Three Minute Thesis (3MT®)

2025 Winners

First Place: Sydney Beechboard, College of Agriculture, Department of Biochemistry

3MT® at Purdue

Each spring, Purdue University hosts its Three Minute Thesis (3MT®) competition, a dynamic event that challenges graduate students and postdoctoral scholars to present their groundbreaking research in just three minutes—using only one slide and no jargon.

This exciting competition celebrates the innovative discoveries happening at Purdue and offers the broader community a unique opportunity to learn about cutting-edge research across disciplines.

Join us early this spring for an event that combines communication excellence, research impact, and community engagement.

2025 Competition Timeline

• Monday, February 16, 11:59 PM – Faculty Nominations Due
• Friday, March 6, 11:59 PM – Video Submissions Due
• Friday, March 27, 9:00 am – 12:00 pm – Semi-finals
• Wednesday, April 8, 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM – Practice | Hail Purdue Stage | PMU
• Monday, April 20 – Rehearsal, Fowler Hall 5:00 p.m. EST – mandatory
• Tuesday, April 21 – Competition, Fowler Hall, 7:00 p.m. EST

Cash Awards

• 1st Place: $5,000 
• 2nd Place: $3,000 
• People’s Choice: $2,000 

A panel of judges will select the first and second-place winners, while the People’s Choice Award will be selected by the audience.

Get Involved

Who is eligible?

Enrolled graduate students and postdoctoral scholars in all disciplines at Purdue University are eligible to participate in 3MT®. All research presented must have been conducted at Purdue University, not from a previous degree, and should be in the final stages so students and scholars have some sound conclusions and impacts to present. Purdue Alumni are not eligible to participate.

How to Apply

Graduate students and postdoctoral scholars are invited to submit a draft video of their 3MT presentation. Before you begin, review the Video Competitor Guide (below) for helpful tips. To participate, record yourself delivering your three-minute research presentation along with your presentation slide. TIP: You do not need to combine the video and slide into one file for submission.

When you’re ready, click the Apply Now button (below) to upload your draft video, presentation slide, and submission details. Before submitting, we strongly recommend reviewing the competition rules in the next section to confirm your eligibility.

Competition Rules

• 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 presentation are eligible to participate in 3MT competitions at all levels. 
• Please Note: Students enrolled in any of the following programs are not eligible to enter the 3MT Competition: Masters (coursework only), Professional Doctorate (less than 2/3 research)
• A single static PowerPoint slide is permitted (no slide transitions, animations or “movement” of any description).
• No additional electronic media (e.g., sound and video files) are permitted.
• No additional props (e.g., costumes, musical instruments or laboratory equipment) are permitted.
• Presentations are limited to three minutes maximum, and competitors exceeding three minutes are disqualified.
• When using generative AI tools, always disclose their role in your work and cite them appropriately. AI cannot be credited as an author, and you remain fully responsible for the accuracy of all content. Acceptable uses include editing, translation, code generation, data analysis, visualization, and drafting content—provided disclosure is made. Do not input confidential or identifiable data into AI tools, and maintain records of prompts and outputs for transparency. Editors and reviewers must avoid entering manuscript content into AI systems. Finally, attribute AI contributions as you would any other source.
• The decision of the judging panel is final, and People’s Choice voting results will not be released.
• All presentations will be videotaped and will appear on the graduate school 3MT® website.
• Students who are over the cost of attendance allowance may not be eligible for prizes.
  • For students who receive gift aid/free money from the university, including prizes, the total amount of aid they are receiving cannot exceed the total cost of attendance. Cost of attendance is set by the team in the Division of Financial Aid according to federal financial aid regulations. There are five components in Cost of attendance—tuition and fees, housing and food, books, personal/miscellaneous expenses, and transportation. Cost of attendance for each program at the university is calculated, and the AVERAGE cost is used to award all aid (gift aid and loans, work study, etc.) to a student in that program. The total of all aid a student is receiving cannot exceed the total of that average Cost of attendance.

Each 3MT® presentation will be judged based on communication style, comprehension, and engagement. Please view our archive of video presentations made by past winners.

Please email the program administrators at 3MT@purdue.edu if you have any questions!