Ever tried explaining your PhD research to your grandma?
Or anyone outside your niche, really?
Chances are, you've seen their eyes glaze over faster than ice cream melts on a hot Aussie day. But here's the good news: there's a better way.
Enter the Visualise Your Thesis competition.
Every year, hundreds of PhD students ditch dense jargon for creative, engaging, and visually stunning videos.
These short stories aren't just fun—they're powerful.
They make complex research accessible and memorable. But what exactly sets apart a winning Visualise Your Thesis video?
In this post, I'm showcasing some of the very best examples, unpacking exactly what made these videos winners. Learn these tips, and you could turn your research into the next big winner.
Ready to transform your research into an award-worthy visual masterpiece?
You're in the right spot.
What is the Visualise Your Thesis Competition?
Visualise Your Thesis (VYT) is an international competition launched by the University of Melbourne in 2015, challenging higher-degree research students to condense their research into a compelling, 60-second audiovisual presentation.
Similar to the Three-Minute Thesis (3MT) competition you might already know, VYT ups the stakes—giving you only one minute to clearly and creatively explain complex research.
The competition helps participants sharpen crucial digital storytelling skills, and is an amazing platform for universities to showcase the groundbreaking research happening within their institutions to an international community.
Grab your cuppa. Let's get stuck into these standout videos.
Video Appraisal
In this section, I'm showcasing four outstanding examples of winning Visualise Your Thesis videos, selected from past award winners at both international and local university levels.
These videos expertly employ many of the storytelling and visual communication strategies we cover in our course—Lights, Camera, Impact! How to produce captivating science videos—which has proven effective for countless students.
In fact, as you'll discover later in this post, two students who completed our course went on to secure first and second place at James Cook University's VYT competition—an achievement that makes me very proud!
Let's reverse-engineer each video, highlighting:
First impression
Title
Visual style
Clarity
Voice-over
Software used
Suggested improvements
Ready? Let the show begin!
Example 1: Pumpkins Reveal the Secrets of Anaesthesia
Title: Neural Correlates of Behavioural Changes During Propofol General Anaesthesia in Caenorhabditis elegans
First Place - International VYT 2022
Prize of AUD $5,000
Author: Drew Min Su Cylinder
The University of Queensland.
First Impression
The immediate impression this video gives me is one of low-budget charm combined with high creativity—it's genuinely fun! The stop-motion approach immediately caught my attention, proving itself to be simple yet extremely effective and memorable. This kind of analog storytelling is powerful, which definitely justifies its international first prize win.
Title
The title, unfortunately, is a bit of a mouthful and packed with jargon. While the video itself manages to simplify complex topics effectively, the title could certainly benefit from clearer language and a more engaging, catchy tone.
Visual Style
Stop-motion animation is delightful—it genuinely makes my inner child happy! This nostalgic and playful style automatically triggers positive feelings and engages viewers effortlessly.
Clarity
The video excels in clarity. It was straightforward, engaging, and interesting to follow, without feeling rushed despite the challenging one-minute constraint.
Voice-over
The voice-over was excellent—clear, calm, and pleasant to listen to. Notably, the researcher used a lapel microphone, a wise choice ensuring consistently good audio quality throughout the video.
Software Used
From a technical standpoint, the video production was straightforward, primarily involving simple video editing software. This particular video was edited using Adobe Premiere Pro, but any basic video editing software would suffice. The most significant investment here is the time needed to produce the stop-motion content itself.
Suggested Improvements
I have two key suggestions:
Lighting: The current lighting setup is quite basic and doesn't showcase the visuals at their best. More dramatic, intentional lighting—perhaps through the use of spotlights or strategic shadowing—could enhance the visual impact significantly.
Title Simplification: The title should be streamlined for clarity and engagement, reducing jargon to better reflect the accessible style of the video itself.
Overall, this video is fantastic and thoroughly deserving of its international first-place recognition!
Example 2: It’s Dusty Down Under
Title: It’s Dusty Down Under
First Place - International VYT 2023
Prize of AUD $5,000
Author: Tegan Clark
Australian National University
First Impression
My first reaction was surprise—and genuine delight—at the highly unusual but brilliant choice of using Google Earth animations. Initially, it seemed unconventional, but it quickly proved to be the perfect method for this video. It’s easy to produce, quick, visually appealing, and very effective in combining satellite imagery, street views, and map animations. Hats off for originality!
Title
The title is excellent—short, concise, and instantly engaging. "It's Dusty Down Under" clearly and cleverly communicates that the video focuses on dust storms in Australia. Absolutely no complaints here; the title is spot on.
Visual Style
The visual style is refreshingly original and highly effective. Using Google Earth animations combined with satellite imagery and street views creates a video that immediately stands out. Being different pays off, especially in competitions like these.
Clarity
The video is clear and easy to follow. The added captions were a thoughtful touch, further enhancing understanding and making the content accessible.
Voice-over
The voice-over was clear, well-paced, and easy to follow. It was comfortable to listen to and complemented the visuals perfectly, making the experience smooth and enjoyable.
Software Used
Primarily, the video leveraged Google Earth for its visuals—a brilliant and creative choice that I've rarely seen before. This unique approach worked exceptionally well for the topic of dust storms, clearly demonstrating how effective simplicity can be.
Suggested Improvements
My main suggestion for improvement would be to diversify the visuals a bit more. Currently, the video relies heavily on Google Earth and Street View images.
Incorporating additional shots—perhaps actual footage or impactful images of dust storms or their aftermath—would enhance visual engagement and more powerfully illustrate the real-world consequences of these events.
Overall, it's a fantastic video that undoubtedly deserves its international victory, along with the impressive $5,000 prize!
Example 3: Advanced
Third Place - International VYT 2023
Prize of AUD $1,000
Author: Tara Crandon
The University of Queensland
First Impression
My immediate reaction was genuine admiration for the very high production value. Honestly, my first thought was, "Wow, this student must have received professional help!" The artwork is exceptionally polished, and the smooth frame-by-frame animation clearly showcases impressive artistic skills. It immediately set a high bar and grabbed my attention.
Title
The title, "Weathering the Storm: Understanding Climate Anxiety and Coping in Young People," is spot on. It's clear, descriptive, and effectively captures the seriousness and relevance of the topic. No changes needed here—it works perfectly as is.
Visual Style
The visual style is beautiful and fitting for the video's serious theme. The visuals perfectly communicate the mood, capturing the emotional weight of climate anxiety among young people.
Clarity
Clarity is excellent—the narrative flows smoothly, making it very easy to understand the core message.
Voice-over
The voice-over is professional, calm, and perfectly paced. It complements the visuals seamlessly, enhancing the overall emotional depth and delivering the content with clarity. I particularly appreciated many sound effects that made the video feel complete.
Software Used
The student used Procreate for the frame-by-frame animation, coupled with standard video editing software such as Premiere Pro and iMovie. I'm extremely impressed by the skillful use of Procreate, indicating the researcher’s advanced artistic talent. It's inspiring to see scientists sharing their creative side, something that competitions like Visualise Your Thesis beautifully encourage.
Suggestions for Improvement
Honestly, it's tough to suggest improvements for this video. Every aspect—from visuals and pacing to sound design—is remarkably polished. The closing moments of the video are particularly outstanding, ending on a powerful yet gentle note about supporting young people through climate anxiety. Frankly, I wouldn’t change a thing.
Example 4: Climate Champion Algae
Title: A Strategic Roadmap for the Selection of High-Performance Strains of Asparagopsis taxiformis in an Aquaculture Setting
First Place - James Cook University VYT 2024
Prize of AUD $1,000
Author: Anna Wilson
James Cook University
First Impression
My initial impression of this video was one of positivity and sparkle—the vibrant visual style immediately put me in a good mood and sparked excitement about the research potential. The stylised illustration and playful colour scheme are delightful, reminding me somewhat of a Barbie-inspired aesthetic. While not the style I'd personally choose for my own videos, it certainly feels authentic and reflects the creator's personality well, which I genuinely appreciate.
Title
The current title, "A Strategic Roadmap for the Selection of High-Performance Strains of Asparagopsis taxiformis in an Aquaculture Setting," is quite problematic for this context. It's overly scientific and jargon-heavy, resembling something you'd expect on a PhD thesis rather than a video aimed at a general audience. A catchier and more accessible title, such as "Perfecting the Ultimate Climate Champion," would significantly enhance viewer engagement.
Visual Style
As mentioned, the visual style is fresh, upbeat, and beautifully playful. Its vibrant and girly aesthetic effectively draws viewers in, setting a cheerful and optimistic tone. Overall, it’s highly enjoyable and well-executed.
Clarity
The clarity of the content is strong overall. However, it would have benefited from explicitly mentioning why Asparagopsis is referred to as a climate champion—specifically its notable use in cow feed to reduce methane emissions. Including this context could enhance viewer understanding.
Voice-over
The voice-over was clear, pleasant, and engaging. To enhance the video's impact further, I suggest incorporating subtle sound effects, as demonstrated in earlier examples. Sound effects can enrich the overall audio-visual experience and make the presentation feel more complete.
Software Used
Interestingly, the visuals for this video were created using Canva's AI generator. It's impressive to see the creative potential harnessed through Canva's AI-driven tools, enabling the researcher to produce visually appealing graphics relatively easily.
Suggested Improvements
Two primary areas stand out for improvement:
Artwork Quality: Some visuals clearly generated by AI could use refinement. The initial scene featuring the researcher at the microscope and the later image of the DNA double helix appear distorted. Improving these visuals to better reflect accurate scientific detail and aesthetics would greatly benefit the video.
Sound Effects: Incorporating a few strategic sound effects could add an extra layer of polish and enhance viewer engagement, as demonstrated effectively in previous examples.
Overall, it's an excellent video fully deserving of the recognition it received.
How One Video Competition Changed My Career
Participating in competitions like Visualise Your Thesis can genuinely change your life.
I say this from experience.
During my PhD, I threw myself into several video competitions and was lucky enough to win awards in three of them with my video “Lost at Sea". Sure, the cash prizes felt incredible—especially when you're a broke PhD student living off instant noodles—but the real magic was something completely different.
Suddenly, thousands of people worldwide were engaging with my research. It was incredibly rewarding—particularly the day I received an email from a complete stranger. They wrote: "I watched your video and finally understand the problem with ocean acidification. Thank you for doing what you're doing." That simple message was life-changing. It was the first time anyone had thanked me for my research, and it made all those long nights in the lab feel worth it.
Soon after, I noticed many researchers saying, "I wish I could do what you do, but I just don't know how or don't have the time." So, when my PhD wrapped up, I decided to help them out. In 2017, I founded Animate Your Science—and I haven't looked back since. These past eight years have been phenomenal, helping thousands of researchers communicate their science through our training programs and 'done-for-you' services.
My message for you? Participating in competitions like Visualise Your Thesis goes well beyond winning awards. Visibility opens doors you didn't even know existed. So don't hesitate—jump in, showcase your research, and see just how far it can take you.
Concluding Thoughts
I hope you found this exploration of winning Visualise Your Thesis videos inspiring. As you’ve noticed, no two videos look the same—and that’s precisely what makes VYT so wonderful. It encourages creativity, originality, and allows your unique personality and research passion to shine through.
If you're still hesitant or unsure how to begin, remember that you don't have to go it alone. At Animate Your Science, we’ve helped countless students craft winning videos—like the two recent winners at James Cook University.
To get you started, check out our free resources:
And if you’re ready to take your skills to the next level, explore our paid training options:
"Lights, Camera, Impact!"—our self-paced online course guiding you step-by-step through creating captivating research videos.
Workshops—ideal if you're looking to organise training for a group, these interactive sessions can be tailored to meet your specific needs and enhance your team's video storytelling and science communication skills.
Don’t hesitate to get in touch or share your amazing creations with me—I genuinely live vicariously through your successes.
Thanks for staying till the end.
Now go create something fantastic!
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