UGA Three Minute Thesis (3MT®) competition – Fall 2025
Three Minute Thesis is a professional and highly engaging international research communication competition. Better known by the acronym 3MT®, the competition requires contestants to explain their thesis or dissertation topic and its significance in three minutes or less using only a single static presentation slide.
The competition supports their capacity to effectively explain their research in three minutes, in a language appropriate to a non-specialist audience.
Competition rules, eligibility, and judging criteria
Fall 2025 Final Competition:
Thursday, November 13, 2025
Morton Theatre
Doors open at 6:30 pm
This event is free and open to the public.
Three Minute Thesis (3MT®) is an academic competition developed by The University of Queensland (UQ), Australia.
About 3MT®
The exercise develops academic, presentation, and research communication skills and supports the development of students’ capacities to effectively explain their research in language appropriate to an intelligent but non-specialist audience.
Master’s and doctoral students have three minutes to present a compelling oration on their thesis or dissertation topic and its significance. 3MT® is not an exercise in trivializing or ‘dumbing-down’ research but forces students to consolidate their ideas and crystalize their research discoveries.
Eligibility
Currently enrolled master’s and doctoral students at the University of Georgia will be eligible to participate in 3MT®. Past graduates are not eligible. Students must present on the research that will culminate in either their master’s thesis or doctoral dissertation. Previous winners of the 3MT® competition are not eligible to participate.
Prizes
- Winner: $1,000
- Runner-up: $750
- People’s Choice: $500
Rules
- 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 judging panel is final.
Judging Criteria
Comprehension & Content
- Presentation provided clear 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 & 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.
3MT® Presenter Preparation Resources
Interested in learning more about how to make the most of your 3 minutes and wow the audience?
- Join the kickoff workshop! See info above.
- Here’s a guide that that will help you to prepare and deliver an effective 3MT® presentation.
- Study past winners by watching past UGA Graduate School 3MT® competitions and other national and international competitions as well.
Fall 2025 Finalists:
Anshul – Crop and Soil Sciences, College of Agricultural & Environmental Sciences, “Peanuts: The Uncrushed Oil Potential”
Allison Arne – College of Veterinary Medicine, “Cats and Kidney Disease”
Kendall Clay – Cellular Biology, Franklin College of Arts and Sciences, “That’s DOPe: Uncovering the Mystery of Dopamine Neuron Regeneration in Planarians”
Hadley Copeland – Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources, “Risk Runs Downstream: Managing Forested Watersheds”
Margaret Lemons – Large Animal Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, “Unraveling the Sticky Web: How the Body’s Defense Can Go Wrong in Babies”
Addi Mavengere – Workforce Education and Instructional Technology, Mary Frances Early College of Education, “Attention! Listen to What the Eyes Say”
Vijay Mohakar – Textiles, Merchandising and Interiors, College of Family and Consumer Sciences, “From Nature to Knee: A New Era of Viscosupplementation”
Athar Yeganeh Neysiani – Chemistry, Franklin College of Arts and Sciences, “Shedding Light on Hidden Dangers in Our Homes”
Asghar Sedaghat – Poultry Science, College of Agricultural & Environmental Sciences, “The Tale of Laying Hens Told by Immune Markers”
Cameron Wysocky – Psychology, Franklin College of Arts and Sciences, “Eat Your Greens: How Plant Pigments Help Us See Farther”
