3MT competition
Three Minute Thesis (3MT®) is a research communication competition developed by The University of Queensland (UQ) where competitors have just three minutes to present their thesis and its significance in an inspiring and captivating way. The 2025 AUT 3MT Competition is by video submission.
Read more information about the 3MT Competition on the UQ website.
How do I enter the 2025 AUT 3MT Competition?
Complete and submit the entry form by Friday 4 July 2025
Who is eligible to enter?
The 3MT competition is available for doctoral students, including professional doctorates. Active doctoral candidates who have successfully passed their Confirmation of Candidature (including students whose thesis is under submission) by the date of their first presentation are eligible to participate in the 3MT competition. Graduates are not eligible.
Key dates
- 4 July 2025 – Entries close
- 11 July 2025 from 10am to 11am on AUT City Campus – optional drop-in Q&A session for eligible AUT 3MT Competition competitors
- 18 July 2025 from 10am to 11am on AUT City Campus – optional drop-in Q&A session for eligible AUT 3MT Competition competitors
- 25 July 2025 - Due date to provide your presentation link and headshot to the Graduate Research School’s Researcher Education & Development team
- 4 to 8 August 2025 – Pre-heats (judges reviewing video submissions)
- After 11 August 2025 – Competitors to be notified whether they have progressed to the finals
- 22 August 2025 - Due date for finalists to provide presentation link and headshot to the Graduate Research School’s Researcher Education & Development team
- 9 September 2025 – AUT 3MT Competition Finals event, simultaneously live-stream and live-audience on the North Campus
- 13 September 2024 – Cut-off for entries for the Asia-Pacific 3MT Competition, hosted by the University of Queensland (UQ); the AUT 3MT Competition winner’s details and video will be sent to UQ on this date
Rules and guidelines
- Presentations are limited to 3 minutes and competitors exceeding 3 minutes are disqualified.
- Presentations are considered to have commenced when a presenter starts their presentation through speech (timing does not include the 3MT title slide and commences from when the competitor starts speaking, not the start of the video).
- Videos must meet the following criteria:
- Filmed on the horizontal
- Filmed on a plain background*
- Filmed from a static position
- Filmed from one camera angle
- Contain a 3MT title slide
- Contain a 3MT PowerPoint slide (top right corner/right side/cut to)
- For ‘cut to’ the slide can be displayed as many times as you like for a maximum of 1 minute
- For top right corner or right side the slide must be displayed for the entire presentation
- A single static slide is permitted in the presentation (no slide transitions, animations or ‘movement’ of any description). This can be visible continuously, or ‘cut to’ (as many times as you like) for a maximum of 1 minute
- The 3-minute audio must be continuous – no sound edits or breaks
- No additional props (e.g. costumes, musical instruments, laboratory equipment and animated backgrounds) are permitted within the recording. Presentations are to be spoken word (e.g. no poems, raps or songs)
- No additional electronic media (e.g. sound and video files) are permitted within the video recording
- The decision of the adjudicating panel is final
*Entirely in one colour and has no pattern, design, writing - no sheets, furniture, visible wall seams, etc.
Please note: competitors will not be judged on video/ recording quality or editing capabilities (optional
inclusions). Judging will focus on the presentation, ability to communicate research to a non-specialist audience, and 3MT PowerPoint slide.
Please note: After each competition round competitors have the option to either submit their current presentation or rerecord and submit a new presentation for entry into the next round.
Judging criteria
At every level of the competition each competitor will be assessed on the judging criteria listed below. Each criterion is equally weighted and has an emphasis on audience.
Comprehension and content
- Presentation provided clear motivation, background and significance to the research question
- Presentation clearly described the research strategy/design and the results/findings of the research
- Presentation clearly described the conclusions, outcomes and impact of the research
Engagement and communication
- The oration was delivered clearly, and the language was appropriate for a non-specialist audience
- The PowerPoint slide was well-defined and enhanced the presentation
- The presenter conveyed enthusiasm for their research and captured and maintained the audience’s attention
Resources for competitors
- Drop in Q&A session for eligible competitors in WU524 from 10am to 11am on Friday 11 July and Friday 18 July 2025
- User guide on iMovie video editor for MAC*
- Instructional blog on ClipChamp video editor for PC
- The University of Queensland’s 3MT video recording competitor guide
- Informational Thesislink posts:
- Videos of past AUT 3MT doctoral winners:
- 2020 – Megan Burfoot
- 2021 – Megan Burfoot
- 2022 – Katrina Coleman
- 2023 – Madeline Hayward
- 2024 – Ryan Howard
Previous 3MT competitions
AUT hosted the 2020 National Universities Masters 3MT Competition, the next level of competition for the 3MT for master’s research students. The master’s winners from universities across New Zealand had 3 minutes to present a compelling oration on their thesis and its significance. This event took place online, with presentations by video submission.
Finalists
Competitors in the 2020 National Universities Masters 3MT Competition represented universities across New Zealand. This year’s competitors were:
- Alana Thurston, Lincoln University
- Erin Thomas, University of Auckland
- Flynn Adcock, University of Canterbury
- Kaitlin Button, University of Waikato
- Marianne Carroll, Auckland University of Technology
Award announcements
- Highly commended at the 2020 Virtual National Universities Masters 3MT Competition was awarded to Flynn Adcock, from the University of Canterbury.
- The winner of the 2020 Virtual National Universities Masters 3MT Competition was AUT's own Marianne Carroll, from the Faculty of Health and Environmental Sciences.
Judges
Dr Diana Siew
Dr Lyn Lavery
Dr Lyn Lavery is the Director of Academic Consulting Ltd, a company with a longstanding reputation for providing support to both academic staff and postgraduate students at New Zealand universities. Previously a lecturer at both the University of Auckland and Massey University, she specialises in teaching research methods, particularly data analysis techniques and the skills needed to effectively communicate research findings. Lyn’s PhD is in the area of educational psychology, but her recent research has seen her work across a diverse range of fields including health, business, sport and exercise science, and social policy.
Professor Juliet Gerrard
Professor Juliet Gerrard FRSNZ, FHonFRSC trained at Oxford University and moved to Aotearoa in 1993 where her career has included roles in both Crown Research Institutes and universities. Juliet’s research background is broad and interdisciplinary, with particular interests in fundamental and applied protein science. She has held an Industry and Outreach Fellowship with Callaghan Innovation, founded a start-up company, chaired the Marsden Council, and served on the Board of Directors of Plant and Food Research.
Since Juliet’s appointment in 2018 as the Prime Minister’s Chief Science Advisor, Kaitohutohu Mātanga Pūtaiao Matua ki te Pirimia, she has worked from a base of four founding principles: rigour, inclusivity, transparency, and accessibility. She has supported the science and science advisor community to provide advice to the PM, ministers, and the public on a wide range of topics, including advice on the Christchurch mosque shootings, the response to the Whakaari | White Island eruption, and the Covid-19 pandemic. In 2019, the Office released a major report, Rethinking Plastics in Aotearoa New Zealand, which created a vision for a new relationship with plastic.
Prizes and sponsorship
Prizes included:
- Research awards
- A Microsoft Surface Pro 5 from ICT services and Cyclone
Sponsorship
This event was sponsored by ICT and supplier partner Cyclone.
For the first time the AUT 3MT Competition was virtual; master's and doctoral students gave their 3=minute research presentations by video submission. Finalists' videos had been selected from the pre-heats, with the finals event having taken place online on 4 September.
Master's finalists
Doctoral finalists
L to R: Afiq Abdul Hamid, David Gadnyx, Marianne Carroll, Negin Ahmadi Saber Doust, Alena Shannaq, Kaushalya Kumarasinghe, Megan Burfoot, Smita Keshoor
Winners
Judges
Members of the judging panel were:
- Associate Professor Jennie Billot, Head of Researcher Development
- Ngaire Rix, Manager of Learning Success
- Peter Jean-Paul, Winner of the 2019 AUT 3MT Competition
Prizes included
- Research awards
- A Microsoft Surface Pro 5 from ICT services and Cyclone
- $50 of vouchers for Counter / Newsfeed / Refuel / Kaife / K101
Sponsorship
This event was sponsored by ICT and supplier partner Cyclone and AUT Cafes.
Finalists from the 2019 pre-heats competed in the Three Minute Thesis (3MT) Competition finals, explaining their research and its significance in a captivating and inspiring way. The finals took place at the end of the 2019 Postgraduate Research Symposium day.
2019 AUT 3MT Competition Finalists
Master's:
- Saba Tavakolinejad: On the danger of Artificial Intelligence
- Livvy Mitchell: Home Detention: Couch surfing or job preserving?
- Devika Gopi: Executive functioning in Stroke
Doctoral:
- Dwayne Woolliams: Impacting sport leadership one relationship at a time
- Najmah Usman: "My baby deserves LOVE, not HIV"
- William Caicedo: ISeeU: Visually Interpretable Deep Learning for Mortality Prediction Inside the ICU
- Peter Jean-Paul: ;Investigating the value proposition of Energy Saving Devices
- Mahesh Babu Purushothaman: Shed bias, astute work stress
- Alena Shannaq: What makes students effective in their studies
- Isaac Amoah: Bread with vegetables: for that feel full feeling and regulation of blood sugar
Access videos on the Thesislink YouTube channel
Saba Tavakolinejad took out the 2019 AUT 3MT Master's Competition Audience Vote. And, Livvy Mitchell, with her presentation, 'Home Detention: Couch surfing or job preserving?' won the 2019 AUT 3MT Master's Competition. Livvy went on to win the 2019 Three Minute Thesis New Zealand Inter-University Master's Final, hosted by the University of Otago in Dunedin.
Alena Shannaq, with her presentation 'What makes students effective in their studies' was the Runner-Up of the 2019 AUT 3MT Doctoral Competition. The winner of the 2019 doctoral competition was Peter Jean-Paul, with his presentation, 'Investigating the value proposition of Energy Saving Devices'. Peter also took out the Audience Vote for the 2019 Doctoral Competition. Peter went on to represent AUT at the Asia-Pacific Competition in Brisbane, Australia on 4 October, 2019.
In 2021 the AUT 3MT Competition was virtual for the second time. Doctoral students gave their 3-minute research presentations by video submission.
Finalists
The finalists of the 2021 AUT 3MT competition were:
Dhelipan Mahenthiran
Faculty of Design and Creative Technologies
School of Engineering, Computer and Mathematical Sciences
3MT Presentation Title: Fly Further with Hydrogen Copter
Madeline Hayward
Faculty of Health and Environmental Sciences
School of Clinical Sciences
3MT Presentation Title: Exploring police interactions with people experiencing mental distress in post-disaster Christchurch
Megan Burfoot
Faculty of Design and Creative Technologies
School of Future Environments
3MT Presentation Title: THE CLASSROOM IS LISTENING
Mitali Nautiyal
Faculty of Design and Creative Technologies
School of Art and Design
3MT Presentation Title: Apparel sustainability assessment tool
Rashi Bhalla
Faculty of Design and Creative Technologies
School of Engineering, Computer and Mathematical Sciences
3MT Presentation Title: The Role of Big Data in Early Prediction of Asthma-related Emergency Department Visits and Admissions.
Rezwana Karim Snigdha
Faculty of Culture and Society
School of Social Sciences and Public Policy
3MT Presentation Title: Beyond the gender binary: Hijra in Bangladesh
Winners
Winners of the AUT 3 Minute Thesis Competition (Thesislink)
Judges
The judging panel consisted of the following judges:
Associate Professor Nigel Harris, Acting Dean of the Graduate Research School
Ngaire Rix, Manager of Learning Success
Negin Ahmadi Saber Doust, Runner-Up of the 2020 Virtual AUT 3MT Competition
Prizes
Prizes for the 2021 AUT 3MT competition included:
- $750 in research awards sponsored by the Graduate Research School
- 2 Surface Pro 7+ for Business and Covers from ICT services and supplier partner Cyclone
- A 1-year membership to the AUT Sport & Fitness Centres
- Two AUT drawstring bags, drink bottles, CuppaCoffeeCups, and notebooks sponsored by AUT Shop
This event was sponsored by ICT Services and supplier partner Cyclone, AUT Sport and Fitness Centres, and AUT Shop.
Master's winner
Humaira Siddiqi
Master of Communication Studies
Faculty of Design and Creative Technologies
Supervised by Dr Averill Gordon
A thematic analysis of print media framing of terrorism in Afghanistan
Doctoral finalists
Fay Amaral
Doctor of Philosophy
Faculty of Health and Environmental Sciences
Supervised by Associate Professor Chris Krageloh, Associate Professor Marcus Henning & Dr Fiona Moir
Dare To Dream - What do I do after School?
Hannah Latta
Doctor of Health Science
Faculty of Health and Environmental Sciences
Supervised by Dr Bronwyn Tunnage & Dr Andrew Swain
Cardiac Arrest Ultrasound
Isabella Wright
Doctor of Health Science
Faculty of Health and Environmental Sciences
Supervised by Dr Eamon Merrick, Professor Stephen Neville & Dr Anja Vorster
Can I ride on your bicycle?
Jennifer Sharkey
Doctor of Philosophy
Faculty of Health and Environmental Sciences
Supervised by Dr Sonja Goedeke & Dr Jackie Feather
Developing a Network Model of Empirically Supported Marital Well-Being Mechanisms
Jia Hui (Sherry) Feng
Doctor of Philosophy
Faculty of Design and Creative Technologies
Supervised by Professor Edmund Lai & Dr Weihua Li
Girls wear pants! Making AI systems fair
Katrina Coleman
Doctor of Health Science
Faculty of Health and Environmental Sciences
Supervised by Dr Eamon Merrick, Dr Melanie Moylan & Dr Annette Dickinson
Do I have to Mum this way?
Sam Guy
Doctor of Philosophy
Faculty of Health and Environmental Sciences
Supervised by Professor Alice Theadom & Dr Susan Mahon
Assessing the cognitive effects of traumatic brain injury in offenders
About the winners
Jia Hui (Sherry) Feng won the Audience Vote award for her presentation entitled Girls wear pants! Making AI systems fair.
Humaira Siddiqi won the master's competition for her presentation entitled A thematic analysis of print media framing of terrorism in Afghanistan. She will compete in the 3MT Master’s Inter-University National Challenge event on Thursday 8 September, hosted by the University of Auckland.
Jennifer Sharkey was the doctoral runner-up, with a presentation titled Developing a Network Model of Empirically Supported Marital Well-Being Mechanisms.
And Katrina Coleman won the doctoral competition with her presentation on assessing perinatal mental health interventions entitled Do I have to Mum this way?. Katrina will now progress to the Virtual Asia-Pacific 3MT finals, hosted by the University of Queensland from 26 September.
The judges praised all of our finalists for their clear communication of complex research, their enthusiastic delivery, and their ability to engage with audiences through the camera.
If you’d like to watch the winning AUT presentations, you can view the full recording of the finals event on Vimeo here.
See all AUT 3MT competition winners
Judges
Professor Nicola Kayes
Director of the Centre for Person Centred Research and Professor of Rehabilitation in the School of Clinical Sciences
Associate Professor Vijay Devadas
Director International Engagement in the School of Communication Studies
Megan Burfoot
Winner of the 2020 and 2021 AUT 3MT competitions
Prizes
Prizes for the 2021 AUT 3MT competition included:
- $1000 in research awards sponsored by the Graduate Research School
- 2 Surface Pro 7+ for Business and Covers from ICT services and supplier partner Cyclone
- A 1-month membership to the AUT Sport & Fitness Centres
- An AUT backpack and two AUT travel flasks sponsored by AUT Shop
- Goodies from AUT Cafes
This event was sponsored by ICT Services and supplier partner Cyclone, AUT Sport and Fitness Centres, AUT Shop, and AUT Cafes.
Winners
- Winner – Madeline Hayward
- Runner-up – Fay Amanda Amaral
- Audience Vote – Fay Amanda Amaral
Judges
- Professor Nigel Harris, Dean of the Graduate Research School
- Luqman Hayes, Research Services Senior Manager, Te Mātāpuna
- Katrina Coleman, Winner of the 2022 AUT 3MT Competition
Finalists
David Toomey
Doctor of Philosophy
Faculty of Health and Environmental Sciences
Supervised by Associate Professor David Rice, Associate Professor Gwyn Lewis and Dr Natalie Tuck
Unravelling the pain relieving effects of exercise in knee osteoarthritis. What can we learn to enhance rehabilitation?
Fay Amanda Amaral
Doctor of Philosophy
Faculty of Health and Environmental Sciences
Supervised by Professor Chris Krageloh, Dr Fiona Moir and Associate Professor Marcus Henning
To be or not to be...career decisions, depression and sense of control - how do our high school students really feel?
Jia Hui (Sherry) Feng
Doctor of Philosophy
Faculty of Design and Creative Technologies
Supervised by Professor Edmund Lai and Dr Weihua Li
Learning Through Shapes of Words
Madeline Hayward
Doctor of Philosophy
Faculty of Health and Environmental Sciences
Supervised by Professor Jacquie Kidd, Associate Professor Katey Thom and Dr Sarah Gordon
Whose role is it? Police responses to mental distress jobs
Maryse Fahmi
Doctor of Philosophy
Faculty of Design and Creative Technologies
Supervised by Dr Mahesh Babu Purushothaman and Dr Funmilayo Ebun Rotimi
From Hot Seat to Cool Feet: Mastering the Art of Hospital Fire Evacuation in Style!
Nathan Henry
Doctor of Philosophy
Faculty of Health and Environmental Sciences
Supervised by Dr Liesje Donkin, Associate Professor Mangor Pedersen and Dr Matt Williams
What is the Healthy Limit of Pornography Use?
Prizes and sponsors
Prizes for the 2023 AUT 3MT competition included:
- $1000 in research awards sponsored by the Graduate Research School
- 2 HP Envy x360 2-in-1 Laptop 13s from ICT services and supplier partner Cyclone
- A one-month membership to the AUT Sport and Fitness Centres
- Goodies from AUT Cafes
This year’s event was sponsored by ICT Services and supplier partner Cyclone, AUT Sport and Fitness Centres, and AUT Cafes.
Winners
- Winner – Ryan Howard
- Audience Vote – Waruna Weerasekera
Judges
- Professor Mark Orams, Deputy Vice-Chancellor Research
- Luqman Hayes, Research Services Senior Manager, Te Mātāpuna Library & Learning Services
- Dr Michelle Ladwig Williams, Researcher Education and Development Specialist
- Madeline Hayward, Winner of the 2023 AUT 3MT Competition
Finalists
The 2024 AUT 3MT Competition finalists, in alphabetical order by first name, were:
Linda Kirkpatrick
Doctor of Philosophy
Faculty of Business, Economics and Law
Economics and Finance Department
Supervised by Professor Gail Pacheco, Thomas Schober, and Professor Scott Duncan
M.I.M.B.Y - maybe in my backyard: are residents worse off when there is social housing development in their neighbourhood?
Ryan Howard
Doctor of Philosophy
Faculty of Health and Environmental Sciences
School of Science
Supervised by Associate Professor Kat Bolstad and Associate Professor Monica Acosta
A Flash of Ingenuity: Deep-Sea Squid Eyes Are Optimised for Bioluminescent Communication
Waruna Weerasekera
Doctor of Philosophy
Faculty of Health and Environmental Sciences
School of Sport and Recreation
Supervised by Associate Professor Caryn Zinn and Dr Catherine Crofts
Defensive CGMs - A Behavioural Approach in Diabetes Care
Sponsors
The 2024 AUT Three Minute Thesis Competition was sponsored by ICT Services and supplier partner Cyclone, and the Graduate Research School.
Photos and livestream recording
Photos from the 2024 AUT Three Minute Thesis Competition Finals have been provided by Visionworks Photography, and are available on Facebook.
A recording of the livestream of the 2024 AUT 3MT Competition finals has been provided by AUT Events, and is available with other Research Week recordings on YouTube
Contact us
Graduate Research School
Phone: +64 9 921 9907
Email: grs@aut.ac.nz
City Campus - level 5, WU Building
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