Three Minute Thesis Competition
The Three Minute Thesis competition allows master’s and doctoral students to present, in English, their research topic in simple terms to a lay audience. Each student has three minutes to give a clear, concise, and convincing summary on their research project.
Note : French-language students are encouraged to participate in MT180 – Ma thèse en 180 secondes (Click on FR in the top right corner of the page), a similar competition hosted by Acfas.
INRS Institutional final
The INRS institutional final of the Ma thèse en 180 secondes (French-language version) and Three Minute Thesis (English-language Version) competitions will be held at the Eau Terre Environnement Centre in Quebec City, on Wednesday, March 25th, at 12 noon.
For those outside the venue, the event will be broadcast live on Zoom (link to follow).
Call for applications
Each center will select two members of the student community from the applications received to take part in the institutional final.The winners of this competition will represent INRS at the East regional final. Ultimately, they could represent INRS at the international finals.
You have until February 18, 2026, to submit your application to the person responsible for the competition at your center.
When submitting your application, please include the following information:
- Your name.
- Your program of study (master’s or doctoral).
- Do you wish to participate in the MT180 competition (in French) or the 3MT competition (in English)?
- The title of the research topic you will be presenting.
- A brief text introducing yourself and the research topic you wish to present during the competition.
Person responsible for the competition in each center:
Armand-Frappier Santé Biotechnologie : etudes.afsb@inrs.ca
(Tania V Tremblay/ Marwen Moeti).
Eau Terre Environnement : caroline.jolicoeur@inrs.ca
(Caroline Jolicoeur).
Énergie Matériaux Télécommunications : etudes.emt@inrs.ca
(Nadège Lerebours).
Urbanisation Culture Société : concours.ucs@inrs.ca
(Marie-Laure Gulat-Okalla)
Training workshop – How to prepare for the competition?
Several workshops are offered to help you prepare for this competition and to better communicate your research topic. Keep an eye on the SESRE Newsletter: all worshop dates will be announced there.
Rules
- Participants must distil the complexities of their research project into an interesting and accessible summary, using a single static slide and no accessories.
- Students will have 3 minutes to present their master’s or doctoral research subject.
- Students may include a visual with their presentation. This is not mandatory, but strongly suggested.
- Students are allowed only one visual in PowerPoint format, not animated, to illustrate their remarks. The text on the visual must be in English. No audio or video support is allowed.
- The use of generative artificial intelligence tools for creation (partial or complete) is not permitted for the text of your oral presentation and for the image.
Eligibility
- To take part in the competition, candidates must meet the following eligibility requirements: https://cags.ca/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/3MT-Handbook-20192020.pdf
Awards
A jury made up of members of the INRS administration will select the winners.
- 1st prize: The winner will represent INRS at the Eastern Regional Finals organized by CAGS. Airfare, travel expenses, and a per diem will be provided to the winner of this prize.
- In addition, the winner may represent INRS at the North American Regional Finals organized by NAGS, which will be held virtually.
- 2nd prize: A scholarship worth $250 will be awarded to the candidate who gives the second-best presentation.
The winner could ultimately represent INRS at the international final.
Three good reasons to participate
Feel like taking on the challenge? Contact Student Life Services.