3 Minute Thesis

3 Minute Thesis Competition

The 3 Minute Thesis competition celebrates graduate student scholarship, cultivates students’ academic, presentation, and research communication skills and supports students’ capacity to effectively explain their research in three minutes, in a language appropriate to a lay audience.

Join us for the final 3MT competition on April 17, 2025 in the Hauck Auditorium at Traitel from 4-6pm. The competition will be emceed by President Jon Levin. Reception and award ceremony to follow. 

Apply Now

Why Compete?

• Connect with scholars across disciplines: the final competitors will be chosen from across the schools.
• Professional development: students will receive personalized support for communicating their scholarship.
• Show off your scholarship: in addition to the in-person audience students will receive a professionally-cut video of their talk for personal use.

Who is Eligible?

• Current Stanford graduate students who have successfully advanced to candidacy by the start of the fall quarter. Students can check My Academic Path (MAP) for candidacy qualification. 
• Presentations must be based on original dissertation research, showcase new knowledge, and provide research results. 

Prize Money

• Winner: $5,000
• 2nd place: $3,000
• 3rd place: $1,000
• People’s Choice: $500
  
  (Winnings may be taxable)

Submission Process / Dates 

1. Application opens on December 2. 
2. To enter the competition, graduate students must submit a three-minute (maximum) video file of their presentation.  Please note: Submissions will not be judged on the video recording quality or editing capabilities. 
3. Video submissions are due January 19. 
4. 10 finalists will be selected by February 17.
5. Finalists must be available to present in the final competition on April 17, 2025, from 4-6pm.

Learn More

• Attend an Informational Workshop on January 16 at 12 PM by registering here
• Watch 3MT presentations from around the world
• Watch this video of Rachel Stumpf, Academic Coach at CTL, sharing experience as a participant in 3MT during her time at UC Irvine
• Read this article from the Stanford Report: Stanford launches 3 Minute Thesis competition

Questions?

For more information, contact us at 3minutethesis@stanford.edu.