Three Minute Thesis (3MT)

What is the Three Minute Thesis (3MT)?

Every year the School of Graduate Studies hosts the Three Minute Thesis (3MT®), an academic research communication exercise developed by The University of Queensland (UQ), Australia. The 3MT® showcases graduate students from across the University of Toronto presenting their thesis work to a generalist audience in three minutes using one static PowerPoint slide. 

Participating in 3MT is an opportunity to improve your presentation skills, as well as to learn about the exciting scholarship that other U of T graduate researchers are working on. Figuring out how to explain your highly specialized research to non-experts is an important skill, which you will use as your research career progresses in graduate school as well as after you finish your degree. 

In addition to enhancing your research communication skills and showcasing your scholarship, there are prizes for 3MT participants selected as winners: $1000 for first place, $500 for second place, $250 for third place, and $200 for the people’s choice winner, paid into your student account. 

Interested in learning more? Register for our upcoming information session here.

2024 3MT Winners and Finalists

Congratulations to the 2024 3MT winners and finalists!

First place: Daniil Lisus, Institute of Aerospace Studies, Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering, “Helping Autonomous Cars See What Our Eyes Can’t“  
Second place: Emaad Paracha, Department of Physics, Faculty of Arts & Science, “Detecting Dark Matter in Galaxy Clusters from the Stratosphere“  
Third place: Angel Badewole, Department of Chemical Engineering & Applied Chemistry, Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering, “Assessing the Environmental Impacts of an Innovative Chemical Production Pathway“  

See all the 2024 3MT Finalists’ presentation recordings here.

2025 3MT Program

Eligibility, Rules, and Judging Criteria

Eligibility

• Students must attend the workshop, “Preparing Your 3MT® Presentation.” 
• Students must be registered in a graduate program with a thesis component at the time of the 3MT® competition. 
• 3MT® presentations must represent the primary research the student has conducted in their graduate program. 
• Competitors must present in person and agree to be video/audio recorded and photographed. They must also allow those recordings and photographs to be made public. 
• The winner of the University of Toronto competition must be available to attend the provincial finals. 

Rules

• A single static PowerPoint slide is permitted (no slide transitions, animations or ‘movement’ of any description, 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 movement or speech 
• The decision of the adjudicating panel is final 

Judging Criteria 

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 

Questions? Contact us at cgpd@utoronto.ca 

Other 3MT Competitions

• Ontario 3MT Competition  
  The winner of the University of Toronto 3MT competes at the Ontario provincial competition, hosted by a different Ontario university each year. 
• National 3MT Showcase  
  The Canadian Association for Graduate Studies hosts the top finalists from each of the provincial competitions (Western, Ontario, Eastern) in a national competition.  
• Northeastern Association of Graduate Schools (NAGS) Competition  
  The winner of the University of Toronto 3MT enters the NAGS competition, which brings together the 3MT winners of universities across the provinces of New Brunswick, Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Prince Edward Island and Quebec, and the American states of Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington, D.C. Competitors present live to a panel of judges. 
• Council of Graduate Studies Showcase  
  The Council of Graduate Studies hosts a North America-wide 3MT showcase with the winners from the southern, western, midwestern, and northeastern regions presenting their 3MT orations and participating in a roundtable discussion. The audience then chooses a People’s Choice winner. 

Additional Resources

• GCAC Oral Presentation Skills Courses