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.
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
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 2024 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 2024 VYT competition register you are required to login to the CloudDeakin VYT site and 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.
Important dates
The 2024 VYT competition is now open.
Submissions close 9am Monday 8 July, 2024.
Rules and judging criteria
2023 Grand Final results
The Deakin University Three Minute Thesis (3MT) and Visualise Your Thesis (VYT) Grand Final was held on Thursday 3 August at Burwood Campus. It provided an entertaining afternoon that showcased our brilliant research students competing to be the best at research communication.
Watch 2023 event and all participants on our Deakin Research YouTube channel
Deakin 2023 VYT Winner
Kaushalya Perera (Faculty of Health)
Spotlight on NK cells: super immune warriors
Inside our body there’s a continuous battle between our immune system and the pathogens that try to invade. Ms Perera’s research focuses on natural killer or NK cells, that are both fast and powerful defenses of our immune systems. In finding out more about these valuable cells, Ms Perera uses zebra fish, as their defence system is similar to that of humans. By placing fluorescent trackers on NK cells to help study their every movement, Ms Perera hopes to uncover the potential of these cells to protect us against pathogens.
Ms Perera now moves onto the International Visualise Your Thesis program.
Supervisors: Professor Alister Ward and Dr Clifford Liongue
Deakin 2023 VYT Runner-up
Kirstin Kreyscher (Faculty of Arts and Education)
The invisible protagonists: Youth's lived realities in hazard environments in the Phillipines.
When we think of disasters, our thoughts typically go to floods, typhoons, landslides and earthquakes. We also tend to think of them as natural tragedies we can’t do anything about and those who are affected as unlucky and passive victims. But Ms Kreyscher’s research has shown that not all hazards have to turn into disaster if we listen closely to those most at risk, as everyday vulnerability is created by man-made and social forces well before catastrophe hits.
Ms Kreyscher is working with Filipino youth, who are disproportionately affected by the social dimensions of hazards and particularly marginalised by adults. Her work is revealing that youth have unique and creative contributions to make and should be recognised as important actors on the disaster agenda.
Supervisors: A/Prof Constantinos Laoutides and Dr Nazanin Zadeh-Cummings
Deakin 2023 VYT People's Choice Award
Asher Johnson (Faculty of Arts and Education)
Teacher-As-Playwright: an approach to writing for performance education to enhance the social impact of students and community
Mr Johnson’s research is focusing on how teachers can overcome the restraints of budget, inexperience and other factors affecting school drama performances to enhance the social impacts for students and the school community.
Supervisors: A/Prof Joanne O'Mara and Dr Jo-Anne Raphael
