2026 Pitt 3MT Competition Timeline
The 2026 Pitt 3MT Competition is now open to ALL eligible PhD and SJD students.
- March 2026: School-level 3MT competitions
- Monday, April 6, 2026, noon-2 p.m.: Pitt 3MT Competition
Hillman Library, Archives & Special Collections Instruction Room 340
This annual event is sponsored by the Office of the Provost and University Library System.
National Competitions
- April 22, 2026: The winner of Pitt’s competition will advance to the virtual 3MT Competition hosted by the Northeastern Association of Graduate Schools (NAGS).
- December 2026: The NAGS winner and runner-up will progress to the Council of Graduate Schools’ national 3MT Competition in December 2026.
What is a 3MT competition?
The 3MT competition celebrates the exciting research conducted by Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) and Doctor of Juridical Science (SJD) students. Developed by The University of Queensland (UQ), 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.
Who is eligible to enter?
PhD and SJD students who have successfully completed the dissertation proposal defense (candidate status) and are actively in the dissertation stage of training are eligible.
Prizes for the Pitt 3MT Competition
Sponsored by the Office of the Provost and University Library System.
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First place prize: $1,000 travel/research grant
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Two runners-up prizes: $500 travel/research grant
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People's Choice prize: $1,000 travel/research grant
School Competitions
As part of the events leading up to the main competition, schools will be hosting their own individual competitions from which they will send finalists (one per school) to compete on April 6.
The school competitions will occur in March. We encourage interested and eligible students to contact their school’s 3MT representatives below for more details on how to participate and when their school competition will occur.
Arts and Sciences
Contact: Bill Yost
Competition: Friday, March 20; 10 a.m.-noon
Computing and Information
Contact: Wes Lipschultz
Competition: Monday, March 23; 11 a.m.-1 p.m.
Education
Contact: Michael Gunzenhauser
Competition: Friday, March 20; 2 p.m.-4 p.m.
Engineering
Contact: Meagan Minnock
Competition: Wednesday, March 18; 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m.
Medicine
Contact: Natalia Guimaraes
Competition: Friday, March 20; 3 p.m.-5 p.m.
Nursing
Contact: Heidi Donovan
Competition: March 16, 4 p.m.-5 p.m.
Pharmacy
Contact: Bailey Tobias
Competition: Thursday, March 5; Noon-1 p.m.
Public Health
Contact: Mike Dolinger
Competition: Monday, March 23; 4 p.m.-5 p.m.
Social Work
Contact: Mary Beth Rauktis
Competition: Friday. March 6; 9 a.m.-10 a.m.
Online Competition
Eligible students from the School of Business, the School of Dental Medicine, the School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, the School of Law, and the School of Public and International Affairs can compete online to represent their school in the April 6 University-wide event.
To compete online, you will need to do the following:
- Create a 3MT presentation that is less than three minutes and one 3MT presentation slide.
- Record your 3MT presentation and upload it to a YouTube account. Note that if you do not already have a YouTube account, you will need to set one up. The video style and recording quality will NOT be considered when judging. Your 3MT slide does NOT need to be visible in the video.
- The YouTube link and presentation slide in PDF format is due no later than Wednesday, March 25.
- After entries are received and judged, winners will be notified by email by Friday, March 27. One winner from each school will be selected to compete in the April 6 competition.
- Upload your 3MT video and slide via Qualtrics.
Presentation Resources
To help you prepare, participants are highly encouraged to watch the following video recording: “Basics of Effective Communication to a General Audience” from Dr. John Radzilowicz, University Center for Teaching and Learning. This resource provides crucial tips on how to develop a winning 3MT presentation. Note that students must log in with Pitt credentials to view the recording.
Watch examples from past winners from 3MT’s video recordings.
Ensure that your presentation adheres to the 3MT’s competition rules outlined by the University of Queensland, which founded the event.
Judging Criteria
Competitors are assessed on the judging criteria listed below. Each criterion is equally weighted and has an emphasis on audience.
- Comprehension and Content
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- Did the presentation provide an understanding of the background and significance to the research question being addressed while explaining terminology and avoiding jargon?
- Did the presentation clearly describe the impact and/or results of the research, including conclusions and outcomes?
- Did the presentation follow a clear and logical sequence?
- Was the thesis topic, research significance, results/impact, and outcomes communicated in language appropriate to a non-specialist audience?
- Did the presenter spend adequate time on each element of their presentation—or did they elaborate for too long on one aspect or was the presentation rushed?
- Engagement and Communication
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- Did the oration make the audience want to know more?
- Was the presenter careful not to trivialize or generalize their research?
- Did the presenter convey enthusiasm for their research?
- Did the presenter capture and maintain their audience’s attention?
- Did the speaker have sufficient stage presence, eye contact, and vocal range; maintain a steady pace; and have a confident stance?
- Did the PowerPoint slide enhance the presentation—was it clear, legible, and concise?
For the 2026 competition, our panel of distinguished judges will be:
- Nicholas Kirsch, PhD, Swanson School of Engineering Alum and Director of Software Engineering at Omnicell
- Cara Nikolajski, PhD, School of Public Health Alum and Senior Director of Research Design and Implementation at UPMC Center for High-Value Health Care
- Kornelia Tancheva, PhD, Hillman University Librarian and Director of the University Library System, University of Pittsburgh
Questions?
Email graduate@pitt.edu.