Three Minute Thesis


The Three Minute Thesis (3MT®) is an academic research communication competition developed by The University of Queensland (UQ), Australia.

UNE 3MT Final

The UNE Final of this year’s 3MT competition will be held Wednesday 16th August from 2pm at Oorala Cultural Centre and online. We have 14 competitors from across the university competing for a spot in the Asia-Pacific final hosted by University of Queensland.

Deputy Vice-Chancellor Research, Prof Chris Armstrong, will announce the University Winner and the People’s Choice Award. We will then play the winners videos and this will be followed by an afternoon tea to celebrate the success of our winners.

Please RSVP by 12 noon on Monday 14th August for catering purposes.

RSVP HERE

An 80,000 word thesis would take 9 hours to present, their time limit is 3 minutes. So come along and support our wonderful candidates who have been brave enough to take on this challenge.

2023 Finalist Videos


2023 Virtual Asia-Pacific 3MT Competition

The Winner of the UNE Final will advance to the Asia-Pacific Competition. The Semi-Finals will be held Monday 25th September and the Final will be held Wednesday 18th October. You can find more information on the University of Queensland 3MT website. There are some fantastic prizes available!

New England Award

With your participation in the Three Minute Thesis Competition, you can claim your contribution towards your New England Award. If you are new to the New England Award, sign up today at; https://my.une.edu.au/mynea/.

Visit the New England Award website for more information.

Preparing your 3MT Slide and Recording

Three Minute Thesis (3MT®) celebrates the exciting research conducted by research candidates. The exercise cultivates students’ academic, presentation, and research communication skills.

The competition supports their capacity to effectively explain their research and its significance in three minutes, in a language appropriate to a non-specialist audience.

  • 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).
  • A single static slide is permitted in the presentation. This can be visible continuously, or ‘cut to’ for a maximum of 1 minute.
  • Videos must meet be filmed on the horizontal.
  • 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.
  • Please note: competitors *are not* judged on video/ recording quality or editing capabilities. Judging will focus on the presentation, ability to communicate research to a non-specialist audience and the 3MT PowerPoint slide.
Judging Criteria

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 the audience. For more information, please see the UQ 3MT Webpage

Comprehension and content
  • Presentation provided clear 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

Please 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.

UNE 3MT 2022 Video Presentation Winner

Congratulations to last year's Winner Simona Strungau from the School of Humanities, Arts and Social Science.

Simona's winning 3MT presentation is available to watch HERE.

Further information

View the UQ website here 2023 Virtual UQ 3MT Competition

FAQ for competitors can be found on the UQ website at Frequently Asked Questions

Recordings of previous 3MT presentations can be found on the 3MT vimeo channel

Please email graduate-school@une.edu.au if you have any questions.