Visualise Your Thesis
Summarise your research in a 60-second multimedia presentation
Visualise Your Thesis (VYT) is an international competition run by the University of Melbourne.
VYT gives Higher Degree by Research (HDR) students the opportunity to build essential digital communication skills to effectively communicate complex research to a general audience.
This year University of Sydney offers the following prizemoney for its VYT competition finalists:
Your task is to develop a 60-second presentation that encapsulates your research project using a supplied template. Competition submissions are judged on their visual impact and how well the content presents the research. The competition allows for multimedia, interactivity and interpretation and is suitable for all disciplines.
Preliminary rounds of VYT will be held within the University, with the best presentations progressing to the University of Sydney final. The first-place winner of the University of Sydney final will then compete at the international finals against winners from other universities.
The University supports competitors with a competition pack that includes training materials and guidance to help put together a winning entry. We will also have training and feedback sessions to help you develop research communications skills.
You are eligible to enter if you are a currently enrolled Higher Degree by Research candidate, at any stage of your candidature.
You are not eligible to enter the competition if:
If you're affiliated with a research institute that is also running a Visualise Your Thesis competition, you will have to decide whether you would like to represent the University or your research institute, as you can only enter once local competition per year.
Your entry should be original. The resubmission of previous entries is only permitted where the content has been substantially revised.
If you’re also employed by the University of Sydney, you are eligible to enter unless you have, or are perceived to have, influence over the competition outcome, research funding or related resourcing.
Details of the application process for 2025 will be shared soon.
If you have any questions, please email vyt.admin@sydney.edu.au.
Judges will determine a winner and a runner-up using the following judging criteria:
| 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 | In the significance of the research clearly explained? |
A winner and a runner-up are selected by the judges. A viewer’s choice winner is also determined based on votes from University students and staff.
The winning entry will represent the University of Sydney as a finalist at the International Visualise Your Thesis Competition.
