3MT 2026

How can cities better listen to excluded voices? Where do mallard ducks go when they migrate? What happens when cancer cells and nerves talk to each other?

On April 16, twelve graduate students took the stage to share their thesis research in plain language in only three minutes.

Congratulations to our 2026 finalists who delivered exceptional presentations, demonstrating the breadth, creativity, and impact of graduate research across the university.

Congratulations to our winners

First Place: Cassidy Waldrep

Department: Biology

Talk Title: Find My Mallard - Tracking Habitat Use and Breeding in Mallard Ducks

Second Place: Ela Caragao

Department: Biological Engineering

Talk Title: SowVox - Listening to What They Can't Say

Third Place: Nickson Joseph

Department: Anatomy, Physiology and Pharmacology

Talk Title: Cancer's Road Less Traveled

People's Choice: Domenica Medina Sanchez

Department: Animal and Poultry Science

Talk Title: The colour of welfare: When lights change, everything changes

Meet the Competitors

	Laura Kellerer Department: Veterinary Microbiology Title: Unlocking Viral Chromatin
	Britt Hendry Department: Educational Psychology & Special Education Title: The Missing Measure - Understanding Police Job Satisfaction
	Domenica Medina Sanchez Department: Animal and Poultry Science Title: The colour of welfare: When lights change, everything changes
	Anita Adefuye Department: Johnson Shoyama Graduate School of Public Policy Title: Who Gets a Voice in the City?
	Talal Ahmed Department: Chemical & Biological Engineering Title: Extraction of canola meal proteins for use in bio-adhesives
	Buddhini Samarasekara Dissanayakalage Department: Nursing Title: A food path to placemaking
	Maria Janser Department: Veterinary Pathology Title: Expanding Applications - Honeybees as a Social Animal Model for Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder
	Anastasia Wasylinko Department: Music Title: Agnes Zimmermann - A True Artist and an Admirable Pianist
	Ela Caragao Department: Biological Engineering Title: SowVox - Listening to What They Can't Say
	Cassidy Waldrep Department: Biology Title: Find My Mallard - Tracking Breeding and Habitat Use in Mallard Ducks
	Nickson Joseph Department: Anatomy, Physiology and Pharmacology Title: Cancer's Road Less Traveled
	Smriti Chand Department: Vaccinology & Immunotherapeutics Title: What lies beneath - Inner viral layers and African swine fever virus, a century-old problem

Meet the Judges

Mike Halstead

Mike Halstead is the Corporate and Employee Communications Manager for the City of Saskatoon. He brings more than 17 years of experience in municipal communications, along with a strong foundation in storytelling from an earlier career in radio, where he worked as a reporter, anchor and news director. That background has given Mike a deep appreciation for clear, concise, timely and balanced communication – skills that continue to shape how he communicates with employees, leaders and residents through his work at the City.

Wenona Partridge

Wenona Partridge serves as the Learning Architect for the Digital Design and Creation Platform (DDCP) division within Siemens EDA. Her multidisciplinary role focuses on building a strong learning culture within DDCP that supports early career applications engineers in quickly developing the knowledge and skills required to succeed in their roles. Prior to joining Siemens, Wenona spent many years at the University of Saskatchewan, where she held roles including Extended Learning Programs Manager, Graduate Career Educator, and Educational Developer. Wenona studied philosophy, curriculum studies, and educational technology, and is currently completing a Doctor of Education in Adult Learning at the University of Calgary.

Leslie-Ann Schlosser

Leslie-Ann Schlosser is an award-winning communicator and director of the University of Saskatchewan’s Research Profile and Impact unit. With a passion for creative storytelling, she leads a talented team dedicated to showcasing USask’s innovative research, scholarly and artistic works. She believes every researcher has a story worth telling, and she’s dedicated to making those stories shine.

2026 3MT® Schedule

Showcase your presentation skills in the 3MT virtual preliminaries. Impress a panel of judges, including professional communicators, with your top-tier presentation. The 10 best presentations will advance to the in-person finals to compete for cash prizes and a chance to represent USask at the Western Regionals.

Submission Deadline: March 6, 2026 @ 4:30pm

You have delivered a clear, concise, and engaging virtual presentation with confidence and empathy. Your compelling research story left the judging panel wanting more! Now is your opportunity to win cash prizes and earn a spot to represent USask at the Western Regional competition.

April 16, 2026 - ARTS 241 Neatby-Timlin Theatre

Bringing together first-place 3MT competitors from universities across Western Canada, this competition extends your network of colleagues. It is an opportunity to showcase your hard work in a compelling format and potentially advance to the National Showcase.

May 5, 2026 at University of Regina

The 3MT National Showcase, hosted by the Canadian Association for Graduate Studies (CAGS), brings together regional finalists from Western, Ontario, and Eastern Canada. It provides a platform to highlight graduate student research and exceptional communication skills.

November 5, 2026, at the CAGS Conference in Regina, SK

The 3MT competition was a fantastic opportunity to showcase my research in a unique and challenging format. Condensing years of work into a three-minute presentation was no easy task, but it taught me how to communicate my ideas clearly and effectively. The support and camaraderie among the participants were amazing, and I learned so much from watching others present their work. Winning the People's Choice Award was a highlight of my academic journey, and I am grateful for the experience. The 3MT is a must for any graduate student.

History of 3MT®

The first 3MT was held at the University of Queensland (UQ) in 2008 with 160 students competing. Enthusiasm for the 3MT concept grew and its adoption by numerous universities led to the development of an international competition in 2010.

The inaugural Trans-Tasman 3MT was held at UQ in 2010 with 33 universities participating. In 2011, 43 universities were represented in the Trans-Tasman 3MT that was hosted by The University of Western Australia. Today students from the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, and Hong Kong take part in their own regional events.

For nearly ten years, the Graduate Student Association was USask's 3MT host, sponsored in part by the College of Graduate & Postdoctoral Studies (CGPS). CGPS assumed all responsibility for the 3MT in 2022.

CGPS was the Western Canadian Finals host in 2017 and 2023 and saw one of their standout competitors, Antonia Powell, rise above the rest to claim victory and advance to the Canadian Nationals.

>>>> Watch Antonia Powell deliver her 3MT

Resources

Why I 3MT®

I’ve seen firsthand how the Three Minute Thesis empowers students to turn complex research into clear, compelling stories. It’s more than a competition—it’s a celebration of creativity, confidence, and connection. Great research deserves great storytelling, and 3MT delivers. Here are just a few of my favourite resources to get you started.

Watch Stemventurist on YouTube (Dr. Ken Dutton-Regester)

If podcasts are your thing: Think Fast, Talk Smart: The Podcast

If you like blogs - check out Inger Mewburn @ The Thesis Whisperer.
Her guide “How to Talk About Your Thesis in 3 Minutes” is a must-read.

Margot Leitman's Long Story Short: The Only Storytelling Guide You'll Ever Need is an excellent choice for a graduate student preparing a Three Minute Thesis (3MT). It’s not just good—it’s strategically good.

Questions?

Connect with Kassidy Guy, CGPS Communications Specialist

Fine Print

All USask Master's and PhD thesis-based graduate students are eligible to participate.
A student whose thesis is under submission on the date of their first competition is still eligible to compete.
Presenters must register for the event and be able to present in person.
One single static PowerPoint slide is permitted.
No slide transitions, animations, or ‘movement’ of any description are permitted.
Your slide is to be presented from the beginning of your oration.
No additional electronic media (e.g. sound and video files) are permitted.

Submitting a recording for the virtual 3MT competition? Follow these steps:

1. Submit a recording of you speaking (no slide) | one file

Filmed on the horizontal
Filmed on a plain background
Filmed from a static position
Filmed from one camera angle
MP4 video format is preferred. Instructions on how to submit your video file will be sent to you after you complete the registration form.

2. Submit your 3MT slide | one file

Send only 1 static slide using 16:9 .pptx format then convert that to a .jpeg.
Do not include a title slide
Include this file with your registration form

Our team puts the two files together (the recording and the slide) once submitted to ensure a standardized format for every entry.

Presenters are allowed a single PowerPoint slide; no slide transitions, no animations or movement' of any kind, the slide is presented from the beginning and for the duration of the presentation.
No additional electronic media (ex: sound or video files) are permitted.
No additional props (ex: costumes, musical instruments, laboratory equipment) are permitted.
Presentations are limited to 3 minutes maximum; presentations running over 3 minutes will be disqualified.
Presentations are limited to spoken word (ex: no poems, raps, or songs).
Presentations are to commence from the stage (ex: no dramatic entrances).
Presentations are considered to have commenced when the presenter starts their presentation through movement or speech.
The decision of the adjudicating panel is final.

The competitors will be judged based on two criteria:

Communication	Comprehension	Engagement
Did the graduate student use non-verbal communication (i.e. voice modulation, body language) effectively? Did the graduate student use language that was jargon-free, or if jargon was used, was it accompanied with an explanation to make terms understandable to a non-expert audience? Did the presentation follow a logical sequence? Did the graduate student use their three minutes effectively? Did they elaborate too long on a particular aspect? Did the presentation feel rushed or incomplete?	Did the presentation help you to understand the methodology behind the scholarly research being undertaken? Did the graduate student clearly outline the nature and purpose of their research? Did the graduate student clearly indicate the fascinating or compelling aspects of their research? Did the graduate student provide an understanding of the background and significance to the research question being addressed? Did the graduate student clearly describe the impact and/or results of the research, including any conclusions and outcomes, or further steps to be taken?	Was the presentation engaging? Did the graduate student use creative language and storytelling to capture and maintain the audience's attention? Did the graduate student convey enthusiasm for their work? Was the graduate student careful not to trivialise or generalise their research? Did the PowerPoint slide create intrigue without dividing your attention – was it clear, legible, and concise? Did the presentation inspire you to want to know more?

Preliminaries Our 3MT preliminaries are a low-pressure, closed competition. Entries are evaluated by a panel of communication experts. Submissions will not be posted. All competitors receive a certificate of participation and a summary of feedback, ensuring that you gain valuable experience even if you don't advance to the finals. Those selected for the finals will be contacted via email after the submission deadline for the next steps.	Finals Everyone at the finals gets a specially curated swag bag and a certificate of participation.
	First Place $1500 Plus, you will represent USask (expenses paid by the College of Graduate & Postdoctoral Studies) at the Western Regional competition.
	Second Place $750
	Third Place $500
	People's Choice $250