Apply for 7MT 2026

What to send

Write to apply@7mt.org with the subject line 7MT 2026 Application — [City] — [Your name]. Attach or link the following. Incomplete packets wait in a queue; complete packets are acknowledged within two business days.

1. Your name as it should appear on a certificate, plus a short name if the legal name is long.
2. Affiliation — university, company, lab, or “independent.”
3. Role — researcher, founder / technical co-founder, independent builder, or undergraduate (with endorser name and email).
4. Heat city — exactly one from the 2026 list.
5. Talk title — twelve words or fewer.
6. One-sentence summary of the idea, written for a non-specialist.
7. Video URL — unlisted or private-with-access, 90 seconds or less. See spec below.
8. Slide file — .pptx, .key, or .pdf, one static 16:9 slide, under 15 MB.
9. AI disclosure — one sentence, even if the sentence is “no material AI assistance.”
10. Conflicts — if a 7MT judge, host, or sponsor employs you, say so.

Optional: a 150-word bio, a need-based travel-stipend request (only reviewed if you are shortlisted), and a note if the work was already presented in 3MT, Falling Walls Lab, MT180, or a startup battlefield. Those programmes are not partners; the note is for honesty, not prestige.

Video specification

The 90-second video is how we decide who gets seven minutes on a real stage. Treat it as a compressed talk, not a product ad.

• Length: 90 seconds maximum. We time the file, not your self-reported duration. 91 seconds is a no.
• Framing: you, speaking to camera, in a quiet room. A print of the slide in frame or a still superimposed is fine. A lab tour is not.
• Takes: one take preferred; two cuts allowed. Jump-cut montages, B-roll, lower-thirds, and background music are not allowed.
• Picture: landscape 16:9. 1080p preferred, 720p accepted.
• Codec: MP4 or MOV, H.264, clearly intelligible audio, under 200 MB.
• Host: YouTube, Bilibili, Vimeo, or a cloud folder with view access for apply@7mt.org. WeChat file transfer is not the canonical copy.
• Stand-ins: the person on camera must be the person who would stand on stage.

If your audio is unintelligible we will ask for a re-record rather than guess. If the video is a company brand film we will reject it. Rehearsal notes live on Resources.

The slide you attach

The application slide is the stage slide. One static 16:9 image, 1920×1080 recommended, no animation, no embedded media, fonts embedded or outlined. The live operator will lock it for the full seven minutes. Do not send a ten-slide “backup deck.” We will not look at it. Slide craft is covered in Compete and Resources.

Dates you should actually put in a calendar

• Applications open: March 2026.
• Applications close: 30 June 2026, 23:59 in the heat city’s timezone (use UTC+8 if unsure).
• Shanghai heat: 15 June 2026 — rolling shortlist from videos in hand by early June.
• Beijing heat: 22 June 2026 — same rolling pattern.
• Remaining heats: July–September; see Events.
• Asia-Pacific semifinal: 28 September 2026, Singapore.
• Europe-Americas semifinal: 12 October 2026, Berlin.
• Grand finale: 14 November 2026, Shanghai hybrid.

You may apply after the Shanghai or Beijing heat for a later city, until 30 June. You may not apply to two cities.

What happens after you submit

1. Acknowledgement within two business days, with a ticket ID. If you hear nothing, check spam and write again with the original attachments.
2. Screening. A panel scores the 90-second video on the same four criteria used on stage: comprehension, content, engagement, communication. Numeric rubric: Judging.
3. Shortlist. Decisions go out within two weeks of each city’s deadline. Yes means a heat slot, a tech rehearsal window, and a travel-stipend form if you asked for one. No means you may apply again next year with a different talk. We do not give written critiques at the video stage; volume makes it impossible.
4. Heat day. You deliver the seven-minute talk. Top three advance. The shape of the day is on Events.
5. Semifinals and finale. We book travel for advancing speakers. Certificates for heat finalists and beyond can be checked at Verify Certificate.

Eligibility in one paragraph

Be 18 by heat day (younger undergraduates with an endorser are case by case). Be a primary contributor. Fit one path: graduate/doctoral researcher; founder or technical co-founder of a company under seven years; independent engineer/scientist/builder with a real project; undergraduate with original work and an endorsement. Previous 7MT national-final winners may not speak again. Full rules and the disqualification list: Compete. Common questions: FAQ.