The clock is ticking – you’ve only got three minutes to tell an audience about your research.
Are you up for the challenge? What if I told you there was $6,000 in prize money up for grabs?
Throw your hat in the ring and sign up for UBCO’s seventh annual Three Minute Thesis (3MT®) competition!
What is 3MT?
The Three Minute Thesis (3MT®) is a global academic competition started by The University of Queensland (UQ), Australia in 2008. Since then, the competition has spread throughout universities across the globe.
The competition showcases students’ innovative research while helping students develop effective presentation and communication skills. Research-based master’s and doctoral students are challenged to present their research in a mere 180 seconds using just one static slide.
The judges look for clear language, a well-structured presentation that engages the audience, and a slide that is designed to support the speaker’s points.
How do I participate?
All UBC Okanagan graduate students in a thesis-based program are eligible to compete in 3MT at UBC Okanagan.
Students compete against others from their Faculty in qualifying heats. The winners from each faculty then advance to the UBC Okanagan final event. Details about the Faculty heats can be found below.
The winner of the UBC Okanagan final qualifies to move on to the Western Regional competition.
The next competition will be held in 2025.
why participate?
Prepare your elevator pitch: Whether it’s for a job interview, or explaining to your relatives at the dinner table, being able to concisely explain your research will help you throughout your studies and into your future career.
Develop important skills: 3MT provides you with the opportunity to develop effective presentation and communication skills.
Win prize money: $6,000 dollars in prize money is up for grabs with first place taking home $3,000, $2,000 for the runner-up, and $1,000 for People’s Choice.
Gain exposure in the community: The 3MT Final is an opportunity for you to showcase your research to a broad public audience, gain exposure, and build connections with the community.
Participant testimonials
Pawanjit Kaur Sandhu, Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, 2024 Winner
My 3MT journey was fun and a great learning experience. To condense my complex research into three minutes for a non-specialist audience enabled me to look at my research in a broader perspective and its significance to the general public. The feedback from the judges and audience improved my communication skills and confidence in presenting myself. Further, listening to wide variety of amazing research conducted at UBCO and in universities across Western Canada was so rewarding and I made so many friends along the way. Ten out of ten experience – I highly recommend all graduate students participate in 3MT.
Saba Saleem, Engineering, 2024 Runner-Up
Participating in the 3 Minute Thesis competition was an invigorating challenge that pushed me to distill years of research into a concise and engaging presentation. Despite the time constraints, I found the experience incredibly rewarding as it honed my communication skills and clarified the significance of my work on sustainable kidney care services. Presenting to a diverse audience sparked meaningful discussions and provided valuable feedback, enriching my journey as a researcher committed to driving positive change in healthcare.
Kyla Coates, Kinesiology, 2024 alumni UBC People's Choice Winner
When I look back at the end of my PhD, 3MT will certainly be one of the highlights. It was unlike any other scientific presentation I have given, or may ever give again. To perfectly memorize a three-minute script seemed impossible at first, but turned out to be possible with A LOT of practice. To then turn it into an engaging performance was very challenging but also turned out to be possible with A LOT of practice. It ended up being a very rewarding experience because of how challenging it was. I know having this experience under my belt will massively increase my confidence for all of my future presentations and public speaking events. I highly recommend that all graduate students take part, but don’t underestimate the preparation required to succeed!
Portiaa McGonigal, Biology, 2020 Winner
In doing 3MT, I gained a better appreciation for how I should portray my project even to a group of experts in the same field. Competing against other students with vastly different projects than mine was intimidating at first, but going through with it and being successful allowed me to prove to myself that I am capable of doing difficult things, and it gave me much more confidence coming out of the competition than I had going in. I would highly recommend students to participate in the 3MT Competition to not only push your boundaries as a student researcher and communicator but to also challenge yourself and build up your confidence in your abilities.
UBC Okanagan 3MT Final 2024
April 9, 2024 l 5:00 PM l Mary Irwin Theatre
Thank you for coming out to support our graduate students. Come cheer on our UBCO winner Pawanjit Kaur Sandhu at the Western Regional 3MT Competition! Read more about this year’s competition
Western regional 3MT competition 2024
May 8, 2024 l 2:00 PM l University of British Columbia Okanagan
UBC Okanagan is excited to host the Western Regional 3MT® Competition at on May 8, 2024. Our campus will welcome participants from across Western Canada who will share their research in three minutes using non-specialist language.
2024 Participant videos
Coming soon