2021 Monash 3MT Winners
Congratulations to the 2021 Monash 3MT winner, Julian O'Shea, from Monash Art, Design and Architecture! Julian's presentation "A Vehicle for Change" took out the top prize in this year's final amongst a very tough field of competition. Julian will now go on to represent Monash at the Asia-Pacific Virtual 3MT Finals beginning in September.
Our runner up this year was Sam Moustafa from the Faculty of Pharmacy, with his presentation "Personalised Medicine: The Future of Prescribing". Congratulations Sam!
Congratulations also to Shibani Veeraragavan from the Faculty of Engineering, who took out the MGA People's Choice Award which was voted for by our audience on the night.
An 80,000 word PhD would take 9 hours to present
You have 3 minutes.
About the competition
The Three Minute Thesis (3MT®) is an academic research communication competition developed by The University of Queensland, and celebrates the exciting research conducted by PhD students in Australia and around the world.
Do you think you could present your entire PhD thesis to a general audience in just 3 minutes?
Beginning in 2008, the first 3MT® competition was held at UQ with 160 Higher Degree by Research (HDR) candidates competing.
Just one year later in 2009, the 3MT® competition was promoted to other Australian and New Zealand universities and enthusiasm for the concept grew.
Now, 3MT® is held in over 900 universities across more than 80 countries worldwide.
3MT FINALS EVENTS WILL BE HELD IN A VIRTUAL FORMAT
As a result of the ongoing challenges brought about by COVID-19, The University of Queensland (UQ) has decided that the Asia Pacific Three Minute Thesis (3MT) Final will remain in a virtual format in 2021. Competitors will once again be required to enter via a pre-recorded video submission.
UQ also require that the Monash Final be judged by pre-recorded video submission in order to ensure consistency and avoid disadvantages that might occur as a result of technical issues in a live feed.
Why participate?
- Develop your academic, presentation and research communication skills
- Develop your ability to effectively explain your research in language appropriate to a general audience
- Great professional development opportunity - participants receive two graduate research hours towards the MDP Professional Development requirement
- Celebrate your research, connect with your peers, and raise your public profile
- Have the chance to win great prizes, and the chance to represent Monash at the Asia-Pacific 3MT virtual finals
Thank you to the Monash Graduate Association (MGA) for their generous support once again this year, with both faculty rounds and Monash final prizes.
| Competition | Place | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| Monash Final - Virtual | Winner | - $5000 - Represent Monash at virtual Asia Pacific Final |
| Runner Up | $2000 | |
| MGA People's Choice Award | $500 | |
| Asia Pacific Final - Virtual | Winner | $5000 research grant |
| Runner Up | $2000 research grant | |
| People's Choice | $1000 research grant |
Virtual Rules and Eligibility
Virtual Rules
- Presentations are limited to 3 minutes - competitors exceeding this are disqualified.
- Presentations are considered to have commenced when a presenter starts speaking (timing does not include 3MT title slide).
- Videos must meet the following criteria:
- Filmed on the horizontal;
- Filmed on a plain background;
- Filmed from a static position;
- Filmed from one camera angle;
- Contain a 3MT title slide (at beginning);
- Contain a 3MT PowerPoint slide (top right corner/right side/cut to)
- A single static slide is permitted in the presentation (no slide transitions, animations or ‘movement’ of any kind). This can be visible continuously, or ‘cut to’ (as many times as you like) for a maximum of 1 minute.
- The 3 minute audio must be continuous – no sound edits or breaks.
- No additional props (e.g. costumes, musical instruments, laboratory equipment, animated backgrounds) are permitted.
- Presentations are to be spoken word (e.g. no poems, raps or songs).
- No additional electronic media (e.g. sound and video files) are permitted.
- The decision of the adjudicating panel is final.
- Submissions via video format (only Vimeo link provided to Event Coordinators). Files sent in other formats will not be accepted.
- Entries submitted for final adjudication to Wildcard or University Final are to be submitted from the School/ Faculty/Institute 3MT Event Coordinator. Competitors should not submit their videos directly to 3MT.
Please note: competitors *will not* be judged on video/ recording quality or editing capabilities (optional inclusions). Judging will focus on the presentation, ability to communicate research to a non-specialist audience, and 3MT PowerPoint slide.
Please note: After each competition round competitors have the option to either submit their current presentation or rerecord and submit a new presentation for entry into the next round.
Eligibility
- Active PhD and Professional Doctorate Research (program composed of at least 2/3 research and eligible for RTP) candidates who have successfully passed their confirmation milestone (including candidates whose thesis is under submission) by the date of their first virtual presentation are eligible to participate in 3MT competitions at all levels, including the Asia-Pacific 3MT competition.
- Graduates are not eligible.
- Please note: Students enrolled in any of the following programs are not eligible to enter:
- Masters (MPhil and coursework);
- Professional Doctorate (coursework).
Useful Links
Key dates 2021
Please note; As a result of the ongoing COVID-19 restrictions, The 2021 Asia Pacific Three Minute Thesis (3MT) Competition will remain in a virtual format. Competitors will be required to enter via a pre-recorded video submission.
The Monash University Wildcard Competition and the Monash Final will also be judged by pre-recorded video submission.
| April | Registrations open |
| May - June | Department/school/institute/faculty/campus rounds |
| 7 July | Wildcard submissions due |
| 29 July | Virtual Wildcard Competition |
| July/August | Presentation training for finalists |
| 25 August | Monash University Virtual Final |
| 27 September | Asia-Pacific Virtual Semi-Final |
| 11 October | Asia-Pacific Virtual Final Showcase & Judging |
| 20 October | Asia-Pacific Virtual Final - Meet the Finalists Q&A and Winners Announced |
If you have any questions please contact the Monash Graduate Research Office
Monash 3MT Winners 2020
Congratulations to our 2020 winner Erin Brodie, from the Faculty of Engineering, with her presentation "Human-Plane Bits: New Alloys for Implants". Erin also won the MGA People's Choice Award, so an amazing effort all round! Erin will go on to represent Monash at the Asia-Pacific Finals which begin in September. Stay tuned for further information on this event.
Congratulations also to our runner up Angela Schumann, from the Faculty of Arts, with her presentation "Confessing Shakespeare: Uncovering the structures of confession in Shakespeare's plays".
Well done to all finalists and competitors in this year's Three Minute Thesis competition, and thank you to everyone who helped to make it such a success.