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How to compete

Everything you need to know before you apply: the rules, who's eligible, and how to build a pitch that lands.

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Competition rules

The rules are deliberately simple — and the disqualifications strictly enforced. Every finalist over the last fifteen years has worked inside the same constraints.

  • One static slide. A single PowerPoint or Keynote slide is permitted. No transitions, no animations, no embedded video, no GIFs.
  • No additional media. No sound clips, no video files, no live demos, no second screen.
  • No props. No costumes, no instruments, no laboratory equipment, no physical objects of any kind.
  • Seven minutes maximum. A presentation that exceeds 7:00 is disqualified. There is a visible timer on stage.
  • Spoken word only. No raps, no songs, no poems performed as substitute for the talk.
  • Begins on stage. The clock starts on the contestant's first word or movement.
  • The decision of the judging panel is final.

Why so strict?

The rules exist to put every contestant on the same footing. A finalist with a famous lab and a graphics team has exactly the same toolkit as a first-year founder with a laptop — seven minutes, one slide, no theatrics.

Eligibility

7MT is open to anyone working on a technical idea they can articulate clearly. We deliberately keep the door wide.

You are eligible if you are:

  • An active graduate or doctoral researcher at any accredited institution worldwide.
  • A founder or technical co-founder of a company less than seven years old.
  • An independent engineer, scientist, or builder working on a real project (open source, hardware, applied research).
  • An undergraduate student presenting original research or a working prototype with a faculty or industry endorsement.

You are not eligible if:

  • You have previously won a 7MT national final (we want new voices each year).
  • You are presenting work to which you are not a primary contributor.
  • Your submission consists entirely of literature review or theoretical commentary with no original work.

How to pitch

The best 7MT talks share four things: a problem the audience can feel in their gut, an insight that surprises, a piece of evidence that lands, and a single image they take home. In that order.

Structure a winning talk

  1. The hook (0:00–0:45). Start with a single, concrete moment — not "imagine if" but "last Tuesday I watched a…". Earn the next six minutes in the first thirty seconds.
  2. The stake (0:45–2:00). Who is hurt by this problem, how badly, and why nobody has fixed it yet. The audience must care before you explain anything technical.
  3. The insight (2:00–4:30). The actual technical idea. Use one analogy, not five. Pick the analogy that lets a stranger draw the shape of the solution on a napkin.
  4. The evidence (4:30–5:45). One result, one number, one demonstration described in words. Specificity beats authority every single time.
  5. The consequence (5:45–7:00). If this works, what changes? End on a sentence the audience can quote.

The slide

One image. One word, or no words. The slide should not narrate — it should anchor. The audience's eyes lock on it in the first three seconds; their job for the rest of the talk is to listen.

Common disqualifications

  • Reading from notes (allowed, but penalised by the audience scoring panel).
  • Going over 7:00 — the most common reason talented contestants do not advance.
  • Using the slide as a script.
  • Pitching someone else's work, even with permission.