No Bell Prize Competition

New to the Summer Showcase this year is the 'No-Bell' Prize Competition! This can be thought of as a 3MT®-lite competition, with more relaxed rules and designed to entertain and/or grip a public audience. 

Doctoral researchers are encouraged to deliver presentations that include descriptions of a research barrier that needed to be overcome (successfully or otherwise). It can be as big or as small a part of your research as you like – anything from an experimental process, experience or outcome.

To register your intention to showcase activities related to your research at the Summer Showcase please complete this brief online form by 11:45pm, 31 May 2024.  You will be notified if you have been selected to present soon after the closing date of the form.    

The No-Bell Prize (NBP) is a reimagining of a competition first observed at the Melbourne Neuroscience Institute. Entrants have 2 minutes and 59 seconds in which to tell the audience about an element of their research. Their story must contain no jargon or complicated terms that wouldn’t be understood by the majority of disengaged 10 year olds.  

If the panel detect any such words, they will ring a bell!

The winner is the entrant that receives the fewest bells. Getting no bells is a great achievement. Ties will be decided on the basis of which presentation has the most Engaging, Enthusiastic, & Entertaining Explanation. 

Doctoral researchers spend three years becoming experts in something that perhaps only 100 people in the world totally understand; when applying for grants and engaging with stakeholders, you might have to convey your grand ideas to people who have literally no idea what you are talking about. The NBP challenges you to turn your deep and narrow expertise into something accessible for all. 

All NBP finalists will receive a certificate of participation and a great learning experience. 

The winner will receive £150 There will also be ‘Runner-up’ and ‘People’s Choice’ prizes. 

Competition Rules: 

  • PowerPoint or other digital presentation media are not permitted, but physical props are allowed, including flipcharts. You must supply all props and have them risk-approved in advance. 
  • Electronic media (e.g. sound and video files) are not permitted. 
  • Song, dance, rap, poetry, mime, or other artistic interpretations are allowed. 
  • Presentations are limited to 2 minutes and 59 seconds. Competitors exceeding 3 minutes will be encouraged to wrap up as quickly as possible. 
  • Teams of up to 3 DRs are allowed – perhaps linked by lab, topic, or methodology. Cross-school teams are particularly encouraged. 
  • The decision of the adjudicating panel is final. 
  • This competition is only open to R1 & R2 doctoral researchers – R3 should target 3MT. Team presentations can include one R3.  

Judging rules: 

  • Primary criterion: Accessible and Inclusive Explanation: Would the message conveyed be accessible to what we might think of as ‘the general public’? Think 10-year-old with standard schooling. Would it be inclusive for people with differences expecting an audio-visual presentation?  
  • Secondary criterion: Was it Engaging, Enthusiastic and Entertaining*? 

*Not all topics lend themselves to being ‘entertaining’ so this definition includes intriguing, compelling, and riveting. 

If you have any questions regarding this competition, please contact Dr Roger Newport.