Birmingham Three Minute Thesis

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

What is 3MT?

The Three Minute Thesis (3MT®) is an internationally recognized research communication competition developed by the University of Queensland in 2008. It challenges doctoral researchers to distill their thesis into a compelling three-minute presentation, communicating its originality and significance to a non-specialist audience.

Why Participate in UoB 3MT?

The University of Birmingham’s 3MT competition provides an exciting opportunity for doctoral researchers to:

Develop and refine their presentation and research communication skills.
Raise the profile of their research within and beyond the academic community.
Compete for prizes and the chance to represent the University on an international stage.

Participants can present in-person at the Edgbaston campus or, for distance learners, live via Zoom.

What to Expect

Comprehensive Support: All entrants will receive guidance and constructive feedback to help craft a strong 3MT presentation.
University-wide Competition: Present your work alongside doctoral researchers from across all five colleges at UoB.
Pathway to National Recognition: The top ten finalists will compete for prizes in the UoB 3MT Finals, with the winner representing the University in the national Vitae and international Universitas 21 3MT contests, gaining exposure on a broader stage.

Your Next Step

If you are a doctoral researcher eager to showcase your work, enhance your skills, and gain recognition for your research, we warmly encourage you to take part in the 2026 UoB Three Minute Thesis competition. Keep an eye out for the official launch of sign-ups. Join us in making your research accessible, impactful, and memorable—all in just three minutes!

In the meantime check out our 2025 3MT Winners!

2025 People’s Choice Award Voting

If you would like to be involved with our 2025 3MT competition, you can vote for your favourite finalist in the People’s Choice Award until 24th June 2025. Watch all the presentations on our YouTube Channel and cast your vote for the £250 prize, which will be awarded at the UGS Awards Ceremony during the Postgraduate Research Festival on 24 June 2025.

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.
Be available for the Heats event.
Be available, if shortlisted after the Heats event, for the Birmingham Finals event.
Be available, if successful, to participate in the UK-wide final in September
Agree to your presentation being recorded, uploaded to a University YouTube playlist and potentially used for future 3MT promotions UGS.

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
A single static PowerPoint slide is permitted. No slide transitions, animations or 'movement' of any description are allowed. The slide is to be presented from the beginning of the oration.
No additional electronic media (e.g. sound and video files) are permitted.
No additional props (e.g. costumes, musical instruments, laboratory equipment) are permitted.
Presentations are limited to 3 minutes maximum and competitors exceeding 3 minutes are disqualified.
Presentations are to be spoken word (e.g. no poems, raps or songs).
Presentations are to commence from the stage.
Presentations are considered to have commenced when a presenter starts their presentation through either movement or speech.
The decision of the adjudicating panel is final.

How to Enter

Keep an eye out for the official 2026 3MT launch of sign-ups.

The prizes

Prizes for the Birmingham 3MT 2025 competition were:

£500 - Judges Winner

£250 - Judges Runner-up

£250 - People's Choice

Support in preparing your 3MT

When sign ups open you will be asked to self enrol on to our 3MT Canvas course to access full guidance on the rules and regulations and the judging criteria.

We'll be offering lots of support, this will be detailed on our Canvas page.