{"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":"2026-05-26T14:32:57","modified_gmt":"2026-05-26T06:32:57","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. Competitors who cannot compete in person may instead 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-Register-your-interest-for-3MT\">\n            <button type=\"button\" class=\"accordion__heading\" aria-controls=\"Register-your-interest-for-3MT\" aria-expanded=\"false\">\n            <div class=\"title\" id=\"accordion-title-Register-your-interest-for-3MT\">Register your interest for 3MT<\/div>\n            <div class=\"icon\"><\/div>\n        <\/button>\n        <div class=\"accordion__content\" id=\"Register-your-interest-for-3MT\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\n                    <p><strong>Register your details to compete in 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 queries 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 drafting your talk, slide, presentation and 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. It covers drafting, slide, presentation and recording, 3MT video submission and examples of 3MT virtual presentations.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/students\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2026\/05\/3MT-Identifying-Details_Title-Slide.pptx\">Download the template to create your identifying slide [.PowerPoint 217kB]<\/a><br \/>\nAll competitors are required to provide an identifying details slide in addition to their &#8216;3MT slide&#8217;. If you are participating using a pre-recording video, both your identifying slide and your 3MT slide must feature in your recording.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n        \n                            \n                    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n                    <div class=\"accordion\" aria-labelledby=\"accordion-title-Eligibility-and-How-to-Enter\">\n            <button type=\"button\" class=\"accordion__heading\" aria-controls=\"Eligibility-and-How-to-Enter\" aria-expanded=\"false\">\n            <div class=\"title\" id=\"accordion-title-Eligibility-and-How-to-Enter\">Eligibility and How to Enter<\/div>\n            <div class=\"icon\"><\/div>\n        <\/button>\n        <div class=\"accordion__content\" id=\"Eligibility-and-How-to-Enter\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\n                    <p>Email enquiries to <a href=\"mailto:ROC-excellence@curtin.edu.au\">ROC-excellence@curtin.edu.au<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Eligibility criteria<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>3MT is open to HDR students* who have passed Milestone 1 and who 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 A Masters by Research student 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 Curtin 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>How to enter 3MT<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Step 1 &#8211; <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/curtinresearch.qualtrics.com\/jfe\/form\/SV_aUVXljJ0dNzjOK2\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Register<\/a> your details by 5pm Thursday <strong>23 July 2026<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><b>Step 2 &#8211; <\/b>Submit your competitior indentifying details 3TM (and video if you are not competing in person) by 5pm Wednesday <strong>5 August 2026 to <\/strong><a href=\"mailto:ROC-excellence@curtin.edu.au\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline\">ROC-excellence@curtin.edu.au<\/span><\/a><strong>.\u00a0<\/strong><\/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 [.PowerPoint 217kB]<\/a> &#8211; \u00a0add your name, school and the title of your 3MT talk.<\/li>\n<li>3MT slide &#8211; use widescreen size if you are competing in-person. Do not include your name and school on your 3MT slide. You can include the title of your 3MT talk on your slide if desired.\u00a0See <a href=\"https:\/\/threeminutethesis.uq.edu.au\/resources\/3mt-competitor-guide\">3MT slide <\/a>for rules and suggestions.<\/li>\n<li>3MT video (if NOT competing in person)\u00a0 &#8211; use a file-sharing service and share with Tania Lerch at <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-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 4:3\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>15 July &#8211; 3MT<a href=\"https:\/\/unihub.curtin.edu.au\/students\/?s=event&amp;ss=ws&amp;mode=form&amp;id=9a0c2d114ec6b5a090caba7e072d65de\"> Preparation Workshop part 1<\/a>, 10.30am &#8211; 12.30pm, library room 434B<\/li>\n<li>22 July &#8211; 3MT<a href=\"https:\/\/unihub.curtin.edu.au\/students\/?s=event&amp;ss=ws&amp;mode=form&amp;id=55eba5f4703f88d13c7cb211394c3bd7\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> Preparation Workshop part 2<\/a>, 10.30am &#8211; 12.30pm, library room 434B\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>23 July, 5pm &#8211; closing date for <a href=\"https:\/\/curtinresearch.qualtrics.com\/jfe\/form\/SV_aUVXljJ0dNzjOK2\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">registrations for 3MT<\/a><\/li>\n<li>3-4 August &#8211; optional one-on-one practice sessions (by invitation)<\/li>\n<li>5 August, 5pm &#8211; due date for 3MT slide and identify details slide (and video if competing by pre-recorded video)<\/li>\n<li>10-11 August &#8211; Heats &#8211; Library room 434A\n<ul>\n<li>10 August, 10am &#8211; Health Sciences; Humanities<\/li>\n<li>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>18 August &#8211; Curtin Final, 10am &#8211; 12pm, The Lantern, Level 7, Library<\/li>\n<li>2 October &#8211; Asia-Pacific 3MT Finalists announced by UQ online showcase<\/li>\n<li>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":"2026-06-13 11:07:28","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":44478,"href":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/students\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/12345\/revisions\/44478"}],"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}]}}