The Rebel Grad Slam
The idea is to explain who you are, what you study, why you study it, what your research question is, how you're analyzing it, and — most importantly — why it matters to folks outside your field using 1 PowerPoint slide and less than 3 minutes!
Hear from past Rebel Grad Slam participants – April Contreras (2024), Austin McKenna (2017), Henry Castillo (2015), LaToya Burdiss (2019), and Jason Avedesian (2019) – about why they participated, their experience, and tips for future competitors.
The Rebel Grad Slam 3-Minute Thesis Competition is an opportunity for graduate students to showcase their research and scholarship in an engaging way. This is a fast paced research rumble to highlight the innovative and impactful work being done by UNLV graduate students.
Students advance throughout the competition, beginning with the preliminary rounds through to the semi-finals. Those who place in the semi-finals advance to the final event. Winners of every round earn scholarships and the value of these awards increases from the preliminary rounds to the semi-finals and the finals. The total cash prize pool is over $14,000!
RSVP and join us to cheer on your friends, students, and colleagues at the 12th annual Rebel Grad Slam Finals Event!
This is a medallion-qualifying event for UNLV graduate & professional students. For additional information, please see the Graduate College Medallion Program website.
Rebel Grad Slam registration for 2025 is full.
This year’s Rebel Grad Slam preliminary rounds will be hosted from Monday, November 3 through Wednesday, November 5, 2025 via Zoom. There will be ten preliminary rounds:
- Monday, November 3, 2025, 10-11:00 a.m.
- Monday, November 3, 2025, 12-1:00 p.m.
- Monday, November 3, 2025, 2-3:00 p.m.
- Monday, November 3, 2025, 5-6:00 p.m.
- Tuesday, November 4, 2025, 10-11:00 a.m.
- Tuesday, November 4, 2025, 12-1:00 p.m.
- Tuesday, November 4, 2025, 2-3:00 p.m.
- Tuesday, November 4, 2025, 5-6:00 p.m.
- Wednesday, November 5, 2025, 10-11:00 a.m.
- Wednesday, November 5, 2025, 12-1:00 p.m.
Participants will submit their availability preferences in their registration form. They will receive presentation time slots and instructions before the week of the event.
Students who advance to the semifinal rounds will present again during one of the following sessions. Semifinal sessions will take place in the Greenspun Hall Auditorium.
- Thursday, November 6, 2025 from 9:00-10:30 a.m.
- Thursday, November 6, 2025 from 11:00 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
- Thursday, November 6, 2025 from 1:30-3:00 p.m.
Students who advance to the final round will compete to win on Friday, November 7, 2025! The finals round event starts at 4:00 p.m. in the Greenspun Hall Auditorium & Lobby.
Friends, classmates, colleagues, family and supporters are welcome to attend the finals round and reception event. Beverages and hors d'oeuvres will be provided.
Upcoming Events
Rules and Regulations
- Competitors must submit the authorized Rebel Grad Slam PowerPoint to gradacademy@unlv.edu by 11:59 p.m. on Sunday, October 19, 2025. Please label the PowerPoint document: LastName_RGS2025.
- Participants are responsible for protecting the legal rights of their research, including any intellectual property.
- Participants' names, presentation titles, and photos may be shared on social media and UNLV websites for promotional purposes.
- You cannot modify your PowerPoint slide between rounds.
- You may only use your 1 PowerPoint slide: no music, props, note cards, etc.
- The 3-minute presentation maximum will be strictly enforced; any contestants exceeding 3 minutes will be disqualified from the competition. A time clock will be made visible for contestants to monitor.
- All judges' scoring and decisions will be final.
- Business casual is encouraged.
- Preliminary and Semi-Finals round contestants must check in 10-15 minutes prior to the start of the competition.
- Finals round contestants must check in 30 minutes prior to the start of the competition.
Compete & Win Awards
Every competitor will get an exclusive Rebel Grad Slam T-shirt, and winners of each round will earn scholarship awards!
For the Preliminary Rounds:
- first-place winner gets $300
- second-place winner gets $200
- third-place winner gets $100
For the Semi-Final Rounds:
- first-place winner gets $500
- second-place winner gets $400
- third-place winner gets $200
For the Final Round:
- first-place winner gets $1,500
- second-place winner gets $1,000
- third-place winner gets $750
- audience choice winner gets $500
Please note: You must have a current FAFSA form or the Alternate Need Determination Form on file. If you owe money for current or prior terms, the funds will be applied towards that balance. Disbursement of the scholarship can take between 4-6 weeks.
The College with the highest number of Rebel Grad Slam participants wins a free lunch for their team!
The overall first-place winner’s College will proudly receive the Rebel Grad Slam Trophy to display throughout the academic year.
The first-place winner of the UNLV Rebel Grad Slam may have the opportunity to compete in the prestigious Western Association of Graduate Schools (WAGS) 3MT Competition.
Tips for Success
- Use minimal text on your PowerPoint slide.
- Incorporate visuals such as original charts, graphs, illustrations, or photos. Provide credit for any visuals you did not create.
- Practice your presentation thoroughly—repetition builds confidence!
- Time yourself to ensure your presentation does not exceed 3 minutes.
- Engage your audience by making eye contact, speaking clearly, and projecting confidence.
- Avoid jargon—explain your ideas in a way everyone can understand.
- Be engaging and connect emotionally with your audience.
- Arrive or log in at the event at least 15 minutes early to prepare.
- Watch other 3MT presentation videos from the Resources section below for tips and inspiration.
- Review the scoring rubric carefully to tailor your presentation and maximize your points.
Resources for Participants
- Watch winning 3MT presentations from around the world.
- Top Ten Tips for Writing and Delivering Very Brief Speeches by Bill Cole, Founder and CEO of William B. Cole Consultants
- TED Talks: Approximately 3-minute talks on "ideas worth spreading"
- 10 Most Common Rookie Mistakes in Public Speaking by Terry Gault, Managing Partner and Vice President of the Henderson Group
- How to win at academic presentations: top tips on what to say and how to say it by Sarah Knowles, Research Fellow with the NIHR
- UNLV Rebel Grad Slam 2024 Competition Playlist
Recaps from Past Rebel Grad Slams
2022
2022 Winners
1st Place
Santiago Bataller, College of Sciences
2nd Place
Taylor Flaherty, College of Liberal Arts
3rd Place
Jenn Chandler, College of Fine Arts
Nicole Tanguay, College of Education
Bhagya De Silva, College of Sciences
2021
2021 Winners
1st Place
James Skelly, Howard R. Hughes College of Engineering
2nd Place
Melissa Schofield, College of Sciences
3rd Place
Katherine Luebke, College of Sciences
2020
2020 Winners
1st Place
Kendra McGlothen, School of Integrated Health Sciences
Harjiv Singh, School of Integrated Health Sciences
2nd Place
Andrew Ortiz, Graduate College
3rd Place
Johanna Andrews, Public Health
Michael Wong, Graduate College
2019
2019 Winners
1st Place
Nam Hoang, College of Sciences
2nd Place
Jason Avedesian, Graduate College
3rd Place
Johanna Andrews, Public Health
Michael Wong, Graduate College
2018
2018 Winners
1st Place
Trevor Pollom, College of Liberal Arts
2nd Place
Henry Castillo, College of Education
3rd Place
Bhagya de Silva, College of Sciences
2017
2017 Winners
1st Place
Austin McKenna, College of Sciences
2nd Place
Celine Ayala, College of Liberal Arts
3rd Place
Lorena Samentar, College of Sciences
2016
2016 Winners
1st Place
Karli Nave, College of Liberal Arts
Jacqueline Phan, College of Sciences
2nd Place
Wynn Tashman, College of Education
3rd Place
Stephanie Devine, College of Education
2015
2015 Winners
1st Place
Henry Castillo, Greenspun College of Urban Affairs
2nd Place
Kaiyang Wu, Lee Business School
3rd Place
Chris Hardy, College of Sciences
2014
2014 Winners
1st Place
Erica Marti, College of Engineering
2nd Place
Katelyn DiBenedetto, College of Liberal Arts
3rd Place
Chris Hardy, College of Sciences
Please be advised that your participation in the Rebel Grad Slam event may amount to a public disclosure which could jeopardize your ability to obtain patent protection in certain jurisdictions. As a student, prior to participating and openly sharing the details of your project, you may want to seek legal counsel. Regarding faculty, staff member or employee of the University of Nevada Las Vegas, please contact the Office of Economic Development regarding any disclosure you plan to share or otherwise present to ensure compliance with NSHE policy and to best advise you on how to protect any intellectual property that may arise from your project.