• McMaster students must be registered in a Masters (thesis or MRP only) or PhD program at the time of the 3MT^® competition at McMaster, and must have made substantial progress on their research and analysis. Course-based Masters students are ineligible.
• PhD and Masters students who have defended, but have not yet graduated, are eligible.
• 3MT^® presentations must represent the primary research the student conducted in his/her graduate program.
• Presenters must agree to be video-recorded, and to allow those recordings to be made public and posted on the Graduate Studies website.
• Presenters must have registered using the online registration form run by Reviewer, and received confirmation of a place from the School of Graduate Studies.
• Presenters must be available to present, in person. To advance in the competition, heat winners must also be available to present, in person, at the McMaster School of Graduate Studies final. The final will be held on March 19 at 2 p.m.
• The Winner will be expected to represent McMaster at the Ontario 3MT^®competition on April 15, 2020, at McMaster University.

The presentation of research in the 3MT^® will be publicly accessible. (i.e., in the public domain.)

The presentation of the research will not affect any pre-existing rights following the competition, except as stated below:

• Due to the nature of the competition, we will not ask judges, reviewers, staff or the audience to sign non-disclosure statements. If your research is being/has been conducted under contract with an outside sponsor, students should discuss the related contractual terms of confidentiality and intellectual property with their supervisor before participating in this competition.
• All public sessions of the competition, including but not limited to oral presentations, are open to the public at large. Any and all of these public sessions may be broadcast to interested persons through media, which may include the Internet.
• Any data or information discussed or presented in public sessions should be considered ‘public’. If your research includes confidential or culturally sensitive material we advise that you discuss your competition entry with your supervisor(s) before entering the 3MT^®.

Each competitor’s presentation will be assessed according to the criteria listed below. Please note that each criterion is equally weighted.

1. Comprehension

• Did the talk help you to understand the scholarly research and creativity?
• Did the presenter clearly outline the nature and purpose of the scholarly research and creativity?
• Did the presenter clearly indicated what is interesting about the scholarly research and creativity?
• Did the talk follow a logical sequence?

2. Engagement

• Was the talk engaging?
• Did the talk inspire you to want to know more?
• Did the presenter convey enthusiasm for their work?
• Did the presenter capture and maintain your attention?

3. Communication

• Did the presenter use language and terminology that was clear and understandable?
• Was the pace of the talk effective?
• Did the presentor use non-verbal communication (i.e. eye contact, voice modulation, body language, etc) effectively?
• Did the slide enhance, rather than detract from, the talk – was it clear, legible and concise?

• A single static PowerPoint slide is permitted (no slide transitions, animations or ‘movement’ of any description are allowed), and the slide is to be presented from the beginning of the oration and remain in view for the duration of the oration.
• No additional electronic media (e.g., sound and video files) are permitted.
• No additional props (e.g., costumes, musical instruments, laboratory equipment) are permitted.
• No notes or cue cards are permitted.
• Presentations are limited to 3 minutes maximum and competitors exceeding 3 minutes are disqualified.
• Presentations are to be spoken in standard oratory prose. (i.e., no poems, raps or songs, other than those that may be the target of research).
• Presentations are to commence from the stage.
• Presentations are considered to have commenced when a presenter starts their presentation through movement or speech.
• The decision of the adjudicating panel is final.
• The competition will be administered in English.

McMaster University has modeled the rules after the Ontario Provincial Competition for 2020. This was done to ensure the winners would be eligible to participate in the Provincial Competition and the national competition.

Cash prizes are given to assist winners in attending conferences in order to promote their research and further their academic network.

• 1st – $1,000
• 2nd – $500
• 3rd – $250
• 4th – $200
• 5th – $100
• Competitor’s Choice – $250*

The top five winners will also receive the Dean’s Award for Excellence in Communicating Graduate Research and will be invited to the Graduate Student Recognition Awards ceremony in November 2019.

*Voted on by the competitors at the 3MT final at 2:00pm. All competitors who attend the final will be able to vote including those who competed in the perliminary heats, but did not move into the final.