The Three Minute Thesis (3MT) is an academic research communication competition developed by the . It is an exciting, fast-paced event that is held annually in more than 900 universities in 85 countries.
This entertaining event gives thesis students the chance to present their research to a large audience while competing for a number of generous prizes. The presentation must be no more than three minutes, incorporating only one static PowerPoint slide. The overall ߣ Doctoral winner will then go on to participate in the
First Place:$3000research grant
Second Place: $1500 research grant
Third Place: $750 research grant
Peoples Choice award: $500 research grant
The top Doctoral candidate will represent UC at the Asia-Pacific virtual event finals (hosted by the University of Queensland). Note this will be a recorded submission and support will be provided around recording.
The competition is open to:
Master's Research Students who are currently enrolled in a thesis (90 points or greater).
Doctoral Candidates who have successfully passed their confirmation milestone (including candidate whose thesis is under examination) by the date of their first presentation are eligible to participate in the 3MT competitions at all levels, including the Asia-Pacific 3MT competition. Graduates are not eligible.
Pre-confirmation doctoral candidates who are active in program are still eligible to participate in the UC 3MT competition for the first round of their relevant competition (Department or Faculty) but cannot advance to the second round or the UC 3MT Final.
UC Master's and Doctoral Thesis students must communicate their research in no more than three minutes, with the help of only one static title slide, with the presentation aimed at to a non-specialist audience.
Each Faculty runs its own 3MT heats, with the heat finalists progressing to the 3MT finals held at theResearch Student Showcase Event. The best doctoral entry will represent UC at the Asia-Pacific 3MT competition on Wednesday 15th October 2025 (virtual event).
We are excited to announce that this year we will be hosting a live finals event once more!
Title Slide:All entries will need to include a static title slide, check with your Department Coordinator about these requirements or download the standard 3MT title slide here:(clicking this link will download the file directly to your device).
Faculty heats information including entry links below:
2025 Faculty heat information coming soon.
Technical Support from theAcademic Skills Centre
For students who would like feedback on a preliminary/draft recording before they make their final submission, the Academic Skills Centre can provide honest and constructive feedback on how well you have met theUC Final 3MT Judging Criteria.Please emailacademicskills@canterbury.ac.nzor phone 03 369 3900 and ask for a “quick query” with either Julie or Jessi.
Previous Competitions
UC 3MT winners & finalists 2024
1st Place - Brittany Ogden-Travis
Listening to Children in Aotearoa
2nd Place - Chris Kelly
Measuring Problematic Media Use in Children
3rd Place - Megan Eustace
Rongoā reo: Supporting Communication for Māori with Dementia
Anna Christoforou
The murky ethics of bordering technologies
Amelia Threadgould
From Roots to Resilience
Ayushi Tiwari
Solving Bob's Dilemma
Haris Butt
Is Your Work-Team Resilient?
Emily Schleuss
We have a fashion emergency. Can social media fix it?
Kaleb McGillivray
Shaping Ultrasound Communication – Threading the Needle
Madeline Mills
Rewiring Your Brain with Swallowing Skill Training
Will Durkin
Cold Kids, Hot Topic
Rebecca Attwell
Athletes, Body Image, and the Menstrual Cycle
Thejani Madhuhansi Wickrama
Shaping a sustainable future through responsible disposal practices
UC 3MT winners & finalists 2023
1st Place - Henry Hoult
Mt Taranaki has a plumbing problem
2nd Place - Gladys Tan
Does the amount of citric acid matter?
3rd Place - Kate Wislang
What are you not seeing?
Sam Brett
Local Narratives of Climate in Response to Policy Consultation
Peiman Pishyar-Dehkordi
Multi-sensory Perception of Sound Sequences in Languages
Phoebe Eggleton
Defining exposure to the Canterbury Earthquake Sequence (2010-11)
Victoria Leggett
Happy and you know it?
John Paul Smith
Authentic Engagement with Rainbow Communities in Social Marketing
Elyse Gagnon
You can’t be playing the woman card, stories of menstruation within the NZ Army
Juliet Robertson
Circular Supply Chains: Enhancing Consumer Engagement
Nicholas Lam
Reducing modelling uncertainty - Can we improve the precision of diabetes diagnostics?
Tina Yee
Reconceptualizing and Reforming New Zealand’s Deportation Law