Graduate College Three Minute Thesis (3MT) Competition

Get ready for a thrilling night of academic showdown! Presenting the highly anticipated "3 Minute Thesis" competition, where graduate students will showcase their research and creative projects. Spanning across two days, this campus-wide event promises a riveting display of academic, presentation and research communication skills.

Mark your calendars for the following dates:

Don't miss your chance to witness innovation in action and support our brilliant scholars as they compete for prizes. Join us for a fun night of learning, creativity, and academic excellence!

Why Participate

There are prizes (3 categories:  On-campus Doctoral, On-campus Master’s, Online Grad Students)

  • First place: $2000
  • Second place: $1000
  • Third place:  $500

You will find tune your communications skills, which are considered a top-rated “enduring” skill by EMSI Burning Glass, Skills Compass Report 2023.

Eligibility

In order to participate in the 3MT competition, students must be enrolled in a graduate degree program at ASU for the 2024-25 academic year and be in good academic standing. 

Competition Timeline

Application Opens: 9/9/2024
Application Closes: 9/20/2024
Participants selected: 10/4/2024
Preliminary Round 1: 10/16/2024
Preliminary Round 2: 10/17/2024
Preliminary Round 3 (ZOOM):10/18/2024
Final Round / Reception: 10/22/2024
Finalists present at Elizabeth A. Wentz Distinguished Lecture: 10/23/2024

Hosted by the Graduate College, the Elizabeth A. Wentz Graduate College Distinguished Lecture Series aims to highlight significant contributions to academia and inspire intellectual discourse among graduate students, faculty, and the broader academic community. 

The 3MT competition winner is invited to present at this year's event, which shares a focus on Grand Challenges, to showcase research excellence, gain recognition, and inspire peers. 

About 3MT Competition

The Three Minute Thesis competition is an international competition that was developed by The University of Queensland in 2008 and features the efforts of students “to effectively explain their research in three minutes, in a language appropriate to a non-specialist audience.” 

Watch 3MT presentations from around the world 

FAQ’s:

How are you choosing participants?

Applications will be evaluated based on the relevance of the presentation topic to the theme of Grand Challenges, connection to ASU Design Aspirations, and alignment of your expectations for the competition with the overarching goals for 3MT

How are presentations being scored?

  • The official 3MT competition provides a rubric for judges to score each presentation.