The Canberra 3 Minute Thesis (3MT) Public Showcase is a free community event that opens the doors of local research to every Canberran. Researchers and students, from high schoolers to postgraduates, each have just three minutes, one static image, and no jargon to share what they're working on and why it matters. The result is an evening of accessible, surprising, and entertaining science storytelling for general audiences.

The event is designed from the ground up for the public. Families, school educators, retirees, and curious Canberrans with no scientific background will find the format immediately engaging, punchy and often revelatory. To keep the night dynamic and inclusive, the audience plays an active role: during a dedicated segment, community members in the crowd can vote to save or eliminate a presenter, making this a genuine two-way exchange rather than a passive lecture.

A guest science communicator will open the evening with a short, entertaining talk that sets the tone, demonstrating that science can be funny, personal, and relevant to everyday life, before handing over to the student presenters.

By bringing frontier research into a relaxed public venue and giving the Canberra community a direct voice in the night's proceedings, the showcase demystifies STEM, celebrates the researchers working in our city, and builds lasting connections between the public and the next generation of scientists.