Highlander Research Blitz Competition FAQ

Try to keep your audition video as close to three minutes as you can. If you are invited to participate in the competition as a finalist, your presentation must be as close to three minutes as possible without going over the time limit. If you go over the time limit, you will be disqualified. If you are significantly under the time limit, you may be downgraded by the judges.

You have many options for recording your presentation. You can use a cell phone, tablet, or other video-capable device to create a video,  or you can use a web cam associated with your computer or laptop.  (If you don't have access to one of these devices or prefer not to use your own, you can borrow audiovisual video equipment free of charge from the McConnell Library.)

You also might choose to use Zoom or another video conferencing platform to record your presentation. 

Depending on how you plan to integrate the required slide into your presentation, some recording options may be better than others. 

You will be notified on or around March 4, 2024 if you are invited to participate in the competition as a finalist. 

Your audition video should be an approximation of the three-minute presentation that you would give if selected to participate as a finalist in the competition. You can get a good sense of what Research Blitz Competitions are like by viewing videos of winning presentations from The University of Queensland, which started the "Three-Minute Thesis" Competition in 2008.

No. Your audition video does need to be highly produced or “super polished,” but you may want to practice your presentation a few times before making your video.