Pitch Perfect

Pitch Perfect Thesis Competition

Three Minutes to Sell Your Research Proposal 

Great ideas are just ideas unless they are sold! Put your research up for auction in the APSSC Pitch Perfect Competition during the
2022 APS Annual Convention. 

Your challenge is to present a three-minute speech on your current or a proposed thesis or dissertation research and demonstrate its significance in a way that will capture the imagination and interest of a non-scientific audience. This is an excellent opportunity to develop your communication skills by consolidating ideas and expressing them verbally. 

The competition is open to all APS Graduate Student Affiliates who are registered for the 2022 APS Annual Convention. 

How it Works 

  • APS will email a link for you to create your video presentation on April 18, 2022.
  • Submit your presentation NO LATER THAN May 2. This is a firm deadline.  
  • A preliminary round of judging will take place May 3 through May 18. 
  • Finalists will be notified by May 19 and must be available to attend a rehearsal and to present during the Pitch Perfect Live Session on Friday, May 27.
  • Prizes will be awarded to the top three presenters as decided by the judges during the Pitch Perfect Live Session. 
    First Place: Your research will be featured in the APS Observer; Registration for the 2023 Conference in Washington, DC and a $200 travel stipend. View last year’s competition and see the winning pitch here.
    Second and Third place winners will also receive prizes.

Competition Rules 

  • Presentations are limited to three (3) minutes maximum and competitors exceeding three (3) minutes will be disqualified. 
  • Presentations are to be spoken (e.g., no poems, raps, or songs). 
  • Presentations are considered to have commenced when a presenter starts their presentation through either movement or speech. 
  • The decisions of the judges are final.