2025 Virtual Asia-Pacific 3MT

The 2025 Asia-Pacific Three Minute Thesis Competition will be held as a virtual event (video submission).

The 3MT competition allows Higher Degree by Research candidates to hone their communication skills, receive international peer review, and gain skills surrounding the presentation of their research to a wider audience. The UQ 3MT Team is dedicated to providing all the assistance and support it can to the 3MT community.

3MT Rebrand - Important Information

The Three Minute Thesis competition has unveiled a new look logo and brand identity which comes into full effect in 2025.

Established in 2008, 3MT has cemented itself as the premium worldwide research communication competition, offering the opportunity for thousands of Research Higher Degree candidates to showcase and communicate their research on a global stage.

The University of Queensland comprises many initiatives that are united around one vision and one purpose. To help achieve this vision, and build on the strength of UQ's brand a refresh of the 3MT identity was required.

A new look logo has been developed to visually align the competition with the UQ brand through application of colours, fonts, and graphic elements.

The University of Queensland would ask your institution to adopt the new 3MT logo and marketing materials when hosting a 3MT competition. The University of Queensland has a registered trademark over the use of the Three Minute Thesis logo and brand.

Request permission to use the new 3MT brand

To request permission to use 3MT information, resources and marketing material please complete the 3MT Event and Brand Permission Form. Following submission of the form, you will immediately be sent a resources and marketing materials pack so that you can get started planning your competition.

Asia-Pacific 3MT University Registration

Registrations for the 2025 Asia-Pacific 3MT Competition will open in April.

The 2025 Asia-Pacific 3MT competition will be hosted virtually by UQ and is open to Universities in Australia, New Zealand, South-East and North-East Asia.

Universities from the eligible regions are invited to send their Institution’s 3MT winner's video for consideration in the Asia-Pacific 3MT Competition.

Only one competitor per registered University is eligible to compete. Registered Universities are required to complete their 2025 competition and confirm their representative's details (video submission) with us by Friday 12 September 2025.

2025 Participating universities agree to:

Provide the $220 (incl GST) registration fee.
Ensure competitors meet the eligibility criteria and adhere to the 3MT rules.
Provide competitors recorded 3MT presentation Vimeo link, PowerPoint slide, contact details, photography waiver by Friday 12 September.
Conduct the 3MT^® competition as outlined in all materials provided by The University of Queensland.

Asia-Pacific 3MT Key Dates

Key Dates for the 2025 Asia-Pacific 3MT Competition

NOW - Stay Connected - Like 3MT on Facebook and follow us on X
April - Asia-Pacific 3MT University Registration Opens
August - Asia-Pacific 3MT University Registration Closes
Friday 12 September - Asia-Pacific 3MT Competitor Video Submission Deadline
Monday 22 September - Asia-Pacific 3MT Semi-Final Showcase
- Online Showcase published on the 3MT website
Friday 3 October - Asia-Pacific 3MT Final Showcase
- Finalists announced / Online Showcase published on the 3MT website
Wednesday 15 October - Asia-Pacific 3MT Final
- Video Viewing / Finalist Q&A / People Choice Vote / Announcement of Winners (Virtual)

Asia-Pacific 3MT Semi-Final

The 2025 Asia-Pacific 3MT Semi-Final will showcase video submissions from the 3MT finalists from across Australia, New Zealand, Oceania, North-East Asia and South-East Asia. The showcase will be launched on the 3MT website.

Asia-Pacific 3MT Semi-Final Showcase
Date: Monday 22 September 2025
Event Format: Online Showcase on 3MT website (website video viewing / no virtual online event)

Asia-Pacific 3MT Final

The 2025 Asia-Pacific 3MT Final will be held on Wednesday 15 October and will bring together the video submissions from eight 3MT finalists.

Asia-Pacific 3MT Final Showcase - Finalists Announced
Date: Friday 3 October 2025
Event Format: Online Showcase on 3MT website

Asia-Pacific 3MT Final - Livestream
Date: Wednesday 15 October 2025
Time: 2:00pm - 3:00pm (AEST)
Event Format: Video Viewing / Finalist Q&A / People Choice Vote / Announcement of Winners

Asia-Pacific 3MT Eligibility

Eligibility

Active PhD and Professional Doctorate Research (program composed of at least 2/3 research and eligible for RTP) candidates who have successfully passed their confirmation milestone/progress review (including candidates whose thesis is under submission) by the date of their first virtual presentation are eligible to participate in 3MT competitions at all levels, including the Asia-Pacific 3MT competition. Graduates are not eligible.

Please Note: Students enrolled in any of the following programs are not eligible to enter the Asia-Pacific 3MT Competition:

Masters (MPhil and coursework);
Professional Doctorate (less than 2/3 research)

Asia-Pacific 3MT University Video Submission

Video Creation and Submission - Asia-Pacific 3MT Competition
Registered universities participating in the 2025 Asia-Pacific 3MT Competition are required to follow the guidelines for video creation and submission.

3MT video recording competitor guide

Examples of the video recordings are below:

All participating universities are required to email 3MT with the following information by Friday 12 September - Asia-Pacific 3MT Video Submission Deadline. Please feel free to email this information to 3MT earlier if you can.

Completed 3MT Participant Contact Details Template
Competitors 3MT PowerPoint slide; and
Competitors 3MT Vimeo link;
Competitors Head Shot; and
UQ Photography/Video Waiver

Video Creation and Submission - University Level Competition

In order to take part in a virtual 3MT competition each participating institution will hold its own internal 3MT competition to select a winner (live or virtual). The key requirement for each university winner/entry into the Asia-Pacific 3MT will be that students must pre-record their presentation for consideration by the judges. This will ensure participants are not disadvantaged due to technical issues during a presentation. Institutions are free to decide the format of their local competition (live or virtual), within the rules set by The University of Queensland - an example structure of a simple virtual competition is outlined below. We have also put together a number of resources to help you with your planning for a virtual event.

Competitors record and edit their 3MT presentations (using any available recording or mobile device) and upload to a Vimeo account (personal/university account) and provide link to their university 3MT Event Corodinator for consideration in their university 3MT competition (School/Faculty/University).
Universities to upload competitors 3MT video to their univeristy website (or similar) for audience viewing.
Universities to email 3MT video links and 3MT PowerPoint presentations to judging panel.
Judging panel review all videos (mark using 3MT scoring sheets) and conduct a Zoom meeting to discuss judging and final placement of winners – Winner / Runner-up.
People’s Choice element (you could consider using Facebook/Vimeo likes or a Survey Monkey poll)
Winners announced online during a webinar or online via newsletter/social media.

Please note: Ensure you instruct the judging panel that they must not judge the presentation based on the video/recording quality or editing capabilities (optional inclusions). Judging should focus on the presentation, ability to communicate research to a non-specialist audience, and 3MT PowerPoint slide.

Competition Rules (for virtual 3MT)

Modifications to the 3MT rules have been made to accommodate the new virtual format.

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)
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.
Submissions via video format (only video link provided to Event Coordinators). Files sent in other formats will not be accepted.
Entries submitted for final adjudication to Wildcard or University Final are to be submitted from the School/ Faculty/Institute 3MT Event Coordinator. Competitors should not submit their videos directly to 3MT.

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; and
- 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; and
- The presenter conveyed enthusiasm for their research and captured and maintained the audience’s attention.