3MT: Three Minute Thesis Competition

Submissions are now open: Send us your submission in the form of a three-minute film (3MT film) for a chance to compete in the live 3MT Competition in Zurich on 18 June 2024. This first edition of the Swiss-wide 3MT is hosted by the University of Zurich in collaboration with the EPFL, ETH,  University of Basel, University of Fribourg, University of Lausanne, and the University of St. Gallen.

This is your opportunity to showcase your research and win an award, so get ready to inspire with your skills!  

Jury Awards: First place CHF 1000, runner-up CHF 700  

Audience Award: CHF 300  

To compete in the 3MT, please submit your film via SWITCHfilesender to contact(at)grc.uzh.ch, along with your name, university affiliation, and (provisional) title of your 3MT presentation. The submission deadline is 21 May. Finalists will be announced on this website by early June.    

All doctoral researchers from participating universities in Switzerland are invited to submit a 3MT film. Together with a pre-selection jury, a group of finalists will be selected to participate in the live 3MT competition on June 18 in Zurich. Finalists are also invited to take part in an online training with Mirko Bischofberger on June 10 & 11. 

• Competitors record and edit their 3MT presentations (using any available recording or mobile device) and submit their film via SWITCHfilesender to contact(at)grc.uzh.ch.
• Please include your last name and university in the file name.
• The focus is on presentation skills –  video filming and editing skills will not be evaluated.
• The submission deadline is 21 May. 
• Finalists will be announced on this website on 28 May.  

 Rules and Recording

• 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: 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;
• You may include a 3MT title slide (at beginning) but it is not required.
• 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 selection jury is final.

The guidelines and rules are based on theVirtual 3MT Handbook 2021 of the University of Queensland. See the 3MT video recording competitor guide for further information..

The 3MT is an academic competition that challenges doctoral researchers to describe their research and its significance in just three minutes, using language that a general audience can understand. This exciting event will bring together early career researchers from all over Switzerland to showcase their work, promote interdisciplinary collaboration, and develop their communication skills.

We are honored to have a distinguished jury panel for this event:

The Three Minute Thesis (3MT®) is an academic research communication competition developed by The University of Queensland, Australia.

Graduate Campus has been organizing 3MT events for PhD candidates at the University of Zurich since 2018. 

Overview of past 3MT competitions and awardees at the University of Zurich