Using 7mt.org or sending an application means you accept these terms and the competition rules. Last updated 1 March 2026.
These terms govern the website at www.7mt.org and entry into Seven Minute Tech. The detailed format, eligibility, slide specification, and disqualification list on Compete, the judging method on Judging, and the application process on Apply are part of the contract. If those pages and this page conflict on a procedure, the more specific page wins for that procedure. Privacy practices are on Privacy.
The site is provided as-is for information about the competition. Do not scrape it in a way that degrades the host, impersonate 7MT, or present our pages as an official channel of Three Minute Thesis, Falling Walls Lab, MT180, TechCrunch, or LEAP. We are not affiliated with those programmes. Brand use is described on Resources.
Entry is free. You represent that you meet eligibility, that you are a primary contributor to the work, that the video shows the person who would speak on stage, and that you have the right to grant the licences below. You pick one heat city. Dual applications may be discarded. We may refuse an application that is incomplete, unintelligible, or outside the format. Acknowledgement is not selection.
You keep your patents, code, data, and equity. You grant 7MT a worldwide, non-exclusive licence to use your name, likeness, affiliation, talk title, slide, video, and the recording of any live talk for running the competition, livestreaming, archiving, teaching, and press. Finalist talks are released under a permissive licence so they can be studied. You may request an archive delay of up to 90 days after the finale if unpublished results require it. We do not sign NDAs to watch a public pitch. If your institution needs a disclosure form, file it before you apply.
The live format is one static slide, no props, seven minutes. Exceeding 7:00 is a disqualification. So is a second slide, a live demo, extra media, presenting others’ work as yours, an undisclosed stand-in, or undisclosed material AI authorship as defined on Compete and FAQ. Harassment of speakers, judges, audience, or staff is a disqualification and may be reported. The panel’s decision is final. We may record a DQ without a public write-up.
Cash figures for a given year are announced before the finale and are not an offer of equity, employment, or immigration status. Investor and lab introductions are optional for the winner. Travel packages for advancing speakers are for the speaker, not companions. The speaking tour is scheduled with the winner; it is not a transferable asset. We do not take a share of your company in exchange for a prize.
Certificates are issued only to heat finalists, semifinalists, grand-finalists, and named prize winners. They can be checked at cert/verify.html. Forging, selling, or altering a certificate is prohibited. A reissue retires the previous ID. Participation in the video round alone does not create a certificate.
Heats are public. By taking the stage you consent to photography and recording. If you cannot attend after selection, the slot is forfeited; we do not run a remote heat. Invitation letters for visas are issued to confirmed speakers only. Travel to the first heat is yours unless a need-based stipend is granted after shortlisting.
Do not use the site or the event to spam, to harvest emails, to inject malware, or to pass off 7MT as a partner of another contest. Do not issue fake certificates. Staff issue tools are not public; attempting to access them is unauthorised.
To the extent law allows, 7MT is not liable for lost profits, lost rounds, or reputational harm arising from a score, a DQ, a travel delay, or a livestream fault. Venue safety is shared with the host institution. This page does not create a consumer credit, investment, or academic-degree relationship.
We may update these terms for a future cycle. An open cycle is run under the terms dated when you applied, plus safety rules that cannot wait. Questions: hello@7mt.org. Channels: Contact.