Graduate College Three Minute Thesis (3MT) Competition

Prizes were awarded in three categories: On-campus Doctoral, On-campus Master’s, and Online Grad Students.

1st place: $2,000
2nd place: $1,000
3rd place: $500

Congratulations to the winners of our competition and thank you to all participants for showcasing your skills!
 

1. First Place: Rahim Somani, Doctor of Education
2. Second Place: Charles Orlando, Master of Arts, English
3. Third Place: Arianna Walker, Doctor of Behavioral Health

1. First Place: Aliyah Egan, Master of Science, Genetic Counseling
2. Second Place: Lindsey Smith, Master of Social Work
3. Third Place: Francis Mendoza, Master of Science, Robotics and Autonomous Systems

1. First Place: Reeham Mohammed, Doctor of Philosophy Communication
2. Second Place: Kevin Trinh, Doctor of Philosophy, Geological Sciences
3. Third Place: Annie Ferguson, Doctor of Philosophy, Sociology 

Mark your calendars for the following dates:

• Preliminary Round January 21 and January 22, 2026

   

• Final Round: TBD, 2026

   

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 2025-26 academic year and be in good academic standing. 

Competition Timeline

Application Opens: 10/6/2025
Application Closes: 1/16/2026
Participants selected: 1/19/2026
Preliminary Rounds: 1/21/2026 & 1/22/2026
Final Round / Reception: TBD
 

The 3MT competition winner will be invited to represent ASU and participate in the competition hosted by Western Association of Graduate Schools in March 2026. 

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?

• Application 

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.