Visualise your thesis

The Visualise Your Thesis ^TM (VYT) is an international competition for graduate researchers developed by The University of Melbourne.

What is it?

VYT challenges graduate researchers to present their research to a non-specialist audience in just 60 seconds through an eye-catching and informative video. Using a pre-supplied template, entrants create a striking visual presentation that succinctly describes their research and its potential benefits.

Watch Deakin’s 2024 finalists' presentations on YouTube.

Why enter VYT?

Create a one-minute explainer that can be used to promote your research
Develop your research communication skills
Learn to pitch research impact to boost engagement and funding opportunities
Benefit from a range of learning opportunities
You may win a prize!

VYT provides graduate researchers with an opportunity to build and apply their digital literacy skills, ensuring they’re workplace-ready. By creating a 'visual elevator pitch' participants develop crucial employability skills like effective communication, digital literacy and visual storytelling. They also build their awareness of open access to information and copyright.

Participation in VYT can be included in your an Australian Higher Education Graduate Statement as an AHEGS-worthy training though your Individual Learning Plan. AHEGS is a standardised format for Australian Higher Education qualifications that enables the qualifications to be recognised and renowned throughout the world. (You’ll need your supervisor’s approval to add this competition to your ILP).

Prizes

There are prizes for the winner of the VYT competition, the first runner-up and the People's Choice winner awarded by the audience.

Winner: $1,000
First runner-up: $500
People's choice: $500

Visualise Your Thesis - Time to get involved!

What can entering the Visualise Your Thesis competition do for your research career? Find out from previous participants.

Who is eligible to enter?

The Visualise Your Thesis competition is open to currently-enrolled graduate researchers (including students enrolled in Master Philosophy, Masters by Research, PhD or Professional Doctorate programmes) at any stage of their candidature who are active and attending of registered VYT 2025 institutions.

You are not eligible to enter the competition if you are:

an Honours student
a Masters by coursework student (even if your program has a research/thesis component)
a graduate researcher on a leave of absence (i.e. inactive and not attending)
a lapsed candidate
a graduate researcher employed by the university who may have, or may be perceived to have, influence over the competition outcome, research funding or related resourcing, or an otherwise unfair advantage over the other entrants from the university.

Research institutes affiliated with multiple universities may run their own VYT program. However, graduate researchers can only enter one local round per year.

Entries should be unique and original. The resubmission of previous entries is only permitted where substantial revision has occurred.

How to register

To participate in the 2025 VYT competition, log in to the CloudDeakin VYT site to download the VYT Entrant Pack and the mandatory presentation template. The site also includes the competition rules, judging criteria plus support and advice, training news and updates. It’s also where you submit your final presentation.

You can self-enrol right now! (Deakin only)

Need help registering in the site? View our further information (Deakin only)

Important dates

the VYT competition and program launch kicked-off on Wednesday 19 March
submissions open on Monday 2 June
submisisons close 5pm (AEST), Friday 4 July

Find out more (Deakin only)

Rules and judging criteria

Rules

Using the Visualise Your Thesis template

A PowerPoint template will be available for you to download via the Visualise Your Thesis CloudDeakin site. You must use this template in your submission.

Technical requirements

Your presentation will have three slides; one content slide which will be displayed for a maximum of 60 seconds, and two bookend slides
The bookend slides are set to display for five seconds – you can add additional reference slides if required
You may use a combination of images, music or other audio-visual elements
Any elements used to create your video must be referenced and comply with the competition’s copyright rules.
Your entry must be compatible with PowerPoint 2014. Please test your entry before submitting it.

Copyright requirements

Correct referencing of material and copyright compliance are important elements of Visualise Your Thesis, just as it is with the creation of all forms of research outputs. All content included in your entry must be copyright compliant and conform to the guidelines.

Any type of material that meets the guidelines for compliance can be used. These may include:

Visual: photographs, charts, graphs, animations, sketches, cartoons, etc.
Audio: music, sound effects, narrative voiceovers, etc.
Software: programmes used to creative videos

Important: All materials used in the entry must be cited, regardless of source. If you are using material under licence, or with permissions, make sure to include details in your references.

Check out the CloudDeakin VYT site for all requirements. Just remember to self-enrol with your student credentials first.

Supervisor approval

You should discuss your Visualise Your Thesis competition participation with your supervisor/advisor. In particular, you should discuss your entry and potential implications for prior publication and intellectual property (IP) rights and responsibilities. Supervisor approval is included in your submission checklist, see the 2025 Deakin Entrant pack.

Judging criteria

Copyright

Copyright compliance forms part of the scholarly citizenship judging criteria. All content included in submitted entries must be copyright compliant and conform to the guidelines below. Full and correct copyright information is a hurdle requirement for the competition. Training videos and examples will answer most copyright questions and extra help is available from the Library Copyright Officers. They will offer a workshops and drop in consultation to assist with attributions and acknowledgements.

For more about copyright requirements, see the 2025 Deakin Entrant pack.

Category	Criteria
Topic understanding	Does the video leave you with a better understanding of the topic?
Communication and language	Is the research communicated / presented in language appropriate for a non-specialist audience?
Creativity and engagement	Is the video creative and engaging (e.g. visually striking and memorable)?
Topic significance	Is the significance of the research clearly explained?

Grand Final results

The Deakin University Three Minute Thesis (3MT) and Visualise Your Thesis (VYT) Grand Final was held on Wednesday 7 August in Geelong. It provided an entertaining afternoon that showcased our brilliant research students competing to be the best at research communication.

Watch the 2024 event on our Deakin Research YouTube channel.

Watch the 2023 event on our Deakin Research YouTube channel.

Deakin 2024 VYT winners

Winner

Julie Maree Wood (Deakin’s Institute for Physical Activity and Nutrition (IPAN))

‘Nourishment in the new home: food security issues among recently-arrived refugees in Australia’.

Julie won the VYT competition for her presentation, ‘Nourishment in the new home: food security issues among recently-arrived refugees in Australia’.

Julie is a healthcare professional and author. Her PhD research focuses on food security issues and developing sustainable food systems among recently-arrived refugees settling in high-income countries.

Her winning VYT presentation is now through to the international round of the competition.

Runner-up

Ankush Dehlia, (Deakin's Faculty of Science, Engineering and Built Environment)

‘New approaches to drug discovery for ME/CFS’

People's choice

Kira Morgan Hughes (Deakin's Faculty of Science, Engineering and Built Environment)

'Revolutionising pollen forecasts with real-time sensors’

2024 VYT Runner-Up and Peoples Choice winner

Deakin 2024 VYT finalists

Aritra Bhattacharya, Faculty of Business and Law: ‘Sales contests: should we reward results or process?’
Joe Malibiran, SEBE: ‘What if we measure internship success by looking at how much it benefits the students, the industry and the university?’
Muhammad Shaukat, IISRI: ‘Transforming gene sequencing with AI unlocking new possibilities’
Rita Vo, Faculty of Business and Law: ‘Impact of product attributes on green product evaluation’
Dulini Fernando, SEBE: ‘NanoGuard: for efficient CO2 capture’
Echo Zhou, SEBE: ‘Developing robust methods to handle missing data in real-world applications effectively’
Kumkum Ravish, Faculty of Health: ‘A colourful dilemma: understanding the bioavailability phytonutrients in whole foods vs extracts!’
Bill Lam, Faculty of Health: ‘Developing an online healthy and sustainable nutrition program for young adults’
Ahalya Suresh, SEBE: ‘Tourism in blue carbon ecosystems: yay or nay?’
Annie Termaat, Faculty of Arts and Education: ‘Meaning in the middle years: how metacognition in curricula is translated in pedagogy and student perspectives’
Sithara Wanni Arachchige Dona, Faculty of Health: ‘Economic burden of anxiety in children and adolescents in Australia’
Chenjia Li, Faculty of Business and Law: 'The urgency of climate changes: can regulations bring about change?'