Eligibility, progression and wildcard
Eligibility
Active PhD and Professional Doctorate (Research) candidates who have successfully passed their confirmation milestone (or equivalent progress review) by the date of their first presentation are eligible to participate in the 3MT competition. Active means currently enrolled and not on an approved interruption. Candidates whose thesis is under submission are considered active and are eligible to participate. Graduates are not eligible.
Candidates who meet these requirements are eligible to progress through all stages of the competition, including the Asia-Pacific 3MT competition.
Please note: Active MPhil and pre-confirmation PhD candidates may participate in the UQ 3MT competition up to and including Faculty or Combined Institute Finals; however, they are not eligible to progress to the UQ 3MT Final or beyond.
Progression
To take part in the UQ 3MT competition, candidates will first compete in a centrally coordinated, in-person Faculty-aligned heat. Top-performing candidates from each heat will progress to their Faculty or Combined Institute Final. Progression will be determined based on ranking within each heat, with approximately the top 15% advancing.
Candidates who progress beyond the Faculty or Combined Institutes Final are expected to represent their Faculty or Institute at the next stage of the competition. Faculty or Combined Institutes winners will advance to the UQ 3MT Final, with runners-up progressing to the UQ 3MT Wildcard Competition. If a selected finalist is unable to attend the UQ 3MT Final, the runner-up will be invited to take their place.
The flow chart below outlines the progression through each stage of the competition.
*Candidates enrolled within a University institute should select the faculty that best aligns with their research area.
**Runner-ups from each Faculty and Combined Institute Final will progress to the UQ 3MT Wildcard competition. The winner of the Wildcard competition will advance to the UQ 3MT Final.
The Wildcard Competition is an optional level, where the runner-up from each Faculty/Combined Institutes Final is given the chance to compete for a place in the University 3MT final.