Registration is now open for the University of Arkansas Three Minute Thesis competition. All graduate students are encouraged to participate. The academic contest challenges students to summarize their thesis or dissertation research within three minutes to a general audience.

Students may register to participate in the contest on the university's Three Minute Thesis webpage. The registration deadline is Dec. 1.

Preliminary heats will be held in each of the academic colleges during the week of Jan. 22-26. First and second place winners from each college will receive monetary prizes of $300 and $100, respectively.

The top finisher from each college will advance to a university-wide final on Feb. 2. The winner of the university-wide final will earn $750 and entry to a regional Three Minute Thesis contest held in Fayetteville on Feb. 24.

The competition celebrates discoveries made by graduate students and encourages them to communicate the significance of their research to the broader community in language that is understood by the general public.

Presenters will be judged on their ability to help audience members comprehend their research and their ability to engage the audience. In addition to the three-minute time limit, participants may use one static PowerPoint slide. A full list of rules can be found on the university's Three Minute Thesis webpage.

The Three Minute Thesis competition is sponsored by the Graduate School and International Education and was founded by the University of Queensland in 2008. The event will serve as the capstone to Graduate Education Week, which kicks off Jan. 29.