Birmingham Three Minute Thesis

The average PhD thesis would take nine hours to present. You have...three minutes!

About the Competition

Three Minute Thesis (3MT®) is a research communication competition developed by the University of Queensland in 2008, in which doctoral researchers have just three minutes to deliver an engaging presentation on their thesis topic, its originality and its significance.

With universities across the world now holding their own 3MT competitions, we are delighted to be running a University of Birmingham 3MT and to invite our own doctoral researchers to participate in such a highly-regarded competition.

If you are a current doctoral researcher interested in developing your presentation and research communication skills, raising the profile of your research and having the chance to win an international research bursary, we warmly encourage you to join the Canvas Course to take part in 3MT 2022.

3MT 2022 will take place in-person on the Edgbaston campus, however, if you are registered on a distance programme or have a reasonable adjustment plan in place to support it, you have the option to take part live via Zoom.

All entrants will receive support and feedback on drafting a strong 3MT presentation and be invited to take part in the UoB 3MT Heats, with entrants from across the University. The top ten entrants from the Heats, will go on to compete for prizes in the UoB 3MT Finals. The competition will also give you the opportunity to compete for a place in the nationwide UK 3MT contest, as the winner of the Birmingham competition will go forward to compete in the UK-wide 3MT semi-final.

Key dates

Applications for 3MT 2022 are open and our event will be taking place in-person!

You can self-enrol on our Canvas training course. You should aim to complete the 60 min course by 8th April 2022 at the latest. You must confirm your intention to compete and submit a draft slide and title by 23:59pm on Sunday 10th April, via the Canvas training course.

3MT Online Drop-in Q+A

Tuesday 29th March 2.00 - 4.00pm GMT
Register on Zoom to join the Drop-in

3MT In-person Presentation Workshop *** CANCELLED ***

Wednesday 30th March 2.00 - 4.00pm GMT

3MT Heats: 2.00pm - 4.00pm BST on Wednesday 4th May 2022.

3MT Final: 2.00pm - 5.00pm BST on Wednesday 18th May 2022.

You can find a summary of all key dates including support sessions on the Canvas Course.

Rules and regulations

To enter the Birmingham 3MT competition, you must:

Be currently registered on a doctoral programme at the University of Birmingham. This includes students who have submitted their thesis but are still awaiting their viva on the date of the Heats, 4th May 2022.
Be available for the Heats event on 4th May.
Be available, if shortlisted after the Heats event, for the Birmingham Finals event on 18th May.
Be available, if successful, to participate in the UK-wide final in September
Agree to your presentation being recorded and uploaded to the UGS YouTube page

The rules for your 3MT presentation are as follows:

Your 3MT presentation should be based on research that is directly related to your doctoral thesis
You should present in a style suitable for an intelligent but non-expert audience
ALL presentations should be NO LONGER than three minutes; competitors exceeding three minutes will be disqualified
You will be allowed one single and static PowerPoint slide to support your presentation (slide transitions or animations are NOT allowed)
No additional electronic media (such as sound or video) are allowed
No additional props (e.g. costumes, musical instruments, laboratory equipment) are permitted
No notes are permitted
Presentations are to be spoken word (no poems or songs)
The decision of the adjudicating panel is final

How to enter

Self-enrol on our Canvas training course now.

You should aim to complete the 60 min course by 8th April 2022.

To confirm your intention to take part, you must submit the application form, a draft slide and draft title by 23:59pm Sunday 10th April. You will then be invited to a Practice Heats event.

The prizes

There are three Birmingham 3MT 2022 prizes to be won.

£500 - Judges Winner

£200 - Judges Runner-up

£200 - People's Choice

Support in preparing your 3MT

Self-enrol on our Canvas training course now to access full guidance on the rules and regulations and judging criteria.

We'll be offering lots of support, detailed in our Canvas page, with our first two sessions listed below:

3MT Online Drop-in Q+A

Tuesday 29th March 2.00 - 4.00pm GMT
Register on Zoom to join the Drop-in

3MT In-person Presentation Workshop

Wednesday 30th March 2.00 - 4.00pm GMT
Held in Biosciences (R27 on campus map) Lecture Theatre E102 - no registration required.
We highly recommend attending this to workshop your presentation ideas with other participants.