\/div>\n            <div class=\"icon\"><\/div>\n        <\/button>\n        <div class=\"accordion__content\" id=\"Eligibility-and-entry-requirements\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\n                    <p>All inquiries should be sent to <a href=\"mailto:ROC-excellence@curtin.edu.au\">ROC-excellence@curtin.edu.au<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Eligibility<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>3MT is open to HDR students* who have passed Milestone 1 and who have not\/will not have passed their thesis by end of September 2026.<\/p>\n<p>*Under the competition rules, a university may only select a Doctoral student for the Asia-Pacific competition.\u00a0 Master by Research students can enter the Curtin competition, noting these rules:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>A Master&#8217;s student can place first (as judged by the judging panel) and receive the top monetary prize ($1,000). <i>However,<\/i><\/li>\n<li>A Master&#8217;s student is not eligible to represent Curtin in the Asia-Pacific final (UQ rule). In this circumstance, the highest placed doctoral student will represent Curtin at the Asia Pacific competition.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>To enter the competition:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Step 1: <\/strong>\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/curtinresearch.qualtrics.com\/jfe\/form\/SV_aUVXljJ0dNzjOK2\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Register<\/a> for the Curtin 3MT by 5pm Thursday <strong>23 July 2026<\/strong>; then<\/p>\n<p><b>Step 2:\u00a0 <\/b>Submit your 3MT slide + Competitior indentifying details slide (+ video if you are not competing in person) by 5pm Wednesday <strong>5 August 2026<\/strong><strong>. <\/strong>Note:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>when sharing a video recording via a file-sharing service, share with Tania Lerch at <a href=\"mailto:t.lerch@curtin.edu.au\">t.lerch@curtin.edu.au<\/a>.<\/li>\n<li>3MT Slide &#8211; when creating your 3MT slide, use the widescreen format if you are competing in-person.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/students\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2025\/06\/3MT-Identifying-Details_Title-Slide.pptx\">3MT Competitor identifying-details slide template<\/a> &#8211; \u00a0contains your name, school and the title of your 3MT talk.<\/li>\n<li>Do not put your name and school on your 3MT slide.<\/li>\n<li>You can include the title of your 3MT talk on your slide if desired.<\/li>\n<li>See <a href=\"https:\/\/threeminutethesis.uq.edu.au\/resources\/3mt-competitor-guide\">3MT slide <\/a>for rules and suggestions.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n        \n                            \n                    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n                    <div class=\"accordion\" aria-labelledby=\"accordion-title-Students-competing-by-pre-recorded-videos\">\n            <button type=\"button\" class=\"accordion__heading\" aria-controls=\"Students-competing-by-pre-recorded-videos\" aria-expanded=\"false\">\n            <div class=\"title\" id=\"accordion-title-Students-competing-by-pre-recorded-videos\">Students competing by pre-recorded videos<\/div>\n            <div class=\"icon\"><\/div>\n        <\/button>\n        <div class=\"accordion__content\" id=\"Students-competing-by-pre-recorded-videos\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\n                    <p><strong>Slide and Video recording for pre-recorded presentations.<br \/>\n<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>3MT Slide<br \/>\nYour 3MT slide must appear in your video.\u00a0 If you are including your slide side-by-side with yourself in the video, you may find a \u2018standard size\u2019 slide will be easier to &#8216;fit&#8217; in your video.\u00a0 You will also need to include a \u2018competitor introductory slide\u2019 that is added at the front of your video \u2013 example next slide.<\/li>\n<li>Video<br \/>\nTo make your video, follow the instructions in the <u><a href=\"https:\/\/threeminutethesis.uq.edu.au\/3mt-video-recording-competitor-guide\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">3MT video recording competitor guide<\/a><\/u> (includes how to add your \u2018introductory\u2019 slide and your 3MT slide.)\u00a0 Use a file sharing service to submit your video. Share with Tania Lerch <a href=\"mailto:t.lerch@curtin.edu.au\">t.lerch@curtin.edu.au<\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n        \n                            \n                    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n                    <div class=\"accordion\" aria-labelledby=\"accordion-title-Judging-criteria-\">\n            <button type=\"button\" class=\"accordion__heading\" aria-controls=\"Judging-criteria-\" aria-expanded=\"false\">\n            <div class=\"title\" id=\"accordion-title-Judging-criteria-\">Judging criteria <\/div>\n            <div class=\"icon\"><\/div>\n        <\/button>\n        <div class=\"accordion__content\" id=\"Judging-criteria-\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\n                    <p>Please read the<a href=\"https:\/\/threeminutethesis.uq.edu.au\/resources\/judging-criteria\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\u00a0UQ 3MT judging criteria<\/a> and to download the Judging Rubric.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Comprehension and content<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Presentation provided clear motivation, background and significance to the research question<\/li>\n<li>Presentation clearly described the research strategy\/design and the results\/findings of the research<\/li>\n<li>Presentation clearly described the conclusions, outcomes and impact of the research<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Engagement and communication<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>The oration was delivered clearly, and the language was appropriate for a non-specialist audience<\/li>\n<li>The PowerPoint slide was well-defined and enhanced the presentation<\/li>\n<li>The presenter conveyed enthusiasm for their research and captured and maintained the audience\u2019s attention<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Students submitting a video presentation will not be judged on video\/recording quality or editing capabilities of optional inclusions. However, the audio must be of sufficient quality for your voice to be clearly heard and understood. Judging will focus on the presentation, the ability to communicate research to a non-specialist audience and the 3MT slide.<\/p>\n\n        \n                            \n                    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n                    <div class=\"accordion\" aria-labelledby=\"accordion-title-Important-dates-2026\">\n            <button type=\"button\" class=\"accordion__heading\" aria-controls=\"Important-dates-2026\" aria-expanded=\"false\">\n            <div class=\"title\" id=\"accordion-title-Important-dates-2026\">Important dates 2026<\/div>\n            <div class=\"icon\"><\/div>\n        <\/button>\n        <div class=\"accordion__content\" id=\"Important-dates-2026\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\n                    <ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/unihub.curtin.edu.au\/students\/?s=event&amp;ss=ws&amp;mode=form&amp;id=9a0c2d114ec6b5a090caba7e072d65de\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Register for 3MT Preparation Workshop part 1<\/a>: Wednesday 15 July, 10.30am &#8211; 12.30pm, library room 434B<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/unihub.curtin.edu.au\/students\/?s=event&amp;ss=ws&amp;mode=form&amp;id=55eba5f4703f88d13c7cb211394c3bd7\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Register for 3MT Preparation Workshop part 2<\/a>: Wednesday 22 July, 10.30am &#8211; 12.30pm, library room 434\n<ul>\n<li>Workshops are facilitated by <a style=\"font-size: 12pt\" href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/bensandhu\/\">Ben Sandhu<\/a><span style=\"font-size: 12pt\">, <\/span><span class=\"cf0\" style=\"font-size: 12pt\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt\">Manager, Entrepreneurship (Programs, Events &amp; Community), Research Office.<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>Thursday 23 July, 5pm &#8211; <a href=\"https:\/\/curtinresearch.qualtrics.com\/jfe\/form\/SV_aUVXljJ0dNzjOK2\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">registrations for 3MT<\/a> close<\/li>\n<li>Monday 3\u00a0and Tuesday 4 August &#8211; optional one-on-one practice sessions (by invitation)<\/li>\n<li>Wednesday 5 August, 5pm &#8211; due date for 3MT slide and identify details slide (and video if competing by pre-recorded video)<\/li>\n<li>Monday 10 and Tuesday 11 August &#8211; Heats &#8211; Library room 434A\n<ul>\n<li>Monday 10 August, 10am &#8211; Health Sciences; Humanities<\/li>\n<li>Tuesday 11 August, 10am &#8211; Business &amp; Law; and Science and Engineering<\/li>\n<li>Miri campus &#8211; date TBC.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 12pt\"><em>The top placed competitor from each faculty will have automatic entry to the Curtin Final. The 2nd and 3rd placed competitors in each faculty will be considered for wild-card entry to the Curtin Final by a separate judging panel.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Tuesday 18 August, 10am &#8211; 12pm &#8211; Curtin Final (The Lantern, Level 7, Library)<\/li>\n<li>Friday 2 October &#8211; Asia-Pacific 3MT Finalists announced by UQ (online showcase)<\/li>\n<li>Wednesday 14 October &#8211; Virtual Asia-Pacific 3MT Final<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n        \n                            \n                    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n                    <div class=\"accordion\" aria-labelledby=\"accordion-title-Prizes-2026\">\n            <button type=\"button\" class=\"accordion__heading\" aria-controls=\"Prizes-2026\" aria-expanded=\"false\">\n            <div class=\"title\" id=\"accordion-title-Prizes-2026\">Prizes 2026<\/div>\n            <div class=\"icon\"><\/div>\n        <\/button>\n        <div class=\"accordion__content\" id=\"Prizes-2026\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\n                    <p>First Place &#8211; $1,000 + represent Curtin in the Asia-Pacific final with a video entry<\/p>\n<p>Second Place &#8211; $500<\/p>\n<p>Third Place &#8211; $250<\/p>\n\n        \n                            \n                    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n                    <div class=\"accordion\" aria-labelledby=\"accordion-title-Previous-3MT-winners-\">\n            <button type=\"button\" class=\"accordion__heading\" aria-controls=\"Previous-3MT-winners-\" aria-expanded=\"false\">\n            <div class=\"title\" id=\"accordion-title-Previous-3MT-winners-\">Previous 3MT winners <\/div>\n            <div class=\"icon\"><\/div>\n        <\/button>\n        <div class=\"accordion__content\" id=\"Previous-3MT-winners-\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\n                    <h3>2025<\/h3>\n<p>Winner &#8211; Shanelle Tennekoon, Electrical Engineering, Computing and Mathematical Sciences,\u00a0<em>A Vision-based Smart Wheelchair<\/em><\/p>\n<p>2nd place &#8211; Aimee Darias-O&#8217;Hara, School of Earth and Planetary Sciences, <em>Sound Science: Monitoring Antarctic Minke Whales in a Changing Ocean<\/em><\/p>\n<p>3rd place &#8211;\u00a0 Sharveen Ravichandran, Applied Sciences (Geology), Engineering &amp; Science, Sarawak, <em>Geochemistry and Mineralogy of Miri-Sibuti Rivers to MSCRNP Sediments and Their Environmental Significance<\/em><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3>2024<\/h3>\n<p>Winner &#8211; Chellan Kumarasamy, Curtin Medical School, <em>Lung Cancer Screening: A comprehensive novel approach to balancing risk and benefit<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Runner-Up &#8211; Adele Pentland, School of Earth and Planetary Science, <em>Saur-prise! New species of Australian pterosaur<\/em><\/p>\n<p>People&#8217;s Choice &#8211; Issana M Burhan, School of Design and Built Environment, <em>Keeping the City Pulse: Urban Metabolism and Green Infrastructure<\/em><\/p>\n<h3>2023<\/h3>\n<p>Winner &#8211; Taryn Scharf, Geoscience, Earth and Planetary Science <em>Tools to see through time<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Runner Up &#8211; Anjali Ghimire, Curtin Medical School,\u00a0<em>Shaping survival: The power of anticipating liver cancer<\/em><\/p>\n<p>People&#8217;s Choice &#8211; Belinda Neo, Curtin Medical School, <em>Advancing our understanding of vitamin D in Aboriginal and Torres strait Islander people<\/em><\/p>\n<h3>2022<\/h3>\n<p>Winner &#8211; Denby Evans, Population Health, <em>The Mystery of Preterm Lung Disease: Do Airway Cells Hold the Missing Clues?<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Runner Up &#8211; Md Nuruzzaman, Civil and Mechanical Engineering, <em>Saving Nemo<\/em><\/p>\n<h3>2021<\/h3>\n<p>Winner &#8211; Andrea Stephenson, Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences\u00a0<em>Goldilocks and the three vitamin D doses: A cognitive assessment<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Runner-up &#8211; Rachel Berryman, Media, Creative Arts and Social Inquiry,\u00a0<em>Analysing Virtual Influencers<\/em><\/p>\n<p>People&#8217;s Choice &#8211; Andrea Stephenson, Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences\u00a0<em>Goldilocks and the three vitamin D doses: A cognitive assessment<\/em><\/p>\n<h3>2020<\/h3>\n<p>Winner &#8211; Robert Atkinson, School of Molecular and Life Sciences, <em>Everyone has had a bruise<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Runner up &#8211;\u00a0Ashley Hollings, School of Molecular and Life Sciences,\u00a0<em>Developing Methods to Study Brain Zinc During Ageing<\/em><\/p>\n<p>People&#8217;s Choice &#8211;\u00a0Aaron Wei Jie Tung, School of Management,\u00a0<em>Effectively Navigating the Offshore Decommissioning Landscape<\/em><\/p>\n\n        \n                            \n                    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n        \n<\/mimas-block>\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The&nbsp;Three Minute Thesis (3MT\u00ae) is a research communication competition that celebrates the exciting research conducted [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":369,"featured_media":0,"parent":12319,"menu_order":1,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_oasis_is_in_workflow":0,"_oasis_original":0,"_oasis_task_priority":"","footnotes":""},"tags":[],"class_list":["post-12345","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-05-24 07:10:08","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"post_tag","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/students\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/12345","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/students\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/students\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/students\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/369"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/students\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12345"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/students\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/12345\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":44293,"href":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/students\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/12345\/revisions\/44293"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/students\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/12319"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/students\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12345"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/students\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12345"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}