IEEE ComSoc Four Minute Thesis (4MT) Competition

• Video Presentations are limited to 4 minutes and competitors exceeding 4 minutes are disqualified.
• Videos must meet the following criteria:
  • Filmed on the horizontal;
  • Filmed on a plain background;
  • Filmed from a static position;
  • Filmed from one camera angle;
  • Contain a presenter,
  • Contain PowerPoint slides (top right corner/right side/cut to)*
• The video must be clear and continuous – no edits or breaks.
• No additional props (e.g. costumes, musical instruments, laboratory equipment and animated backgrounds) are permitted within the recording.
• Presentations are to be spoken word in English (e.g. no poems, raps or songs).
• No additional electronic media (e.g. sound and video files) are permitted within the video recording.
• Submission of the video link only (YouTube, Vimeo, or other online platform containing the 4MT video).  Competitors should not submit their video files.

Please note: Competitors will not be judged on video/ recording quality. Judging will focus on the presentation, ability to communicate research to a non-specialist audience, and 4MT PowerPoint slide.

• Those selected to move on to Round 2 must attend the 4MT Competition in-person at IEEE ICC in May 2026 in Glasgow, Scotland, UK. No show will be disqualified.
• Oral presentation must be completed in 4 minutes and competitors exceeding 4 minutes are disqualified.
• Competitors have the option to either present their old PowerPoint slides in Round 1 or present new PowerPoint slides.
• The decision of the adjudicating panel is final.
• View the full competition rules.

Download the 4MT Official Rules

NO PURCHASE OR PAYMENT IS NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN.   

Contest: IEEE COMMUNICATIONS SOCIETY FOUR-MINUTE-THESIS (4MT) COMPETITION

Sponsor:  The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Incorporated, 445 Hoes Lane, Piscataway, New Jersey, USA, 08854 (“Sponsor”)

Eligibility:  Contest is open to employees of the Sponsor except employees of the IEEE Standards Association operating unit. Eligible participants may reside in the United States of America and other countries, where permitted by local law, and must be age eighteen (18) and older. Void where prohibited by law. Winners of the 4MT Competition in the immediate past two years are not eligible to participate.

Agreement to Official Rules:  By participating in this Contest, entrants agree to abide by the terms and conditions thereof as established by Sponsor.  Sponsor reserves the right to alter any of these Official Rules at any time and for any reason.  All decisions made by Sponsor concerning the Contest including, but not limited to the cancellation of the Contest, shall be final and at its sole discretion. 

Entry Period:  This Contest commences on 26 January 2026 and ends on 25 May 2026 ("Entry Period"). Sponsor's server is the official clock for the Contest.  Contest Entries received before or after the Entry Period are void. 

How To Enter:  The following rules apply to the 4MT competition in advance of and during IEEE ICC 2026. They must be adhered to by all competitors.

Round One Rules and 4MT Recording

• Video Presentations are limited to 4 minutes and competitors exceeding 4 minutes are disqualified.
• Videos must meet the following criteria:
  • Filmed on the horizontal;
  • Filmed on a plain background;
  • Filmed from a static position;
  • Filmed from one camera angle;
  • Contain a presenter,
  • Contain PowerPoint slides (top right corner/right side/cut to)*
• The video must be clear and continuous – no edits or breaks.
• No additional props (e.g. costumes, musical instruments, laboratory equipment and animated backgrounds) are permitted within the recording.
• Presentations are to be spoken word in English (e.g. no poems, raps or songs).
• No additional electronic media (e.g. sound and video files) are permitted within the video recording.
• Submission of the video link only (YouTube, Vimeo, or other online platform containing the 4MT video). 
• Competitors should not submit their video files.
• Entries for Round 1 must be submitted online here, https://app.smartsheet.com/b/form/019bc7c93f4f7c26904565f581d4848c by 11:59PM EST on 5 March 2026 - the extended deadline (original deadline was 27 February).

Round 1 notifications will be sent to all entrants by 24-25 March 2026 (updated due to extended deadline).

Please Note: Competitors will not be judged on video/recording quality. Judging will focus on the presentation, ability to communicate research to a non-specialist audience, and 4MT PowerPoint slide.

LIMIT ONE (1) ENTRY PER PERSON. 

Only Contest Entries submitted in accordance with these Official Rules will be eligible for consideration. No alternate means of entry permitted. Each Contest Entry shall become the exclusive property of Sponsor and will not be acknowledged or returned.

Selection of Winner: 

4MT Judging Criteria

At every round of the 4MT competition, each competitor will be assessed on the judging criteria listed below:

Comprehension and content

• Did the presentation provide an understanding of the background and significance to the research question being addressed while explaining terminology and avoiding jargon?
• Did the presentation clearly describe the impact and/ or results of the research, including conclusions and outcomes?
• Did the presentation follow a clear and logical sequence?
• Was the thesis topic, research significance, results/impact and outcomes communicated in language appropriate to a non-specialist audience?

Engagement and communication

• Did the oration make the audience want to know more?
• Was the presenter careful not to trivialise or generalise their research?
• Did the presenter convey enthusiasm for their research?
• Did the presenter capture and maintain their audience’s attention?
• Did the speaker have sufficient stage presence, eye contact and vocal range; maintain a steady pace, and have a confident stance?
• Did the PowerPoint slide enhance the presentation – was it clear, legible, and concise?

A panel of judges selected by the Sponsor (“Judges”) will include representatives from the ComSoc Board of Governors, ComSoc Technical Committees, and other ComSoc volunteer officers. Contest Winners will be announced during the week of 25 May 2026.

Prize:  The prize(s) for the Contest are being sponsored by IEEE.  Up to 15 winner(s) (the “Prize Winner(s)”) of Round 1 of this competition are invited to attend Round 2 at the IEEE ICC 2026 in Glasgow, Scotland and up to $2,000USD travel reimbursement is awarded for each person (the “Prize”).  The “Prize Winner(s)” of Round 2 shall be awarded as follows:  First Prize $1,000USD and an Award Certificate (1 winner); Second Prize $500USD and an Award Certificate (2 winners); and Third Prize $300USD and an Award Certificate (5 winners).  No cash in lieu of prize or substitution of prize permitted, except that Sponsor reserves the right to substitute a prize or prize component of equal or greater value in its sole discretion for any reason at time of award. Sponsor shall not be responsible for service obligations or warranty (if any) in relation to the prize(s). Prize may not be transferred prior to award. All other expenses associated with use of the prize, including, but not limited to local, state, or federal taxes on the Prize, are the sole responsibility of the winner.  Winner(s) understand that delivery of a prize may be void where prohibited by law and agree that Sponsor shall have no obligation to substitute an alternate prize when so prohibited. 

Notification of Potential Prize Winners:  The Prize Winners will be notified by e-mail within 14 days of the selection date. If a Prize Winner is found to be ineligible or not in full compliance with these Official Rules, another Prize Winner will be chosen using the same procedure specified above. Prize Winner may waive the right to receive the prize. The decisions of Sponsor are final and binding in all respects.

Release, Publicity, and Privacy: No Contest Entry will be returned.  All Contest Entries become the property of Sponsor. The Prize Winner agrees to release and hold harmless Sponsor and its officers, directors, employees, affiliated companies, agents, successors and assigns from and against any claim or cause of action arising out of participation in the Contest. 

Sponsor assumes no responsibility for computer system, hardware, software or program malfunctions or other errors, failures, delayed computer transactions or network connections that are human or technical in nature, or for damaged, lost, late, illegible or misdirected entries; technical, hardware, software, electronic or telephone failures of any kind; lost or unavailable network connections; fraudulent, incomplete, garbled or delayed computer transmissions whether caused by Sponsor, the users, or by any of the equipment or programming associated with or utilized in this Contest; or by any technical or human error that may occur in the processing of submissions or downloading, that may limit, delay or prevent an entrant’s ability to participate in the Contest. 

Sponsor reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to cancel or suspend this Contest and award a prize from entries received up to the time of termination or suspension should virus, bugs or other causes beyond Sponsor’s control, unauthorized human intervention, malfunction, computer problems, phone line or network hardware or software malfunction, which, in the sole opinion of Sponsor, corrupt, compromise or materially affect the administration, fairness, security or proper play of the contest or proper submission of entries.  Sponsor is not liable for any loss, injury or damage caused, whether directly or indirectly, in whole or in part, from downloading data or otherwise participating in this Contest. 

Representations and Warranties Regarding Entries: By submitting a Contest Entry, you represent and warrant that you own the full rights to the Contest Entry and have obtained any and all necessary consents, permissions, approvals and licenses to submit the Contest Entry and comply with all of these Official Rules, and that the submitted Contest Entry is your sole original work, has not been previously published, released or distributed, and does not infringe any third-party rights or violate any laws or regulations.

Limitations of Liability/Reserved Rights:  In no event shall Sponsor have any obligation, liability or responsibility with regard to (a) Contest Entry that contain incorrect or inaccurate information or do not comply with these Official Rules; (b) Contest Entry, Prize claims or notifications that are lost, late, incomplete, illegible, unintelligible, damaged or otherwise not received by the intended recipient, in whole or in part, due to computer, technical or other error of any kind; (c) telephone, electronic, hardware, software, network, Internet or computer malfunctions, failures or difficulties of any kind; (d) any condition caused by events beyond the control of Sponsor that may cause the Contest to be disrupted or delayed; (e) any printing or typographical errors in these Official Rules or any other materials associated with the Contest; or (f) any damages or losses of any kind caused by any Prize or resulting from participation in the Contest, accessing, uploading or downloading data in connection with the Contest, or acceptance, possession or use of any Prize.  Sponsor, in its sole discretion, reserves the right to disqualify any entrant tampering with or abusing the entry process or the operation of the Contest or otherwise violating these Official Rules.  Sponsor, in its sole discretion, further reserves the right to cancel, terminate, suspend or modify the Contest if the Contest cannot be completed as planned because of infection by computer virus, bugs, tampering, unauthorized intervention or technical failures of any sort and to select a winner from among eligible entries unaffected by such event, if any.

Disputes: EACH ENTRANT AGREES THAT: (A) ANY AND ALL DISPUTES, CLAIMS, AND CAUSES OF ACTION ARISING OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THIS CONTEST, OR ANY PRIZES AWARDED, SHALL BE RESOLVED INDIVIDUALLY, WITHOUT RESORTING TO ANY FORM OF CLASS ACTION, PURSUANT TO ARBITRATION CONDUCTED UNDER THE COMMERCIAL ARBITRATION RULES OF THE AMERICAN ARBITRATION ASSOCIATION THEN IN EFFECT; (B) ANY AND ALL CLAIMS, JUDGMENTS AND AWARDS SHALL BE LIMITED TO ACTUAL OUT-OF-POCKET COSTS INCURRED, INCLUDING COSTS ASSOCIATED WITH ENTERING THIS CONTEST, BUT IN NO EVENT ATTORNEYS' FEES; AND (C) UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES WILL ANY ENTRANT BE PERMITTED TO OBTAIN AWARDS FOR, AND ENTRANT HEREBY WAIVES ALL RIGHTS TO CLAIM, PUNITIVE, INCIDENTAL, AND CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES, AND ANY OTHER DAMAGES, OTHER THAN FOR ACTUAL OUT-OF-POCKET EXPENSES, AND ANY AND ALL RIGHTS TO HAVE DAMAGES MULTIPLIED OR OTHERWISE INCREASED.  ALL ISSUES AND QUESTIONS CONCERNING THE CONSTRUCTION, VALIDITY, INTERPRETATION AND ENFORCEABILITY OF THESE OFFICIAL RULES, OR THE RIGHTS AND OBLIGATIONS OF ENTRANT AND SPONSOR IN CONNECTION  WITH THE CONTEST, SHALL BE GOVERNED BY, AND CONSTRUED IN ACCORDANCE WITH, THE LAWS OF THE STATE OF NEW JERSEY, WITHOUT GIVING EFFECT TO ANY CHOICE OF LAW OR CONFLICT OF LAW, RULES OR PROVISIONS (WHETHER OF THE STATE OF NEW JERSEY OR ANY OTHER JURISDICTION) THAT WOULD CAUSE THE APPLICATION OF THE LAWS OF ANY JURISDICTION OTHER THAN THE STATE OF NEW JERSEY.  SPONSOR IS NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY TYPOGRAPHICAL OR OTHER ERROR IN THE PRINTING OF THE OFFER OR ADMINISTRATION OF THE CONTEST OR IN THE ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE PRIZES. 

Contest Results and Official Rules: To obtain the identity of the Prize Winner and/or a copy of these Official Rules, send a self-addressed stamped envelope to IEEE Communications Society 

3 Park Avenue, 17th Floor, New York, NY USA 10016.

• Did the presentation provide an understanding of the background and significance to the research question being addressed while explaining terminology and avoiding jargon?
• Did the presentation clearly describe the impact and/ or results of the research, including conclusions and outcomes?
• Did the presentation follow a clear and logical sequence?
• Was the thesis topic, research significance, results/impact and outcomes communicated in language appropriate to a non-specialist audience?

• Did the oration make the audience want to know more?
• Was the presenter careful not to trivialise or generalise their research?
• Did the presenter convey enthusiasm for their research?
• Did the presenter capture and maintain their audience’s attention?
• Did the speaker have sufficient stage presence, eye contact and vocal range; maintain a steady pace, and have a confident stance?
• Did the PowerPoint slide enhance the presentation – was it clear, legible, and concise?