BEL Faculty 3MT® Competition
An 80,000-word PhD thesis would take nine hours to present.
Your time limit? Just three minutes.
Three Minute Thesis (3MT®) is a global competition that celebrates the exciting research conducted by higher degree research students (MPhil and PhD) and cultivates students' academic presentation and research communication skills.
The competition challenges students to effectively explain their research in three minutes, in a language appropriate to a non-specialist audience.
"Top of the list of most memorable experiences at UQ has been participating in the 3MT. I would encourage all research students to participate because it challenges you to really think about the smallest aspects of your research, consolidate these and ensure delivery in not only 3 minutes, but to a non-specialist audience. Tough but definitely fun."
Unaisi Narawa, BEL Faculty 3MT Winner, 2023
About the competition
As a higher degree research student, this is your opportunity to raise your profile, practice your presentation skills and communicate your research to the broader community in three minutes. Registrations are now open for the business, economics and law school heats, which will be held on Tuesday 28 May (see dates below), before the top two students from each heat will progress to the BEL Faculty Final on Tuesday 16 July 2024.
Although it might be daunting, presenting in a 3MT competition helps develop a number of lifelong skills that go well beyond university. In addition to building your confidence and presentation skills, it also increases your capacity to summarise your research succinctly and communicate it effectively to a non-specialist audience.
To register as a competitor for the 2024 Three Minute Thesis Competition you will need to complete the registration form.
Once registered, your 3MT Event Coordinator will contact you to confirm your participation and provide additional details about your school's heats. Please contact your School/Institute's HDR Liaison Officer if you have any questions about participating in the 3MT.
"Participating in the 3MT has been a remarkable journey. It has taught me how to present my research in a concise and engaging way that reaches beyond the economics audience. The experience has strengthened my skills as an advocate for my work and made me a stronger communicator. I highly recommend taking up the challenge!"
Elcin Tuzel, BEL Faculty 3MT People's Choice Winner, 2023
Why participate?
Recieve real-time feedback from various experts
With various backgrounds represented on the panel, you will gain invaluable insights into your pitch from various perspectives.
Develop academic, media and pitching communication skills
Build these skills in a supportive environment and hone your ability to effectively explain your research in language appropriate to a non-specialist audience.
Share your research outcomes with broader audiences and build a research culture in schools and institutes
3MT provides a valuable opportunity for HDR candidates and the wider community to come together, get to know one another and talk about their research.
Build your professional network
Gain exposure for your research among other researchers, businesses and the media and build your professional network.
"I am grateful for the opportunity to participate in the 3MT competition as it made me think critically about the most important aspects of my research and how to communicate them in a clear and engaging way to a general audience. Since the 3MT I am a better advocate of my work. "
Csilla Demeter, BEL Faculty 3MT Runner-up and People's Choice Winner, 2022
How it works
Active MPhil or PhD candidates who have successfully passed their confirmation milestone are eligible to participate in 3MT.
1. School Heats (Tuesday 28 May)
To compete in the school heats, simply register via student hub. Once you have registered, you will receive more information about the event. Please note this event is in person.
2. BEL Faculty Final (Tuesday 16 July)
The winner and runner up from each of the school heats are entered into the BEL Faculty Final.
3. UQ 3MT Wildcard Competition (Wednesday 25 September)
The People's choice from the Faculty Final competes in the UQ Wildcard Competition.
4. UQ 3MT Final (Wednesday 2 October)
The Winner of the Faculty final competes against winners from other UQ faculties and institutes.
5. Asia-Pacific 3MT Competition (Wednesday 30 October)
The winner of the UQ 3MT final progresses to the 2024 Asia-Pacific 3MT competition.
For a detailed rundown of dates and venue locations, see the UQ 3MT Competition page.
Resources for Competitors
3MT competitor guide.
3MT HDR Candidate Information Session
Other useful links
For a detailed rundown of dates and venue locations, see the UQ 3MT Competition page.
2021 BEL 3MT Faculty Final
Winner: Li Xie-Carson (UQBS) - 3MT BEL Faculty Final 2021
"As an introvert I find it difficult being in the spotlight especially as English is not my first language, which often wreaks havoc on my confidence. Participating in 3MT has helped me to confront this, and unleash my potential in research engagement and communication."
Li Xie-Carson, BEL Faculty 3MT winner, 2021
Runner-up: Yvonne Breitwieser-Faria (Law) - 3MT BEL Faculty Final 2021
People’s choice: Sarah Fu (UQBS) - 3MT BEL Faculty Final 2021
2020 BEL 3MT Faculty Final
Winner and people's choice: Sabrina Lenzen (Economics) - 3MT BEL Faculty Final 2020
"I would love to make some impact, whether this is on a government level or in a more research-focused space such as academia, and so, possibly the greatest benefit of the competition has been learning to share my research outcomes with a broader audience, not only with experts in my field but also with people who don’t know much about economics."
Sabrina Lenzen, BEL Faculty 3MT winner, 2020
Runner up: Vitor Sobral (Business) - 3MT BEL Faculty Final 2020
2024 BEL Faculty Final winners will receive the below prizes deposited into their ACA.
- Winner: $1000
- Runner up: $500
- People's choice: $500
About 3MT®
Three Minute Thesis (3MT®) was developed here at UQ in 2008 and has spread to over 600 universities across more than 65 countries worldwide.