Professional Development The Graduate School

Say It In 6®

What is Say It In 6®? Based on SMITH magazine's "Six-Word Memoirs" concept, Say It In 6® is a competition that challenges you to tell a story about your graduate or postdoctoral research experience — in a clear, concise, and, most importantly, creative way — by using only six words and one visual aid.

The competition is open to all graduate and professional students, non-degree students, and postdoctoral fellows at Purdue. Entries will be published on the Graduate School's website and social media pages.

2024 Winners

First Place: Raman Shaw, Engineering, Lyles School of Civil Engineering

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Runner Up:  Marco Fratus, Engineering, Electrical and Computer Engineering

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People's Choice:  Roseline Adewuyi, College of Liberal Arts, School of Language and Cultures

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Say It In 6® Competition Timeline

  • Friday, February 21, 11:59 PM: Submission Deadline
  • Monday, March 3 - Monday, March 10, by 11:59 PM: People's Choice Voting
  • Tuesday, April 15: Winners Announced at the 3MT® Competition

Cash Awards

  • First Place $1,000
  • Second Place $500
  • People's Choice $500

If you have questions about the Purdue Say It In 6® competition, please contact competition administrators. A list of past winners is also available. For more information on the history of the competition, please visit SMITH magazine's "Six-Word Memoirs."

  • Competitors should submit their six-word story and accompanying visual aid online by the stipulated deadline.
  • Visual aids are required.
  • The word portion of your submission should be exactly six words — no more and no fewer. Each word counts as one word, even if two or more are hyphenated.
  • Both the six-word statement and the visual aid must be original. Visual aids may be your photography or artwork, or you may use a photo of yourself with the permission of the photographer. Do not submit stock photos or clip art. If you create non-digital art, you may include a digital print or a high-quality photo of your work in your online submission. 
  • Do not include your six words on the graphic/image you upload.
  • Your six words must be spelled out. Do not use acronyms. Symbols such as "&" will be considered one word.
  • Visual aid submissions must be at least 4.0 MB, but 5.0 MB or larger image files are strongly encouraged. The ideal size is 8 x 10 inches at 300 dpi or larger. Digital files are acceptable in JPG and TIFF formats, .heic files are not supported and will not be judged. Original artwork should be 12 x 18 inches in size or smaller.
  • Each competitor will describe their research as it pertains to their discipline.
  • The Graduate School reserves the right to disqualify entries that use hateful, violent, attacking, or otherwise inappropriate language, or identify FERPA- or HIPAA-protected information.
  • Entries that are found to not be the original work of the entrant will also be disqualified.
  • Multiple entries are welcome.
  • Students who are over the cost of attendance allowance may not be eligible for prizes.