IYQ Global Events
IYQ is being celebrated worldwide through hundreds of independently organized events and activities. Selected events with a global reach and impact have received the special designation of “IYQ Global Event” from the IYQ Steering Committee and are receiving financial support from IYQ partners. Additional IYQ Global Events and Activities will be added to the list below as the year progresses.
Quantum Shorts: Encore
Quantum Shorts: Encore comprises a series of screenings featuring winning films from the Quantum Shorts film festival, organized in Singapore from 2012 to 2024.
The films, created by both amateur and professional filmmakers, blend narrative and abstract elements to tell stories through a quantum lens.
Cinema is an essential cultural expression that can help raise public awareness of the importance of quantum science and its applications.
Dates and duration of the event: multiple events throughout the year 2025
Brilliant (Quantum) Poetry
The Brilliant (Quantum) Poetry competition invites participants worldwide to submit poems inspired by quantum science themes, such as superposition, entanglement, and uncertainty. Submissions will be accepted in all UN official languages, with English translations for judging.
Virtual Event
Prizes
First prize £1000 — Second prize £500 — Third prize £250
Launch: March 21, 2025
Submission Deadline: June 30, 2025
Winners will be announced on November 10
Quantum Information, Science, and Technology Conference in the Philippines 2025
The Quantum Information, Science, and Technology Conference in the Philippines 2025 (QISTCon.ph 2025) will be the place where quantum companies meet the industry, academics showcase their research, and government policymakers and the community discuss the responsibility of developing and investing in Quantum Technologies.
Based in the Philippines, it is designed to serve as a regional hub with global connections, building Southeast Asia’s presence in the global quantum landscape.
Through international speakers, online participation, and open-access content, QISTCon.ph 2025 extends its reach far beyond geographic borders, promoting global collaboration, education, and innovation in quantum information science and technology.
Dates: July 30 to August 1st, 2025
Location: JPark Waterpark, Lapu-Lapu City, Cebu, Philippines
Harvard Quantum Shorts Contest
The Quantum Shorts Contest encourages young students to explain a quantum science topic of their choosing through creative videos.
By supporting students with online introductory resources to learn about quantum science, our activity increases public engagement with quantum science by making the field more accessible to all students. The contest culminates in a video showcase at the Boston Museum of Science, which further amplifies public exposure to quantum concepts.
Winning videos will be shared over social media platforms like YouTube, expanding their reach and impact. Through a global call for video submissions, the contest increases global cooperation, awareness and education in quantum science.
Dates: June 6 to September 15, 2025
Location: Harvard University, Goel Quantum Science and Engineering Building, 60 Oxford Street, Cambridge, MA 02138
IUPAP-IYQ2025 Photo Contest
The International Union of Pure and Applied Physics (IUPAP) is launching an international photo contest to portray the beauty of quantum processes, the presence and impact of quantum science and technology on our everyday lives and the ways in which quantum research and education is carried out all over the world.
Submissions are open in two categories: Beyond our eyes, devoted to images obtained through scientific equipment or produced via numerical simulations of quantum processes, and At a glance for all other photos, including those illustrating the aesthetical value of the scientific equipment itself as well as visible quantum effects in Nature, such as light, and anything else within the imagination of the photographer.
Dates
Contest open for entries: June 9 to August 31.
Winners’ announcement: October 17.
Location: Virtual
Quantum City Prize
The Quantum City Prize promotes global public engagement with Quantum Science and Technology by encouraging cross-disciplinary collaboration to create content displayed in public urban spaces. It rewards creative initiatives, including posters in transit and performances in city squares making quantum concepts accessible to everyone, without needing registration or travel.
Period for applications and the activities: April 14, 2025 to October 14, 2025.
Continental Award Events: second half of November 2025.
World Quantum City Prize Award: proposed for the Closing Ceremony of the IYQ
Storytelling from the Lab
Storytelling from the Lab is an innovative virtual tour and storytelling initiative designed to make quantum science accessible and engaging for young learners. Our approach integrates virtual lab tours, where quantum researchers explain fundamental concepts in simple, relatable terms, with a science storytelling segment, where a scientist reads a children’s book related to quantum technology or general science topics. Virtual events and exposure to quantum technologies is particularly important for students who do not live near labs, quantum companies, or research hubs, and have no way of accessing a global in-person event.
Dates: Year-long, frequency to be determined
Location: Virtual
Link to the event coming soon.
International Symposium on Quantum Science, Technology and Innovation 2025 (Quantum Innovation 2025)
The Quantum Innovation, hosted by the Japanese government, research institutes, and industry alliances, is an international symposium aimed at bringing together multidisciplinary researchers to present and exchange groundbreaking ideas in quantum science and technology. It covers a wide range of topics, including the latest achievements, trends, and demands in quantum science and technology, such as quantum computing, quantum sensing, quantum cryptography, and quantum communication.
Dates: from July 29 to August 2, 2025
Location: Osaka, Japan
ARC-EDS: Driving Entrepreneurship and Innovation to Combat Youth Unemployment
The Global Event celebrating the International Year of Quantum Science and Technology (IYQ 2025) will be organized as a key component of the Africa Regional Conference and Exhibition on Education and Skills Development (ARC-EDS). The Global Event will advance the development of Quantum Education on a global scale.
Dates: August 5-7, 2025
Location: Accra International Conference Center (AICC), Accra, Ghana.
5th International Conference on the History of Quantum Physics
The centenary of quantum mechanics and the United Nations International Year of Quantum Science and Technology provide an ideal opportunity to revive the influential “HQ” series of conferences on the History of Quantum Physics, initiated by the Max Planck Institute for the History of Science in Berlin.
Dates: August 11-14, 2025
Location: Federal University of Bahia, Salvador, Brazil
IYQ Global Event on International Cooperation: Addressing the Global Quantum Divide and Governance
The purpose of the event is to address the very multidisciplinary and multidimensional topics of International Cooperation and Global Governance in Quantum Technologies. It will bring together experts in diplomacy, international cooperation, peace, and international security, governance, including anticipatory tech governance),
economics, private investments, policy analysis, capacity building, emergent technologies, international standards, quantum science and technology, and national quantum initiatives.
The Global Organising Committee membership will cover the different regions of the World.
Dates: August, 2025
Location: United Nations headquarters, Nairobi, Kenya.
Link to the event coming soon.
The Ethical, Legal, and Social Aspect of Broadening Global Ownership of Quantum Technologies
The event will be on cross-cutting issues on ELSA of QT around the world on broadening global ownership of quantum technologies, with a particular focus on the context of underdeveloped and developing countries and regions.
Dates: September 10-11, 2025
Location: Tecnológico de Monterrey, Mexico City Campus, Mexico
Link to the event coming soon.
IYQ Global Event on Quantum Science and Technology for Sustainable Development
The conference will produce engaging public content highlighting how quantum science and technologies contribute to sustainability goals. The materials will translate complex quantum concepts into accessible formats for the general public and demonstrate practical applications for addressing global challenges.
Dates: October 27-30, 2025
Location: Khalifa University, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Link to the event coming soon.
Quantum Metrology: From Foundations to the Future
The event will bring together experts from around the world for a mix of keynote talks, panel discussions, hands-on demonstrations, and interactive exhibits. It will open with a keynote exploring the history of metrology in quantum science, setting the stage for discussions on how measurement science can unlock its impact across industries like navigation, computing, and healthcare. Personal stories will highlight how quantum technologies are changing lives, while an international panel will explore the importance of global collaboration.
Dates: November 03-07, 2025.
Location: National Physical Laboratory (NPL), Teddington South-West London, UK.
Link to the event coming soon.
Quantum Education Summit 2025 Shaping the Future, Empowering Minds
The Quantum Education Summit promotes global awareness and inclusive education in quantum science by bringing together a diverse and international community of students, educators, researchers, and policymakers.
The event features high-profile speakers from Southern Europe, North Africa & the Maghreb, with strong leadership in quantum education innovation. This supports international cooperation and the sharing of best practices.
Dates: December 3 to 5, 2025.
Location: CosmoCaixa, Carrer d’Isaac Newton, 26, Sarrià-Sant Gervasi, 08022 Barcelona.
ITU & Quantum Coalition Future Leaders in Quantum Hackathon
The virtual hackathon features four tracks: Science, Education, Art, and Innovation. Each with two challenges co-designed by industry sponsors and university clubs. It includes pre-hackathon workshops, a 36-hour hackathon period with opening/closing ceremonies, team formation
opportunities, and mentorship, and post-hackathon activities like showcasing winning projects and sending winners to the Quantum for Good track being organized as part of the AI for Good Summit in Geneva.
The event emphasizes hands-on learning, global collaboration, and real-world problem-solving.
Participate and win great prizes!
The pool prize amount is $10,000, and a trip to Geneva!
Dates:
Pre-Hackathon Workshop Series: March 14 to May 14, 2025
Hackathon: March 14 to July 8, 2025.
Location: Virtual and Geneva, Switzerland
Quantum Crossroads - at the Intersection of Arts, Culture, and Quantum Science and Technology
Quantum Crossroads is a global event sponsored by the International Year of Quantum Science and Technology. It will bring together experts and stakeholders to discuss the intersection of quantum science and technology with arts, culture, and creative technologies. The event is led by a global committee and hosted by Te Whai Ao – Dodd-Walls Centre and Tūhura, Otago Museum.
Dates: July 7-8, 2025
Location:
Communicating Quantum Science and Technology to Public
The event will bring national and international outreach and science communication experts, and practitioners of quantum technologies, to discuss the issues, difficulties, and opportunities related to the public communication of quantum technologies. Topics such as hype, misinformation, false expectations, and the roles and responsibilities of different actors will be discussed. We will also incorporate discussions on the role of entertainment media (movies, TV shows, games, social media) for the purposes of public communication of quantum technologies.
Date: June 28, 2025
Location: Yonsei University, Seoul, Republic of Korea (South Korea)
Quantum Now / Ici Quantique
QUANTUM NOW | ICI QUANTIQUE is the premier executive forum designed to explore the current state of the quantum industry and innovation, providing senior decision-makers with the insights, relationships, and strategic clarity needed to navigate the emerging quantum economy.
Taking place June 18-19 in Montréal, Québec, Canada, during the International Year of Quantum Science and Technology, the event will feature a highly curated program that delves into critical topics such as the state of the quantum sector, understanding and seizing quantum economic advantage, the importance of international collaboration in accelerating quantum development, real-world use cases, and practical pathways for quantum adoption.
Dates: June 18-19, 2025
Location: Grand Quay of the Port of Montreal
Montreal, Quebec, Canada
ICTP Global Event on Quantum Science and Technology
In celebration of the IYQ, ICTP joins forces with the Italian Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei, the ICTP South American Institute for Fundamental Research in Sao Paulo, Brazil, and the International School for Advanced Studies (SISSA) to organize a week-long global event addressed to a wide community.
The event will focus on historical aspects, the impact on society, and selected advances of quantum science and technology.
Dates: May 26-30, 2025
Location: Trieste (Italy), Rome (Italy), Sao Paulo (Brazil).
IYQ Opening Ceremony at UNESCO
The 2025 International Year of Quantum Science and Technology (IYQ) recognizes 100 years since the initial development of quantum mechanics. The Opening Ceremony took place at the UNESCO Headquarters in Paris, France, to celebrate the Launch of IYQ 2025.
Dates: February 4-5, 2025
Location: UNESCO, Paris, France
IYQ Opening Ceremony in Geneva
On 21st February 2025, over 100 individuals–including policymakers, diplomats, scientists, and educators–gathered to celebrate the launch of the International Year of Quantum Science and Technology (IYQ) in Geneva, following the official Opening Ceremony at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris.
Date: February 21, 2025
Location: Geneva Conservatory of Music, Switzerland