Is the science accurate, and does the talk say something worth knowing?
- One idea, not your whole thesis
- A fact the audience will repeat at dinner
- Why it matters beyond the lab
FameLab UK Final 2026 · Photo: Still Moving Media for Cheltenham Festivals
FameLab UK · Three-minute science talks
Three minutes. One prop. Your research, on stage.
FameLab is the world's largest science communication competition and training programme. Apply through the North West hub and you get free training, a coaching session, a live final in front of a packed room, and a shot at the UK Final at Cheltenham Science Festival.
Video entries close 19 February 2027
2024 hub founded
3 regional finals
2 North West UK finalists
100+ audience at a sold-out 2024 final
FameLab 2027 · North West
Apply for FameLab 2027
Open to researchers in science, social science, technology, engineering, maths and medicine across the North West, from PhD students to lecturers. You don't need any experience of public speaking. That's what the training is for.
Video entries open
29 Jan
2027
Video entries close
19 Feb
2027
North West Final
16/17 Mar
2027 · evening
How to apply
- Register with FameLab UK. Fill in the application form on Cheltenham Festivals' FameLab UK page and choose the North West hub.
- Join the welcome. Cheltenham Festivals' online "Welcome to the FameLab family" session in late January.
- Come to our training. A free lunchtime workshop online, in the week of 1 or 8 February. Bring an idea, not a finished talk.
- Film your three minutes. Record your talk in one take, using only props you could carry on stage. A phone camera is fine. Submit it between 29 January and 19 February.
- Hear if you're a finalist. We watch every video and select the North West finalists on 22–23 February.
- Rehearse, then take the stage. Finalists get an in-person coaching evening on 1 or 2 March, then perform at the North West Final on 16 or 17 March.
2027 timeline
Late JanWelcome to the FameLab family
Online, run by Cheltenham FestivalsDate TBC
Online, run by Cheltenham FestivalsDate TBC
29 JanVideo entries open
Straight after the welcome eventConfirmed
Straight after the welcome eventConfirmed
w/c 1 or 8 FebLunchtime training workshop
Online, free for all applicantsDate TBC
Online, free for all applicantsDate TBC
19 FebVideo entries close
Last day to submit your three minutesConfirmed
Last day to submit your three minutesConfirmed
22–23 FebFinalists selected
We'll let everyone know the outcomeConfirmed
We'll let everyone know the outcomeConfirmed
1 or 2 MarFinalists' coaching evening
In person: a briefing, a run-through and feedback. Venue TBCDate TBC
In person: a briefing, a run-through and feedback. Venue TBCDate TBC
16 or 17 MarNorth West Final
Evening, live audience and judgesDate TBC
Evening, live audience and judgesDate TBC
MayUK Masterclass, Cheltenham
For the North West winner, fully fundedNational
For the North West winner, fully fundedNational
JuneFameLab UK Final
Cheltenham Science FestivalNational
Cheltenham Science FestivalNational
How it works
Where a North West win can take you
Open to researchers in science, social science, technology, engineering, maths and medicine, from PhD students to lecturers and specialist science teachers. Full-time science communicators aren't eligible.
Jan – Feb
Apply
Register with FameLab UK, then send the North West hub a three-minute video.
Feb – Mar
Hub training
Free online sessions on building a three-minute talk, run by Salford and Liverpool.
Mid March
North West Final
Shortlisted speakers perform live to an audience and judges.
Early May
Masterclass
The regional winner gets a fully funded two-day masterclass in Cheltenham.
June
UK Final
Live at Cheltenham Science Festival, against every UK region's winner.
Autumn
International
The UK champion represents the country at the FameLab International Final.
The rules never change: three minutes, any STEMM topic, and only the props you can carry on stage yourself. This year’s North West dates are under Apply for 2027.
Training hub
Judges score three things
Every FameLab talk is judged on the three Cs. Use them as a checklist when you draft, rehearse and get feedback.
Could someone with no science background follow every step?
- No jargon you haven't earned
- An analogy built from everyday things
- A clear start, middle and end
Do people want to keep listening? This is about presence, not polish.
- Your own voice and enthusiasm
- A prop that does real work
- Eye contact, pace and pauses
Rehearsal timer
3:00
Press start and deliver your talk out loud.
Build a talk in five moves
- Hook in ten seconds. Open with a question, a surprise or the prop, never "Hi, I'm a PhD student in…"
- Name the problem. What's at stake, and for whom? Make it human.
- Explain one mechanism. The single piece of science your story rests on, told through an analogy.
- Show what you found or do. Your contribution, in a sentence a 14-year-old could retell.
- Land it. Return to the hook. Finish on time with a line people remember.
FameLab on YouTubePast UK and International Final talks to learn from
FameLab UK at Cheltenham FestivalsRules, eligibility, the participant guide and each year's finalists
Watch: Erin Pallott, UK Final 2025Our 2025 regional winner's talk, Snot Just Slime!
Science in the LimelightErin's account of doing FameLab as a nervous speaker
Three reasons to sign upBethany Facer on training, the stage and the community
Hub page on The SPACEThe University of Salford's FameLab page and diary posts
Alumni
Where our speakers go next
FameLab is the start of something. Our alumni lead science communication projects, sit on national boards and come back to compère and coach the next cohort.
Profiles drafted from public sources · awaiting confirmation
Bethany Facer
Neuroscience and neuroimaging: brain scans and Parkinson's disease
- Since FameLab
- Completed a PhD on white-matter changes in newly diagnosed Parkinson's. Early Career Researcher Trustee for the British Neuroscience Association. Runs science-comedy nights and podcasts. Compèred the 2026 North West Final.
Erin Pallott
Biology, intestinal mucus and parasitic worms: "Snot Just Slime!"
- Since FameLab
- Science Communication Officer at the University of Manchester. Leads the Research Hive blog for early-career researchers and won a 2025 Faculty award for outstanding PPIE. Guest speaker at the 2026 North West Final.
2026 North West Winner
Profile coming soon
- The final
- Won the North West Final at Lime Street Central, Liverpool, on 24 March 2026, and represented the region at the UK Final at Cheltenham Science Festival in June.
Your story here
Took part in a North West heat, final or training session? Add yourself to the alumni wall.
Add your profileSee every regional winner and UK Final result: 2024 · 2025 · 2026
2024
LEAF, Bold Street, Liverpool. First final of the Salford–Liverpool hub, sold out.
2025
Science and Industry Museum, Manchester.
2026
Lime Street Central, Liverpool. Compèred by Bethany Facer, with a guest talk from Erin Pallott.
Roll of honour
Every regional winner at the UK Final
The researchers who won their region and took the stage at Cheltenham Science Festival since the North West hub began. North West winners are highlighted.
2026
UK ChampionTony O'SullivanWales · Artemis-inspired poetry performance
North WestWinner profile coming soon
- Tony O'SullivanWalesUK winner
- Fabia Hannan MoneLondon
- Ryan McFaddenNorthern Ireland
- 7 more regional winners to be announced
- 7 more regional winners to be announced
2025
UK ChampionSpatika JayaramEast of England · Time Travel with Your Brain
North WestErin Pallott
- Spatika JayaramEast of EnglandUK winner
- Tiffany BaptisteLondonRunner-up · audience prize
- Erin PallottNorth West
- Caitlin LewisEast Midlands
- Lindsey SinclairGloucestershire & West Midlands
- Elisha DoiNorth East
- Erin McEvoyNorthern Ireland
- Eugénia DelacouScotland
- Julia ShumwaySouth East
- Holly DaviesSouth WestRunner-up
2024
UK ChampionJoni WildmanSouth West · Love is in the air: Spore dispersal in the fungal kingdom
North WestBethany Facer
- Joni WildmanSouth WestUK winner
- Richard DyerEast of EnglandRunner-up · audience prize
- Bethany FacerNorth West
- Nicola PierceEast Midlands
- Yasna NajmiGloucestershire & West MidlandsRunner-up
- Zoë BellNorth East
- Aaron MonsonNorthern Ireland
- Vanessa MaduSouth East
Opportunities
Keep talking
Three minutes is a beginning. These are places across the region where FameLab alumni can keep practising, on stage, on the page and on screen.
Pint of Science
On stage · MayTalks in pubs across Manchester, Liverpool and the Wirral each May. Speaker calls open in the winter.
pintofscience.co.ukMeet the Scientists
On stage · LiverpoolUniversity of Liverpool's family science day at the World Museum. Researchers run stalls and short talks.
Liverpool HLS public engagementManchester Science Festival
Festival · AutumnThe Science and Industry Museum's festival. Salford researchers take part every year.
Science and Industry MuseumCheltenham Science Festival
Festival · JuneFameLab exists to find its next speakers. Alumni are well placed to pitch events and talks.
cheltenhamfestivals.orgResearch Hive
Writing · VideoOpen blog for early-career researchers, led by 2025 winner Erin Pallott. Write accessible posts or short-form video about your work.
About Research HiveThe SPACE at Salford
On stage · Year roundTEDx University of Salford, Salford AI Club and public events run by the University of Salford's engagement team.
scicomm.spaceJoin
Be part of the North West community
Whether you competed, trained with us or want to apply next year, tell us who you are. We'll use it to:
- add you to the alumni wall, if you'd like to be featured
- send dates for training, finals and alumni meet-ups
- share speaking, writing and festival opportunities
- invite you to coach, judge or compère future finals
FameLab has given me the opportunity to be creative when explaining my research.Bethany Facer, North West, FameLab UK finalist 2024
Form not showing? Open the sign-up form.