A cake in the shape of a crab

Festival of Doctoral Research

Showcase your research with creative flair

Bake Your Thesis Competition

A representation of your research with baked goods. These must be homemade, by yourself (no cheating and buying from the bakery counter). Get creative. 

View our 2022 festival submission gallery for inspiration.

When?

Thursday 13 July 2023.

Where?

Your kitchen. Photographs will need to be submitted and will be judged on the day.

Why?

Apart from having a bit of fun, it’s a fantastic way to develop research communication skills, and raise your profile. We’ll be sharing via our social media channels and the website, and the joy of this being in-person and online is that you can take part wherever you are in the world.

Who can apply?

All current doctoral, MPhil and MRes research students who have not graduated before 1 June 2023.

Guidelines - what we need from you

To apply, please complete the application form by 12.00pm on Wednesday 28 June. You will need to submit the following:

  • A maximum of three photographs of your bake from different angles in .jpeg or .png file format
  • Your thesis title
  • 150 word (max) overview of your research
  • A brief sentence describing the type of bake (i.e.- Victoria sponge, with jam and cream filling, and royal icing)
  • A short description of the cake for ALT text for screen readers (see example of why this is important here)
  • Completed consent form 

Judging criteria

  • Communicate your research creatively
  • Professionalism of the finished bake

Judges

The competition will be judged by public vote on the day of the festival.

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 Wednesday 28 June. 

Successful entrants will be notified two weeks before the event.