How to Survive and Thrive in the 3-Minute Thesis Competition
By Olga Tereszkowska-Kaminska, July 2026
On Wednesday 17th June, I took part in the University of Liverpool’s 3-Minute Thesis competition alongside 8 other finalists. This is a competition which challenges PhD students to present a compelling spoken presentation on their research topic and its significance in just three minutes. The day was filled listening to engaging PhD summary talks and meeting amazing like-minded people. The talks varied from cancer research to nineteenth century ballerinas, all delivered clearly and passionately. My talk explained the lab techniques used to identify novel cancer protein modifications and how targeting these can lead to new cancer drugs. It was such an interesting day, and I highly recommend anyone getting involved. And, if you are thinking of taking part, here are some tips and encouragement to get you started on your own 3MT journey.
Top tips for preparing your 3MT video entry
The first step when applying for the 3MT competition is to submit a 3-minute video entry, explaining your PhD to a non-specialist audience. The most important piece of advice I can give is to attend all the workshops organised by the 3MT team, as these will help you prepare. The workshop with science communicator Jamie Gallagher was extremely helpful. We found out exactly what was expected from our video entry and heard tips on how to prepare our talks. The best advice from that day was to focus on the bigger picture of your PhD. Zoom out and figure out why you are doing your research and how it will impact the public. That’s the easiest way to reel people in during your talk: tell them specifically what they could get out of your research.
In terms of the video itself, framing and sound are the most important. Film in a quiet space and make sure you are clearly visible and easily heard. Don’t have too much clutter in the background, and, maybe most vitally, don’t go over the allotted 3 minutes!
Once you’ve submitted your entry and are heading for the final, the real crunch time begins…
Preparing for the Final
Practise, practise, practise! Perform your talk in front of friends and family, especially if they do not work in research. If they can understand it, so will the 3MT Final audience. Another great opportunity provided by the 3MT team is to have a 1:1 session with Jamie Gallagher. I loved picking his brain about my entry and, together, figuring out the best way to clearly communicate my research.
Another top tip from me is to know where your talk falls at 2 mins. That way you can use the clock at the Final to know if you are keeping to time.
Overall, try not to stress, with the amount of practice you’ve done it will turn out fine! Everyone is so lovely and encouraging and the performing part is over before you know it anyway!
The Final itself
On the day make sure you arrive early so you can practise giving your talk in the room. Everyone does this and it significantly calms your nerves, so I highly recommend it. I also loved hearing everyone’s talks beforehand; it meant that I could properly listen to them without having the stress of imminently delivering my talk in front of a large audience.
It was so lovely meeting other like-minded and enthusiastic people, which is really the main aim of events like this. Also, when is the next time you will have a large audience eager to hear about your PhD? So, make the most of it and show off your enthusiasm!
So, my final tip? If you’re thinking of entering the 3MT competition, just go for it. You don’t know what amazing opportunities will come out of it. Even if you do not win, the chance to meet people like Jamie and the other finalists make the experience so valuable. Finally, a note to all my fellow finalists, apparently this year had a record number of entries, so congratulations to us all, we did amazingly!
Youtube video recording of Olga's submission for 3MT Competition 2026 (Catch me if you can! Olga Tereszkowska-Kaminska 3MT)