3MT & Images Of Research
A critical piece of the graduate student journey is working towards gaining experience and building skills to support your transition to the next step in your career development journey. Why should graduate students participate?
· Skill-building to support professional development
· Practice sharing your research in a meaningful way
· Earn extra money by winning prizes
· Meet and support other graduate researchers and have some fun!
Two competitions supported through the School of Graduate Studies are 3MT (3-Minute Thesis), and Images of Research.
1) Three Minute Thesis (3MT®) is a research communication competition developed by The University of Queensland that challenges research higher degree students to present a compelling oration on their thesis and its significance in just three minutes in language appropriate to a non-specialist audience. https://threeminutethesis.uq.edu.au/
Important Dates and Deadlines for the 2026 Competition:
- As requested - One to One: Coaching support available, email sgs.pd@uleth.ca
- Wednesday, January 7, 2026 - Designing Your 3MT: Putting Your Entry Together Piece by Piece with Megan, Manager, Graduate Student Engagement
- Date TBD - Storytelling with Purpose: Tell Your 3MT Research Story with Dr. Jay Gamble, Instructor, Poet, and Author
Date TBD - A Picture Can Speak Volumes: Crafting Your 3MT Slide with a Member of the ULethbridge Marketing Team (TBA)
Monday, February 2 - 3MT Entry Submission Opens
Monday, February 2 - Friday, February 20, 2026 - 3MT Feedback In-Person Feedback Sessions - TBD (one session per week)
Sunday, February 22, 2026, at 11:59 PM - Deadline to submit 3MT Entry, first round
- Friday, February 27, 2026 - Announcement of top 10 finalists
Monday, March 2 - Tuesday, March 10 - In-Person practice opportunities TBD (based on schedule of Top Ten Participants)
Thursday, March 12, 2026 - Finals competition* Lethbridge Campus SU Ballrooms 2 PM to 4 PM
To access online resources and submit your entry, visit the SGS Graduate Student Hub in SharePoint.
*Please note: all participants are required to be in-person and present live for the finals competition.
2) The Images of Research (IoR) competition is a unique opportunity for Graduate Students at the University of Lethbridge to display their research, scholarly and artistic work. The aim of the competition is to provide graduate students with an artistic alternative to highlight their work, as a way to celebrate the diverse research at the University of Lethbridge.
Important Dates and Deadlines for the 2026 Competition:
- Monday, January 5, 2026 - Images of Research Submission form opens
- Sunday, March 1, 2026 - Deadline to submit entries
- Tuesday, March 3 - Thursday, March 5, 2026 - Judges will score and rank winners
- Thursday, March 12, 2026 - The Winners will be announced at the 3MT Finals Competition with an email announcement to follow.
For more information on graduate research competitions current uLethbridge graduate students can visit the SGS Graduate Student Hub using their @uleth.ca login.
View Past 3MT & Images of Research Competitions:
Other Information
Meeting of the Minds Conference: The Meeting of the Minds Conference, hosted by the University of Lethbridge Graduate Students' Association (GSA), features short talks and poster presentations representing a wide variety of research taking place on campus from various departments and disciplines. To learn more about the GSA’s Meeting of the Minds conference, visit: https://www.ulgsa.org/
Please email sgs.pd@uleth.ca with any questions