Faculty of Humanities Three Minute Thesis
(3MT®) Competition 2026

The Three Minute Thesis (3MT®) competition celebrates the exciting research conducted by Doctor of Philosophy students. Developed by the University of Queensland, 3MT® cultivates students’ academic, presentation, and research communication skills.

The competition supports their capacity to effectively explain their research in three minutes, in a language appropriate to a non-specialist audience.

The Faculty of Humanities will hold its faculty-level 3MT® on 16 June 2026. Participants are required to present their research in English, regardless of language they use to write their thesis.

Eligibility
Active PhD students who have successfully passed their confirmation of registration and whose award has not been ratified by the Graduate School Board as of 31 October 2026 are eligible to participate in the FH 3MT®.

Graduates are not eligible.

All participants must be nominated by their affiliated departments.

Please Note: Students enrolled in any of the following programmes are not eligible to enter the 3MT Competition:
- Masters (coursework)
- Professional Doctorate (less than 2/3 research)

Competition rule
Each participant will be invited to present a PhD study in 3 minutes and they can use one single static Powerpoint slide without slide transitions, animations or ‘movement’ of any description in their presentation. More details can be found at https://threeminutethesis.uq.edu.au/resources/competition-rules.

Judging criteria
A panel will be formed by the Interim Dean of FH to select the winners based on the following criteria:

Comprehension and content

• Presentation provided clear motivation, background and significance to the research question
• Presentation clearly described the research strategy/design and the results/findings of the research
• Presentation clearly described the conclusions, outcomes and impact of the research

Engagement and communication

• The oration was delivered clearly, and the language was appropriate for a non-specialist audience
• The PowerPoint slide was well-defined and enhanced the presentation
• The presenter conveyed enthusiasm for their research and captured and maintained the audience’s attention

Panel of Judges for the FH 3MT®

1. Prof. William FENG, Associate Dean of Faculty of Humanities
2. Prof. NI Meng, Associate Dean of Faculty of Construction and Environment, Head and Chair Professor of Energy Science and Technology of Department of Building Environment and Energy Engineering
3. Prof. PAN Yiying, Assistant Professor of Department of Chinese History and Culture
4. Prof. Nate Ming CURRAN, Assistant Professor of Department of English and Communication
5. Prof. KE Sihui Echo, Associate Professor of Department of Language Science and Technology
6. Dr LAM Yan-yan, Associate Director of Chinese Language Centre
7. Dr Jane ROBBINS, Interim Director of English Language Centre

Prize

• ONE Champion who will receive a cash prize of HKD3,000
• ONE 1^st Runner-up who will receive a cash prize of HKD2,000
• ONE 2^nd Runner-up who will receive a cash prize of HKD1,500

The Champion will be nominated to enter the PolyU 3MT®.

Timeline for 2026

No.	Activity	Date
1	Announcement of the FH 3MT®	Late March 2026
2	3MT® workshops to be held by the Graduate School (GS) and  English Language Centre (ELC)	11-15 May 2026
3	Nomination deadline for the FH 3MT®	2 June 2026
4	Faculty of Humanities 3MT® Competition	16 June 2026
5	PolyU 3MT® Competition	6 July 2026


Acknowledgement
The Presentation Rules and the Judging Criteria are based on those developed by the University of Queensland, Australia.