Cratis D. Williams School of Graduate Studies

The Three-Minute Thesis (3MT) is a competition in which graduate students explain their research or scholarly/creative projects in jargon-free language to a general "lay" audience in three minutes with the help of only one static PowerPoint slide. It was started at the University of Queensland (Australia) and has since been adopted at universities worldwide. The first-place winner in App State's local competition will represent the University at the regional competition held at the annual Conference of Southern Graduate Schools.

Competition Details

2025-2026 Competition: Friday, November 21, 2025   10:00 am - 12:30 pm 

The competition begins at 10am in the Plemmons Student Union Price Lake (201A) with initial heats.  The Final Competition begins at roughly 11:00am in Price Lake (201A). 

The work presented does not have to be a traditional thesis and is open to GRAM research, capstones, and other academic projects. The thesis or research does not have to be complete at the time of the competition, but you should be able to discuss your research and provide a narrative that helps the audience understand what you're doing, why it is important, and what you hope to achieve. The competition is open to all graduate students including Boone campus, Hickory campus, and online. During the competition on November 21, 2025, you must present in person. If you are a graduate student meeting the eligibility criteria described below, we encourage you to register.

Appalachian State Graduate Students can indicate your interest in participating by completing our registration form by October 24, 2025 at 11:59 pm.

Preparation

In order to help participants best prepare for this event we will offer a few Presentation Strategies workshops and send out notifications to registrants. 

• 3MT Prep Workshop (FAQs & Slide Info) - Thursday, October 16, 2025, 6:30 pm - 7:30 pm  Location and registration TBA
• 3MT Prep Workshop (Practice Presentations) - Wednesday, November 12, 2025, 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm  Location and registration TBA 
• 3MT Prep Workshop (Practice Presentations) - Monday, November 17, 2025, 6:00 pm - 7:00 pm  Location and registration TBA

We strongly encourage each participant to sign up for the workshops.

Eligibility

1. Must be a currently enrolled graduate student in good standing at App State.
2. The topic must come from a research or scholarly/creative project of significant scope (thesis, dissertation, capstone research, product of learning).  
3. The topic must be interesting enough to hold the attention of a nonspecialist; think Smithsonian magazine, Discovery Channel, National Geographic.

Rules

• One single static PowerPoint slide is permitted - no slide transitions, animations or 'movement' of any description.  
• No additional electronic media (e.g., sound or video) are permitted.
• No additional props (e.g., costumes, instruments, equipment) are permitted.
• Competitors exceeding the 3 minute limit will be disqualified.
• Presentations are to be spoken word (e.g., no songs), in English.
• Presentations are considered to have commenced as soon as a presenter starts the presentation through movement or speech.
• Presentations must be aimed at the educated non-specialist; no disciplinary jargon or specialized vocabulary can be used unless the explanation is part of the 3 minutes.  See these award winning presentations for examples.
• All presentations must reflect research in progress or completed research; literature reviews alone are not acceptable, but work can be in progress.

Judging

The competition will be judged by a panel of faculty, community, industry, and alumni representatives. Judging will focus on the presentation, ability to communicate research to a non-specialist audience, and 3MT PowerPoint slide. Follow this link for tips on 3MT best practices.

Awards

• First Place: $600 award*
• Second Place: $400 award*
• People’s Choice: $250 award*

* Award funds will be deposited directly into student accounts

Questions?

If you have any questions, please contact Ross Gosky at goskyrm@appstate.edu or Maureen Cathey at catheyme@appstate.edu.

Interested in details about our 2024-2025 winners?

13th Annual 3MT Results

Past Winners