Three Minute Thesis Competition is on!

The Three Minute Thesis competition is on again this year and you can register to compete now! The  competition is open to all Griffith University students currently enrolled in a higher degree by research, both doctorates (Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), including the Doctor of Philosophy in Clinical and Organisational Psychology) and Masters by Research (including the Master of Philosophy, and the Research Masters in Higher Education, Visual Arts and Music).

The competition is an exercise in developing researchers’ communication skills. Competing students will have three minutes to present their research topic in straightforward terms to a lay audience. The competition is based on the premise that the capacity to present a clear, concise, yet engaging description of their research project in three minutes is an essential skill that all researchers should develop.

Imagine you’re in an elevator with an entrepreneur or philanthropist with $6,000 in their pocket. You have three minutes to convince them to fund your research.  What’s your elevator pitch?

Students whose thesis is currently under submission are eligible; Higher degree by research graduates are not eligible. Competitors who are eligible on the date of their first presentation in the Griffith 3MT competition shall remain so for the Trans-Tasman 3MT irrespective of subsequent changes to their status (eg. those who subsequently graduate before the date of the Trans-Tasman 3MT event).

Students will compete in the Academic Group (for example, Health, or  Business) and Honours heats in August. Students will be notified of the specific dates of these competitions via e-mail and on this website, so it is important to make sure you register to get these updates.

The top four students from each Academic Group competition, and the top four students from the Honours category, will then compete in the Griffith Three Minute Thesis final on 18 September, 2013.

The Griffith finalist will win a prize of $1,000, the runner-up $750, the People’s Choice awardee $500, and a further $500 for the winner of the Honours category. By registering for this event, students agree that should they be the recipient of either Griffith prize, that these monies are to go towards research degree-related costs, only while enrolled as a Griffith Higher Degree Research candidate.

The winner of Griffith University’s Three Minute Thesis competition will go on to compete in the Trans-Tasman competition hosted in 2013 by the University of Western Sydney.

The Trans-Tasman competition winner will be awarded $5,000, the runner-up $2,000 and the People’s Choice recipient $1,000.

For more information visit the Griffith University 3MT pages and the official Three Minute Thesis website.