CUHK Capstone Project Presentation Competition

Format

Inspired by competitions including the Three Minute Thesis (3MT®), Four Minute Thesis (4MT), and Rapid Fire Presentation, students will be given a maximum of 4 minutes to present their capstone projects with a maximum of 4 slides. The goal is to effectively communicate their capstone projects in a short period of time to a non-specialist audience.

Eligibility

All students completing their capstone projects in the current academic year are eligible to participate in the competition. Students may enter individually for solo capstone projects or enter as a team for group projects.

Competition spots are limited and will be allocated in the order of registration.

Training

To help prospective contestants prepare for the competition, a Training Workshop on “Communicating your capstone project to a wide audience” will be organized. The workshop is open to all students interested in joining the competition or in sharpening their capstone presentation skills, and it is free of charge.

Date: 25 February 2026 (Wed)
Time: 6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
Venue: LSK212

To register for the workshop, click here. (Deadline for registration: 24 February 11:59 pm)

Qualifying Round

The competition welcomes presentations in the following two categories:
1. Arts, Education & Social Science
2. Science, Engineering & Medicine

Applicants should fill in the online registration form for the competition and submit a video recording of their capstone presentation. For students competing as a group, all group members must register but only one student (team representative) needs to submit a video on behalf of the group.

Online registration form: Click here
Video submission deadline: 9 April 2026 (Thu), 11:59pm
Video submission guidelines: Click here
Contestants will be notified of the qualifying round results by 15 April 2026 (Wed)

Grand Final

Date: 21 April 2026 (Tue)
Time: 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Venue: TBC
Panel of Judges:
Professor Edwin CHAN, Professor, School of Life Sciences
Professor Lawal MARAFA, Professor, Department of Geography and Resource Management
Professor Anthony SO, Professor, Department of Systems Engineering and Engineering Management

• For the Grand Final (live presentation), each presenter/presentation group is allowed a maximum of 4 minutes and 4 PPT slides. Contestants’ performances will be video-recorded by the organizer. PowerPoint slides should be submitted by 19 April 2026 (Sun), 11:59 p.m.
• The presentation content delivered must be ORIGINAL and must not have been used in any previous courses or competitions except for the credit-bearing Capstone Courses. Sources of reference, including any pre-approved AI use, should be cited in a reference list to be included in the presentation slides (excluded from the 4-slide quota).
• The presentation content must NOT contain any material that is plagiarized, generated by AI (unless specific permission has been obtained from the contestant’s major department or programme), or infringing copyright; otherwise, the contestant will be disqualified.
• Contestants who are over-timed by 30 seconds will be disqualified.
• The organizer reserves the right to interpret or amend the above rules.

Contestants’ performance will be evaluated based on the following four criteria:

• Content:
  • Structured explanation of capstone project, clearly communicating context, aim, process, and outcome
  • Audience-oriented approach that facilitates understanding of abstract concepts and builds rapport
  • Demonstration of academic rigour and highlight of the project impact and value
• Language:
  • Fluent delivery of presentation in appropriate style with effective use of spoken English
  • Vivid and accurate language with felicitous use of grammar and vocabulary
  • Clear pronunciation with good vocal control of intonation, stress, pace, pause and volume
• Stage Presence:
  • Engagement with audience through steady eye contact and lively facial expressions
  • Strong command of the stage through well-designed gestures, controlled movement and poise
• Visuals:
  • Effective design of visuals with apt image choices, appropriate colour scheme, concise and accurate texts
  • Skillful use of visuals that support and enhance the presentation, without overriding or distracting from it

• The organizer reserves the right to edit and use the submitted entries, photos, slides and video recordings of speech performances in the competition for future promotion or educational (teaching or research) purposes.
• The organizer reserves the right to revise the terms and conditions without making any advance announcement.