Festival of Doctoral Research
Visualise Your Thesis Competition
A single image which should inform, engage and intrigue a non-specialist academic audience and offer a visual perspective on current postgraduate research.
When?
Submit by Friday 13 June 2025.
Judged by public vote on the day of the festival - Thursday 10 July 2025.
Where?
We will showcase your image online, and also display it on Thursday 10 July 2025 in Portland Building.
Who can apply?
All current MRes, MPhil, PhD, Professional Doctorate and PhD by Publication students who have not graduated before 1 June 2025.
Guidelines - what we need from you
- Your image must be generated as a result of research carried out during your doctoral studies.
- Each student can submit ONE original image which can be a drawing, photograph, or graphic. Please see our 2023 entrants for inspiration. Please submit your image as a .jpeg or .png file.
- Your image must be accompanied by a research abstract of no more than 250 words, that explains what your image shows and how it relates to your research. The abstract must be accessible to a non-specialist academic audience.
- Your thesis title.
- A short description of the image for ALT text for screen readers (see example of why this is important here).
- Completed consent form.
Judging criteria
- How engaging and powerful is the image?
- Does the image embody the research?
- How clear is the abstract to a non-specialist audience?
Judges
The competition will be judged by public vote on the day.
Public voting will be restricted to the festival delegates.
Only the competition winners will be announced; other rankings will not be made available.
Prizes
- First place £100
- Second place £50
Submission
To apply, please complete the application form by 12.00pm on Friday 13 June 2025.
Successful entrants will be notified two weeks before the event.