3 Minute Thesis Competition

What is the 3 Minute Thesis competition?

3MT® is a wonderful opportunity to celebrate research and share it with the community, all within the context of an exciting and supportive competition.

An 80,000 word thesis would take 9 hours to present - these researchers have 3 minutes!

Each year the Faculty of Arts HDR students compete in the Three Minute Thesis (3MT) Competition.  The winner of the Arts Faculty round will then proceed to compete at the University final, where they could walk away with $5000 and be on the way to represent Monash at the Asia Pacific final!

Stay tuned for details of the 2027 3MT Competition.  Find out more

2026 3MT Competition

This year's Faculty of Arts 3 Minute Thesis (3MT) Competition was held in person on Thursday 11th June 2026.

Big congratulations to Alexander Forbes  (School of Philosophical, Historical and Indigenous Studies) who is the winner of this year's Faculty of Arts 3MT Competition.  Alexander will now represent the Arts Faculty at the University Finals.

Congratulations also to Annabel Noar (School of Languages, Literatures, Cultures and Linguistics) who  came a close second in the competition as this year's Runner-Up.

Congratulations to Jiayi Wang (School of Media, Film and Journalism) who is this year's People's Choice winner and will enter the University Wildcard Competition for another opportunity to participate in the University Finals.

Prizes:

  • Winner - $300
  • Runner Up - $150
  • People's Choice - $100 Digital Mastercard and Merchandise (sponsored by MGA)

Alexander Forbes

Thesis Title "Children as Public Goods: Who Pays, How Much, to Whom, and Why?"

Left to Right: Alexander Forbes (2026 Faculty of Arts 3MT Winner) and Professor Gordon Pentland (Judging Panellist).

Annabel Noar

Thesis Title "Imagining, rationalising and actualising Jewish selves and futures through Hebrew in New Zealand"

Left to Right: Annabel Noar (2026 Faculty of Arts 3MT Runner-Up) and A/Professor Fay Anderson (Judging Panellist).

Jiayi Wang

Thesis Title "Saving Food: The Contradictions of Sustainability in Digital Food Media"

Left to right: Jiayi Wang (2026 Faculty of Arts 3MT People's Choice Winner), Jack Kennedy (MGA) and A/Professor Matteo Bonotti (Judging Panellist).

3MT Contestants and MC

Left to right: Annabel Noar, Elisabeta Torava, Jiayi Wang, Aditya Sharma, Kadek Yamayanti, Peter Armanios, Alexander  Forbes, Chris Murphy, Professor Megan Farrelly.

Faculty of Arts Award Presentation

2025 Mollie Holman Doctoral Award  and Faculty of Arts Prize for Best PhD Thesis

Congratulations to Dr Kyra Fabianke (School of Social Sciences) who has been awarded the 2025 Mollie Holman Award for her thesis titled "Sustainable Business Model Innovation in Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises: An Appreciative Inquiry into the Transition from Business as Usual to Business for Good."  

Dr Fabianke has also been awarded the Faculty of Arts John Rickard Prize ($5,000) for Best PhD Thesis in 2025.  The Mollie Holman Medals are awarded to doctoral students and it is among the highest academic honours the University bestows and mark the recipients as researchers of the highest order.

Left to right: Dr Kyra Fabianke and Professor Megan Farrelly, Associate Dean (Graduate Research)

2025 Vice -Chancellor's Commendation for Thesis Excellence

The Vice-Chancellor's Commendation for Thesis Excellence are awarded to doctoral and/or research masters students, who have fulfilled their degree requirements and presented as outstanding contributors to research by their faculty.

Congratulations to Dr Elisabeth Fisher (School of Philosophical, Historical and Indigenous Studies) who has been awarded the 2025 Vice-Chancellor's Commendation for Thesis Excellence for her thesis titled “Towards an understanding of optimism bias: a computational approach”.  Dr Fisher is also awarded the Faculty of Arts Prize ($500) in recognition of this achievement.

Left to right: Dr Elisabeth Fisher and Professor Megan Farrelly, Associate Dean (Graduate Research)

Congratulations to Dr Tess Holzman (School of Philosophical, Historical and Indigenous Studies) who has been awarded the 2025 Faculty of Arts High Commendation for Thesis Excellence for her thesis titled “Writing One’s Own Story, Until the Very Last Page: An Ethical Examination of an Autonomy-Only Approach to Voluntary Assisted Dying”.  Dr Holzman is also awarded the Faculty of Arts Prize ($250) in recognition of this achievement.  Unfortunately Dr Holzman was unable to attend the event to receive the award in person.