Roll up your WHY
You have 3 minutes to paint the picture of the problems you're tackling. Make it vivid and engaging so non-research people grasp why your work is amazing. Wrap things up by circling back to this point, giving them a glimpse into the future and a better world because of your amazing research. Remember, it's all about telling a compelling story!
Lose the DETAILS
No research topic is too boring or obscure for 3MT! The fun challenge of this competition is to find what makes your work fascinating and share it in a clear, engaging way. Think...broad, relatable ideas, and gradually introduce accessible specifics. Your goal is to make your audience smarter and more excited about your research.
The SLIDE is a trap
The PowerPoint slide has long been the downfall of 3MT competitors because it plays upon the most basic instinct of the researcher: the desire to convey complex technical information in PowerPoint form. You must resist this urge. Use your slide only to set the tone. It's a prop, not a research poster!
What can dogs teach us about skin cancer? How does TikTok change the way we look at mental illness? Can access to traditional land protect Indigenous stories?
Thinking about preparing a 3MT? Get started with a series of professional development opportunities, develop your narrative, and submit an entry to the Prelims.
The Three Minute Thesis ® (3MT) competition is an annual event held at over 200 universities, including USask. Open to thesis-based graduate students, the challenge is to present your research in an engaging way for a lay audience in just three minutes and one static slide.
80,000. That’s how many words are in a typical PhD thesis—years of grueling research and history-making breakthroughs. Presenting something of this scale would take approximately nine hours. 3MT competitors do it in 3 minutes.
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 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 19, 2026
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 - Quance 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.
@ The University of Victoria
Date TBD
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.
@ the CAGS Conference
Date TBD
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.
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.
The 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.
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:
| Comprehension and Content | Engagement and Communication |
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PreliminariesOur 3MT preliminaries are a low-pressure, closed competition.
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FinalsEveryone at the finals gets a specially curated swag bag and a certificate of participation. |
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First Place $1500 Plus, you will represent USask (expenses paid by the College of Graduate & Postdoctoral Studies) at the Western Regional competition. |
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Second Place $750 |
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Third Place $500 |
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People's Choice $250 |
All competitors must complete these forms and include them with their registration details.
Archives
"Participating in the 3MT competition was a transformative experience for me. It pushed me to distill my complex research into a concise and engaging presentation. The process not only improved my public speaking skills but also helped me gain a deeper understanding of my own work. The feedback from the judges and the audience was incredibly valuable, and it was inspiring to see the diverse range of research being conducted by my peers. I highly recommend the 3MT to any graduate student looking to enhance their communication skills and share their research with a broader audience."
"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."
First Place
Second Place
Third Place
People's Choice
First Place
Second Place
Third Place
People's Choice
| 2023 |
USask Finals 1st Place: Narsimha Pujari 2nd Place: Shaheli Senanayake 3rd Place: Hemlata Gautam People's Choice: Michele Monroy-Valle |
| 2022 |
USask Finals 1st Place: Antonia Powell 2nd Place: Gaurav Malik 3rd Place: Tumpa Sarker Honourable Mention: Kaylie Krys |
| 2021 |
USask Finals 1st Place: Ahmad Karimi 2nd Place: Kayla Cropper 3rd Place: Alivia Mukherjee Honourable Mention: Ninu Kallingal Mohandas |
| 2020 |
USask Finals 1st Place: Shaunti Bergen 2nd Place: Farzad Dehghan 3rd Place: Christopher Mahadeo Honourable Mention: Edgar Martinez-Soberanes |
| 2019 |
USask Finals 1st Place: Farzad Dehghan 2nd Place: Miranda Zwiefelhofer 3rd Place: Nicholas A. Belliveau People’s Choice: Miranda Zwiefelhofer Honourable Mention: Alivia Mukherjee |
| 2018 |
USask Finals 1st Place: Roland Macana 2nd Place: Sajna Simon 3rd Place: Adesola Olufade Honourable Mentions:
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SaskTel is dedicated to making Saskatchewan better by investing in initiatives that positively impact our province. Thank you, SaskTel, for supporting USask's 3MT® Finals!
The SaskEnergy design is an official mark of SaskEnergy Incorporated; used by CGPS under license and authorization. Thank you, SaskEnergy, for supporting USask's 3MT® Finals!