About Our Awards

Distinguished Thesis Award

This award recognizes distinguished scholarship and research at the Master’s level. Each School offering Master’s degrees with a thesis option is allowed to nominate one thesis into the competition. There is no application for students – this award is nominated by faculty. The winner receives a monetary prize and a certificate, and starting in Fall 2026, will be put forward for nomination into the regional MAGS thesis competition as well.

Outstanding Dissertation Award

This award, established in 1980, recognizes outstanding scholarship and accomplishment at the doctoral level. Academic units offering doctoral degrees may enter one dissertation from each degree program (or each participating discipline) into the competition. There is no application for students – this award is nominated by faculty. The winner receives a monetary prize and a certificate, and beginning in Spring 2026 will be put forward for nomination into the CGS national competition as well.

Three-Minute Thesis Competition

The Three-Minute Thesis is an international competition, with monetary prizes designed to sharpen students’ abilities to communicate research in an exciting and meaningful way to an educated non-expert audience. It can be described as the combination of an elevator speech and a TED talk.

The 2027 competition will be held in February - further details to come in the Fall.

The 2026 institutional winner for UMKC was Steven Collins, who competed in the regional MAGS competition in March.

• A single static PowerPoint slide is permitted. No slide transitions, animations or movement or any descriptions are allowed. The slide is to be presented from the beginning of the oration.
• No additional electronic media (e.g., sound and video files) are permitted.
• No additional props (e.g., costumes, musical instruments, laboratory equipment) are permitted.
• Presentations are limited to three minutes maximum, and competitors exceeding three minutes are disqualified.
• Presentations are to be spoken word (no poems, raps or songs).
• Presentations are to commence from the stage.
• Presentations are considered to have commenced when a presenter starts their presentation through either movement or speech.
• The decision of the adjudicating panel is final.
• Titles must be brief and non-technical. 
  • Can the eyes of a plant help feed the world?
  • Why death matters
  • Gut bugs are responsible for digestion