As part of the 2026 Graduate Student Appreciation Week at the University of Connecticut and in celebration of the Because of UConn campaign, The Graduate School invites you to apply for and participate in the Three Minute Thesis (3MT®) and Graduate Student Showcase. It is an event that celebrates the impact, creativity, and purpose behind graduate students’ work through brief, engaging presentations for a general audience. The showcase will take place on Wednesday, April 8, 2026, from 8:00 AM to 1:00 PM at Konover Auditorium in The Dodd Center for Human Rights and is open to degree-seeking graduate students from all UConn campuses.
Application Deadline EXTENDED:
Monday, February 9, 2026, at 11:59 PM ET
Goal of the Event:
For eligible degree-seeking graduate students at UConn to gain experience in communicating the significance of their work to a non-specialist audience in 3 minutes or less.
Timeline:
| Tuesday, January 20, 2026 | Application opens |
| Monday, February 9, 2026 | Application deadline for graduate students |
| Friday, February 20, 2026 | Decisions made, graduate students notified |
| Friday, February 20, 2026 | Designing Engaging Presentations workshop (recording) |
| Friday, February 27, 2026 | Creating Effective Presentations workshop (in-person) |
| March 2-13, 2026 | Preliminary round |
| Wednesday, April 8, 2026 | Final competition |
Eligibility Criteria:
- Category 1: All Master's degrees; Professional and clinical doctoral degrees
- Category 2: Arts, Humanities, and Social Science doctoral degrees (PhD candidates only)
- Category 3: STEM doctoral degrees (PhD candidates only)
Please note:
To compete, students must be currently enrolled in a degree-seeking program in the Spring of 2026.
To participate in Categories 2 or 3 above:
- The applicant must be a doctoral student enrolled in a program with a dissertation requirement.
- The applicant must be an active student when they apply and compete. Applicants who complete their degree during the prior semester cannot compete.
- The applicant must have documented successful completion of the General Examination by submitting the Report on the General Exam to the Office of the Registrar Degree Audit Team no later than April 8, 2026.
- The applicant must have documented successful completion and submission of the dissertation proposal by submitting the Dissertation Proposal Form to the Office of the Registrar Degree Audit Team no later than April 8, 2026.
- The Dissertation Proposal Form may be submitted to Degree Audit without approval from the Institutional Review Board (IRB)/Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC). The milestone will be posted as "in progress" and will meet the eligibility requirements for this application. IRB/IACUC approval must be submitted to Degree Audit once received to ensure that the milestone is updated to "complete" on the student record.
Prizes:
Ten (10) finalists in each of the categories listed above will be selected to compete on Wednesday, April 8, 2026. These thirty (30) finalists will receive $100 each for competing.
At the event, the following prizes will be awarded within each category:
- First prize: $1,000
- Runner-up: $750
- People's Choice: $500
At the end of the event, an overall winner will be selected from among the three categories and will receive an additional $5,000 for a total Grand Prize of $6,000.
Application Process:
- Submit your application for the event, ensuring that you answer all questions fully and to the best of your ability, using language that a general audience can understand.
- If selected to participate in the preliminary round, you must present your 3-minute talk to a panel of judges between March 2-13. This presentation may be virtual or in-person.
- From those who participate in the preliminary round, 10 finalists from each category will be selected to participate in the final competition on Wednesday, April 8, 2026, from 8:00 AM - 1:00 PM.
Judging Criteria:
To select applicants to advance on to the preliminary round in March, readers will use the following criteria:
- Clarity and accessibility of the description of your work
- Problem, question, or challenge addressed
- Connection between your degree program and your future goals
- Broader impact of your work
Rules for the 3-minute presentation:
- A single static PowerPoint slide is permitted (no slide transitions, animations or 'movement' of any description, the slide is to be presented from the beginning of the oration).
- No additional electronic media (e.g. sound and video files) are permitted.
- No additional props (e.g. costumes, musical instruments, laboratory equipment) are permitted.
- Presentations are limited to 3 minutes maximum and competitors exceeding 3 minutes are disqualified.
- Presentations are to be spoken word (e.g. no poems, raps, or songs).
- Presentations are to commence from the stage.
- Presentations are considered to have commenced when a presenter starts their presentation through movement or speech.
- The competition is judged by a panel of professionals with wide ranging academic and non-academic expertise.
- The decision of the adjudicating panel is final.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
TO APPLY: Visit this link.
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