No-Bell Prize Competition
Let's communicate!
The Melbourne Medical School (MMS) and Melbourne Dental School (MDS) are collaborating again to run the No-Bell Prize competition for graduate research students. In 2024 the competition will be open to PhD and Masters by Research students across the Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry, Health and Sciences. Applicants will be provided with tailored coaching to develop and build on skills in creating engaging research pitches and communicating their research story in an engaging and compelling way for a variety of purposes.
Pitch your research to our panel to be in the running for some great prizes!
Refer to the No-Bell Prize Guidelines for more information.
Watch the highlights of last years competition.
We can't wait to talk research with you!
Your workshop team: Associate Professor Cathy Quinlan & Glovuse Calleja (Melbourne Medical School), Dr Rita Hardiman & Dr Mihiri Silva (Melbourne Dental School), Dr Emma Boehm, Loretta Gasparini, Alice Chen, Hannah Morgan and Scotia Mullin.
MMS and MDS acknowledge the Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences (MDHS) for supporting these events via a 2024 Graduate Research Development Grant.
2024 No-Bell Prize Key Dates
- Wednesday 24 April 2024
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3:00 pm
Applications open
- Friday 17 May 2024
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5.00 pm
Applications close
- June 2024
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Research related communication and presentation coaching. Details to be provided in due course.
- July 2024
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Competition heats will run in July. Competitors will be notified of heat details in late June.
- Wednesday 21 August 2024
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2.00 - 4.30 pm
2024 No-Bell Prize Competition Final
No-Bell Prize Presentations
Graduate researchers who apply to compete will participate in initial rounds of the competition (heats). Up to ten researchers will be selected to present in each heat with the top presenters of each heat moving on to the No-Bell Prize Final. In each round including the final, researchers will present for one minute, followed by three minutes of questions from the host and one minute of questions from the audience to make up a total of five minutes.
During the five minute presentation, our panel will make a note each time they hear jargon such as language which is too technical or acronyms that are not widely understood. An official will keep the time and count the number of notes per speaker.
The researcher with the least notes during their presentation will be the winner of each round.
How to apply
Applicants will need to submit a short video (up to 90 seconds) talking about their research via the application form.
Refer to the No-Bell Prize guidelines for more information.
For any additional information, please contact the organising committee.
We acknowledge the Monash University's Central Clinical School 'No-Bell Prize' website and Melbourne Neuroscience Institute (University of Melbourne) 2013 Festival of Ideas event as the basis of this event.
No-Bell Prize Final Event
Members of the Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences are invited to attend the No-Bell Prize Competition Final event: a fun and interactive opportunity for graduate researchers to practice their pitching skills and communicate their research and its impact in an interesting way, using simple, jargon free language.
Hosted by Associate Professor Cathy Quinlan (Academic Lead - Graduate Research, Melbourne Medical School), up to ten graduate researchers will pitch their research to our audience and panel of judges using clear and accessible language to compete for the 2024 No-Bell Prize.
The winner will receive a $1,000 cash prize and the two runner ups will receive $500 each. A People's Choice Award of $200 will also be awarded on the day.
Final Competition Event details
Date: Wednesday 21 August 2024
Time: 2:00 - 4:30 PM
Venue: Ian Potter Auditorium, Parkville Campus, University of Melbourne
Registrations for the No-Bell Prize Final will open in June
Congratulations to our 2023 No-Bell Prize winners
The Melbourne Medical School and Melbourne Dental School are pleased to announce the winners of the No-Bell Prize competition held on Tuesday 11 July.
(L-R) Alice Ruiye Chen, Laureate Professor Peter Doherty, Emma Boehm and Scotia Mullin
Congratulations to Emma Boehm (Department of Clinical Pathology) for winning the 2023 No-Bell Prize competition, followed by our two exceptional runners-up, Alicia Ruiye Chen (Department of Surgery – Ophthalmology) and Scotia Mullin (Melbourne Dental School). Scotia was also awarded the People’s Choice Award, which was voted by the audience at the event.
Hosted by Professor Alastair Sloan (Head, Melbourne Dental School) and Associate Professor Catherine Quinlan (Academic Lead – Graduate Research, Melbourne Medical School), the event featured nine graduate researchers demonstrating proficiency in communicating their research in clear and accessible language as they pitched their research to our panel of judges.
Laureate Professor Peter Doherty (Nobel Prize winner) awarded the prizes and shared an inspiring message about the importance of good communication.
The audience heard some amazing presentations, and we extend our congratulations to all of our participants for the strength of their research pitches.
Find out more about the No-Bell Prize event on our website.
Back row L-R Ciara Murphy (Obstetrics and Gynaecology), Alice Ruiye Chen (Surgery – Ophthalmology), Scotia Mullin (Melbourne Dental School), Laureate Professor Peter Doherty, Emma Boehm (Clinical Pathology), Yali Deng (Surgery), Prof Alastair Sloan (Melbourne Dental School). Front row L-R Erin Crellin (Paediatrics), Matthew Coleman (Paediatrics), Victor Duong (Medicine – Northern Health), Ella Swaney (Paediatrics)
About our winners
 | Dr Emma Boehm Department of Clinical Pathology, Rare Disease Oncogenomics Laboratory, University of Melbourne, and Endocrinologist and Nuclear Medicine Fellow, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre Dr Emma Boehm is an endocrinologist and a nuclear medicine fellow at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre. She is undertaking a PhD in the Rare Disease Oncogenomics Laboratory at the University of Melbourne, led by A/Prof Richard Tothill. Emma is supported by a Melbourne Academic Centre for Health (MACH track) scholarship. Emma’s PhD is focussed on circulating tumour DNA as a biomarker of neuroendocrine tumours (NETs). Emma is passionate about the overlap between endocrinology, nuclear medicine and oncology, and improving access for patients with NET to precision diagnostics, therapies and research. |
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| Alice Ruiye Chen Centre for Eye Research Australia; And Ophthalmology, Department of Surgery Alice Ruiye Chen is a PhD candidate in the Department of Ophthalmic Epidemiology at the Centre for Eye Research Australia. With a background in clinical medicine, she obtained her medicine degree in 2020. After nearly two years of residency, she decided to pursue a PhD with a specific focus on healthy ageing in 2022. Her PhD project explores the concept of retinal age, which involves using deep learning techniques to develop a novel biomarker of ageing and translating it for use in primary care settings. So far, she has published 4 manuscripts and has had the opportunity to present her research at two international conferences. |
| Scotia Mullin Melbourne Dental School Scotia Mullin is a PhD Candidate in biological/forensic anthropology and public health at Melbourne Dental School. Scotia has a keen interest in intersectional and sensitive medical interventions, LGBTQ+ health, forensic anthropology, repatriation, and disaster victim identification. In his spare time Scotia is an avid reader of fantasy novels, hiking, and hanging out with his friends and his dogs. |
Contact us
For any further assistance, please contact the workshop team:
Melbourne Medical School: mms-research@unimelb.edu.au
Melbourne Dental School: mds-researchsupport@unimelb.edu.au