The Three-Minute Thesis (3MT) competition challenges students to effectively communicate the importance of their research to a general audience in just three minutes. APSIPA is excited to announce the Annual APSIPA Three-Minute Thesis Competition (3MT), inviting university students from the Signal and Information Processing discipline to participate.
Eight APSIPA chapters from the USA, Japan, Xi’an, Korea, Vietnam, Taiwan, Thailand, and Singapore will host preliminary rounds for undergraduate, master’s and PhD students. Each chapter will select their top three candidates through these preliminary rounds to represent their country/region at the APSIPA Annual Summit and Conference (ASC 2025) in Singapore. Chapters can also recognize their local winners and participants through chapters’ rebates. APSIPA aims to extend this competition to other Asia-Pacific countries/regions in future events.
At ASC 2025 in Singapore, around 24 selected students will compete for the first-ever APSIPA 3MT Trophy and prize money:
- Winner (with certificate): APSIPA 3MT Trophy + USD 500
- 1st Runner-Up (with certificate) : USD 300
- 2nd Runner-Up (with certificate) : USD 200
All participants will also receive a certificate of participation from APSIPA.
3MT finalists
| Ryunosuke Nihei | Kyoto University |
| Yuto Ishikawa | University of Tokyo |
| Ryuichi Sumida | Kyoto University |
| Pargorn Puttapirat | Chiang Mai University |
| Uklid Yeesarapat | Chiang Mai University |
| Ryu, Jaekyung | Seoul National University |
| Lee, Kyungjune | Yonsei University |
| Zhang, Tianwen | The Catholic University of Korea |
| Liao, Ningyi | Nanyang Technological University |
| Song, Maojia | Singapore University of Technology and Design |
| Yang, Ziyi | Nanyang Technological University |
| Nguyen, Quang Huy | University of Science, Vietnam National University |
| Nguyen, Le Quynh Nhu | International University, Vietnam National University |
| Su, Po-Kai | National Taipei University of Technology |
| Ye, Xin-Jie | National ChungCheng University |
| Sang, NguyenQuang | National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University |
| Nimol Thuon | University of Science and Technology of China |
3MT Finalists (Final round of the APSIPA 3MT Competition, 22 Oct 2025, Shangri-La Singapore)
Benefits of Participation:
- Improved public speaking and presentation skills
- Enhanced understanding of how their research contributes to broader contexts
- Opportunity to showcase research to peers and potential employers
- Networking opportunities with international students and faculty
- Recognition and prizes
Important Dates:
- Mid-May*: Chapters announce the call for participation
- End-May*: Confirmation of participants and preparation begins
- End-June*: Chapters conduct virtual preliminary rounds and select top three candidates
- July-September*: Chapters finalize preparations for the final round
- End September: Submit names of confirmed winners from your chapter to ASC ‘25
- October 22-24: Final round of APSIPA 3MT competition at ASC 2025 in Singapore and award will be presented to the winners during banquet.
*: Local chapter can arrange your local event based on your chapter preference
Eligibility:
- Open to doctoral, master’s and undergraduate students currently working on dissertation or thesis research
- Presented research must have been conducted during the students’ current university enrolment
- Presentations must include research outcomes and impacts, not just proposals
3MT Presentation Guidelines:
- Deliver a spoken three-minute presentation in English
- Use a single static PowerPoint slide (no transitions, animations, or movement)
- Presentations must be spoken (no poems, raps, songs)
- No reading from notes; presentations must be continuous (no edits or cuts)
- No additional electronic media (e.g., sound effects, videos)
- No props allowed (e.g., costumes, musical instruments, lab equipment)
- Only for on-site presentation at ASC25
Judging Criteria:
- Communication Style (40%): Clear explanation of research topic, significance, results, and outcomes in accessible language
- Comprehension (30%): Effective presentation of background, significance, and impact/results of research
- Engagement (30%): Ability to capture audience interest and spark curiosity about the research topic
Please contact your APSIPA local chapter for more info.