This contest was born in Australia in 2008, in the form of the Three Minute Thesis. It arrived in the French-speaking world in 2012 through Acfas in Quebec, then in Europe in 2013, and in 2015 it started in Switzerland.

The principle is simple: allow doctoral students to present their research in a scientific popularization contest, while emphasizing relevance and eloquence. The time limit is strict: the candidate has 180 seconds and one slide to convince the jury with a concise, clear and simple presentation.

The universities involved in this competition organize a local contest. Several winners are then selected to participate in the inter-university final organized by the CUSO (Conférence Universitaire de Suisse Occidentale). This final will then designate three winners who will be invited to participate in the international final.

Can I enter the contest?

To take part in this contest, you must meet the following eligibility criteria:

• you are registered at the UNIGE as a doctoral student (PhD) during the current academic year or have obtained your PhD degree in the year preceding the international final of the competition
•  if you are in the Faculty of Medecine, you must be enrolled in the phd program (not the MD-Phd program)
• you are sufficiently advanced in your doctoral research project (more than one year of thesis)
• you speak French (the competition in is French, and all sessions, workshops and documents are in French)
• you have informed your thesis director of your participation in the competition and have settled all intellectual property issues
• you have signed the release waiver in connection with the diffusion of the videos of the competition on Internet
• in case of selection for the UNIGE competition, you must be available for the national final to represent the UNIGE
• if selected for the national competition, you must be available to represent Switzerland and the UNIGE at the international final (during fall following the national final) abroad, as well as at other related activities.

How do I register?

You just have to fill in a registration form (registration closed for the 2023 edition). In this form, you will be asked to confirm the support of your thesis advisor. Here is a sample document that you can use and complete: Model support MT180.docx

Depending on the number of applications received, pre-selections may be conducted. The list of selected applications will be announced on November 16. A pre-final will be held on March 2^nd.

A question, a doubt? Do not hesitate to contact us.

How to prepare for this contest?

Participating in this competition means benefiting from a varied framework in terms of content and format to help candidates develop their ability to communicate to a wider audience, while gaining confidence and pleasure on stage.

These communication and scientific popularization skills are an important element in academic and non-academic careers. The whole training offer is free, take advantage of it!

Find all the resources available to you for the preparation of the contest below.

What to prepare for the local final?

In preparation for the final, you will be asked to provide us with:

• One (and only one!) slide in 16:9 format
• A biographical note
• The full title of your thesis
• Simplified title

Workshops

The UNIGE organizes a workshop on theatrical techniques, to help you master the art of communication.

Workshops organized by CUSO to develop your communication and scientific popularization skills. These workshops are organized in priority for people registered for the contest.

Coaching

Individual coaching by Samuel Lagier, PhD in neuroscience and expert in communication. He will offer you one or two sessions to test your presentation and receive specific feedback on your speaking skills, materials and posture.

Past editions

For additional inspiration and help in preparing your presentation and materials, feel free to watch the performances of past contestants. You will discover a wide variety of presentations with bold narrative styles and visual supports!

In addition to this support, you will find below documents to download (training booklet in particular).

The organizing team can answer your questions about the organization of the contest, its functioning, or any other technical aspect.

The jury will be composed of 3 to 5 members, some of whom come from different fields and academic backgrounds, some are specialists in communication, and others are from society and curious to discover the research conducted at the university.

The composition of the jury for the 2023 edition of the competition will be announced shortly.

How will your participation in the contest be promoted?

Photos and video-portraits of the candidates selected at the end of the pre-final will be promoted on social networks.

The event will also be filmed and broadcasted on Léman Bleu TV and on the contest webpage. Each candidate's performance will be recorded in a video clip and made available to the candidate.

Prizes will be awarded, respectively 1'000 CHF, 750 CHF and 500 CHF for the three jury prizes, and 500 CHF for the public prize.

lastly, all finalists will also receive a certificate of participation that highlights the skills acquired through the preparation of the contest. This certificate can be integrated into the candidate's professional portefolio to showcase his/her skills to any future employer.