3MT at QBS
The Three Minute Thesis (3MT®) is an academic research competition which challenges doctoral candidates to deliver a compelling spoken presentation on their research topic and its significance in just three minutes.
The inaugural QBS 3MT competition will take place on Thursday 30 April 2026 between 10am - 2pm in the Harvard Lecture Theatre at Queen's Business School.
Participants will be judged on:
- Comprehension
- Content
- Engagement
- Communication
Prizes
- Judges’ Award: £250 (towards training and equipment) + certificate
- People’s Choice Award: £250 (towards training and equipment) + certificate
- First and Second Runners-up: certificates
Winner
- QUB 3MT® Competition: The overall winner will represent QBS at the QUB-level competition on 11 June 2026 at the Thomas J Moran Graduate School.
- Vitae UK 3MT® Competition: The winner of the QUB competition will go on to compete at the UK national level 3MT® competition organised by Vitae, bringing together finalists from universities across the UK.
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Background of 3MT
The 3 Minute Thesis (3MT) competition is a concept developed by the University of Queensland in Australia, and has gone global.
An 80,000 word thesis would take approximately nine hours to present. 3MT challenges the PhD student to effectively explain their research in three minutes, in a language appropriate to a non-specialist audience.
- Benefits & support
Benefits of taking part
By participating in 3MT, PhD students get the chance to cultivate their academic, presentation, and research communication skills. Taking part gives students the opportunity to put their research on a global stage, and propel a successful academic career from the very beginning.
Support for preparation and practice:
- Workshops: there are sessions to help you with your presentation and delivery.
- 1:1 Practice Sessions: please book a session with Dr Abbie Edgar on MyFuture for personalised feedback.
- Rules of competition
- A single static PowerPoint slide is permitted. No slide transitions, animations or 'movement' of any description are allowed.
- The slide is to be presented from the beginning of the oration.
- No additional electronic media (e.g. sound and video files) are permitted.
- No additional props (e.g. costumes, musical instruments, laboratory equipment) are permitted.
- Presentations are limited to 3 minutes maximum and competitors exceeding 3 minutes are disqualified.
- Presentations are to be spoken word (e.g. no poems, raps or songs).
- Presentations are to commence from the stage.
- Presentations are considered to have commenced when a presenter starts their presentation through either movement or speech.
- The decision of the adjudicating panel is final.
- Eligibility
To participate, you must:
- be a currently enrolled QBS doctoral researcher
- be at a stage where you can clearly articulate your research (early/mid/late stage all welcome)
- be available to present in person on Thursday 30 April 2026
- comply with 3MT rules
- FAQs
Please see answers to FAQs here.
