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PhD Spotlight competition

Develop your public engagement skills and raise your research profile

The York Graduate Research School (YGRS) and Research Culture & Researcher Development Team invite all University of York Postgraduate Researchers (PGRs i.e. PhD, MPhil and Masters by Research candidates) to enter our annual PhD Spotlight Competition. This competition gives Researchers an opportunity to engage the public with original and cutting edge research, through the medium of an interactive display/experience.

For 2026, PhD Spotlight will be moving to the Summer and will be a part of the York Festival of Ideas, alongside our Three Minute Thesis (3MT) competition. Applications will open in Spring 2026.

Congratulations to our 2025 winners!

1st - Fedor Topolev-Soldunov, Smells, Tastes and Sounds of a War-Torn City: The Case of Leningrad Diaries

2nd - Minahil Khan, Keeping liquids free from contamination

3rd - Brandon Daniel Tipper, Classical to Clinical – How do we detect viruses and create new medication?

People's choice - Minahil Khan, Keeping liquids free from contamination

Meet our PhD Spotlight 2025 finalists


How to Enter PhD Spotlight

Applications have now closed for our 2025 competition - many thanks to everyone who applied!

The application includes: 

  • A 150 word summary of your research. This should be aimed at the public. You can look at our 2024 PhD Spotlight Finalists Summaries for inspiration.
  • A title for your display 
  • A 500 word display proposal. This should include:
    • How you intend to use the space (see “About your display” below), including whether you need any technology/equipment (we can’t guarantee to be able to accommodate all requests)
    • How you intend to engage the public with your display/experience (see judging criteria below)
  • You may include images/sketches/diagrams/video/concept art, or anything else that you feel will visually help your application, though this is not necessary.

Applicant Criteria

  • Any current University of York Postgraduate Researcher, at any stage, can apply 
    • including enrolled PhD, Masters by Research, and MPhil candidates
    • including those in their continuation year
    • including if your study is split between two or more institutions
  • Joint applications will not be considered
  • All applicants need to consider if there are any ethical considerations to presenting their research and/or collecting any kind of data from the audience. Where appropriate/necessary, the applicant will need to seek approval from their departmental/faculty ethics committee (and provide evidence to the Research Culture & Researcher Development Team) or make changes to their application to avoid any ethical issues. Failure to do so may mean that applicants are unable to proceed as part of this event.  We are unable to provide support in contacting/chasing ethics approvals, the responsibility lies solely with the applicant.

About your display

We are looking for dynamic and creative displays and/or experiences. Each finalist will be offered a minimum of:

  • A pair of Nimlok (display) boards. 
  • One A1-sized printed image (You may use this as a poster, but we encourage you to think outside the box)
  • One large trestle table 
  • Free use of the floor space around your area
  • Access to an electrical outlet (plug socket)
  • A 24” display monitor (this is dependant on stock availability)
  • A small budget to buy props and print materials for your display. (£30 for props, £5 for printing)

We highly encourage you to consider using the resources provided in the Creativity Labs, including 3D printers, graphic and video design software when designing your display. If you are selected as a finalist and you plan to use the Creativity Lab resources, you may have to sign up for training or an induction before using them.

You do not have to use all the resources provided.

Woman stood in front of a display with images, post-it notes and a poster, talking to another woman

Judging Criteria

Applications and finalists will be judged according to the following:

  • Creativity: Produce a display or experience with visual appeal and coherence
  • Impact: Relevance of your display outside a single field/academia 
  • Communication: Inform the public and non-specialist audiences about your research in exciting ways
  • Originality: The display should be based on your original research and contribution to knowledge 

Due to the high quality and number of applications we receive, we will not be able to consider proposals which do not address the above criteria.

The Final

For 2026, PhD Spotlight will be moving to the Summer and will be a part of the York Festival of Ideas, alongside our 3 Minute Thesis competition. Applications will open in Spring 2026.

Two women looking at a computer monitor, at a public engagement event

Important Dates

Dates for the 2026 competition will be announced in Spring 2026

  • 10:00 GMT 18th November 2024: Applications for the competition close
  • 22nd November 2024: Results of applications will be released
  • 27th November 2024: In-person workshop
  • 6th December 2024: Finalist will have submitted all their final preparation

  • Wednesday 15th January 2025: The final event will be held in the Ron Cooke Hub.


Further information

If you need more information, contact the Research Culture & Researcher Development team at research-culture@york.ac.uk