Brilliant Poetry is an international competition that invites participants from around the world every year to explore scientific discoveries and curiosity through poetic expression.  

Aligned with the International Year of Quantum Science and Technology (IYQ), marking a century since the formulation of quantum mechanics, Brilliant Poetry aims this year to highlight the power of artistic expression, making the complexities of science accessible, beautiful, and profoundly inspiring.

During the call for participants, poets were encouraged to engage with the principles and paradoxes of quantum science, exploring their intellectual and human significance. 

After closing the submissions on July 30, the jury started the selection process. In September, ten outstanding poems were selected for a shortlist that was announced early this month.  

We are thrilled to publish each of them on the official blog of the International Year of Quantum Science and Technology. Winners of the first, second, and third places will be announced on November 10.

An End to Time

by Luisa A. Igloria

I like putting one foot in front of the other,
walking at a steady pace until I change

the speed on the treadmill or come to
the end of the half-hour. I like wiping down

the silver and putting them back in their
drawers, but not ironing out the creases

in a shirt. The child asks, is there
an end of time? It’s the kind of question

that can’t be answered. If we knew, the world
would be a different place entirely. If we knew,

all measures would be undone. Animals
would never come out of the sealed caves

of their hibernation. The last however many
years of heartache would dissolve like a golden

cube of honey in a glass of tea. The old queen
would leave the hive whenever she wanted to

without being followed by a swarm, without
having to scout for a new home to populate

with food and bodies; without the new queens
killing each other in order to be the only one.

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Poet, nonfiction writer, and translator Luisa A. Igloria teaches in the MFA Creative Writing Program at Old Dominion University. She is originally from Baguio City in the Philippines. www.luisaigloria.com

Brilliant Poetry is an international competition that invites participants from around the world every year to explore scientific discoveries and curiosity through poetic expression.  

Aligned with the International Year of Quantum Science and Technology (IYQ), marking a century since the formulation of quantum mechanics, Brilliant Poetry aims this year to highlight the power of artistic expression, making the complexities of science accessible, beautiful, and profoundly inspiring.

During the call for participants, poets were encouraged to engage with the principles and paradoxes of quantum science, exploring their intellectual and human significance. 

After closing the submissions on July 30, the jury started the selection process. In September, ten outstanding poems were selected for a shortlist that was announced early this month.  

We are thrilled to publish each of them on the official blog of the International Year of Quantum Science and Technology. Winners of the first, second, and third places will be announced on November 10.

A New Grammar for Atlantis

by Marie Vibbert 

…broken lengthwise

We are

Quality entangled (with/by/for) [name]

& the discarded —

[milquetoast/moderate] (strike it and say “kind”)

We the artificial can unprevent

In a single day and night of 

>> overwrite: inexorable seep of complacency,

the [great/cruel] citystate of America was [error 404].

Incorrigible, titanic garbage mat

[lumbering / slouching] toward [dis]freedom!

Ope!  No harm meant

Like swollen-bellied mosquitos [we / they]

thirst until all is [undefined]

& gate no mercy 

We need new grammars 

for { 

our trembling futility;

our rage;

 }

or [we/you] may snap,

a plastic spoon…

---

Marie Vibbert is a computer programmer from a working-class background in Cleveland, Ohio. She has been nominated for the Hugo and Nebula awards for her fiction. 

In 2025, the Brilliant Poetry competition invited people from around the world to explore the beauty and mystery of quantum science through verse. The response was extraordinary. In only three months, we received 368 poems written in three languages and submitted from 50 countries. This truly global effort shows how quantum science can spark creativity and how poetry can give voice to scientific wonder.

Poetry and quantum ideas

Quantum mechanics has always inspired curiosity, drawing us toward questions that stretch the limits of understanding. Concepts such as entanglement, where particles remain correlated across vast distances; superposition, in which a system can exist in multiple states at once; and the paradox of Schrödinger’s cat, which imagines a cat that is simultaneously alive and dead until observed, all challenge our sense of reality. These concepts are as strange as they are fascinating, inviting us to reconsider what it means to know, to see, and to measure the world around us.

These ideas continue to stretch the imagination, and poetry offers a unique way to respond to them. Where equations can be abstract, poetry can be immediate. It can capture not only the complexity of quantum science but also its emotional and human dimensions.

The competition invited entrants to channel their own interpretations of quantum science into poetic form. By doing so, it supported the spirit of the International Year of Quantum Science and Technology, which highlights the global importance of quantum research and education, and the need to make science accessible to all.

A collective effort

The judging process was led by Diego Golombek, an Argentinian neuroscientist, writer, and Ig Nobel laureate, and Jean-Pierre Luminet, a French astrophysicist, writer, and artist celebrated for his pioneering work on black holes and cosmology. Both are laureates of the UNESCO Kalinga Prize for the Popularization of Science, and together they brought scientific expertise and a deep appreciation of the arts to the task..

Reflecting on the process, the judges described how rewarding it was to read such a broad collection of poems from so many countries. They noted the diversity of styles and approaches, and how exciting it was to see quantum science interpreted through so many creative lenses. When it came to selecting the longlist, shortlist, and winners, they quickly found common ground, with strong agreement on the poems that stood out. For them, the shortlisted works are distinguished by originality, emotional resonance, and well-crafted language.

What happens next

The ten shortlisted poems are now live on the Brilliant Poetry website: www.thebrilliantpoetry.com. The winning poems will then be announced on World Science Day for Peace and Development, 10 November 2025.

In addition, the shortlisted poets will be invited to take part in a virtual reading event in November, bringing together voices from across the globe. This event will allow the poets to share their work with an international audience and to celebrate the achievement of being selected from such a large and diverse field. Plans are also underway for a further celebration in early 2026, offering another opportunity to showcase the creativity and imagination that the competition has inspired.

Why this matters

Competitions like Brilliant Poetry highlight that science is not confined to laboratories, nor poetry to literature alone. By combining the two, they encourage participation from people who might not usually see themselves reflected in scientific spaces. The fact that poems came from 50 different countries shows both the global reach of quantum science and the universal appeal of creative expression.

This inclusivity is central to the goals of the International Year of Quantum Science and Technology, which calls for greater access to science education and engagement, particularly for young people, women, and under-represented communities. Poetry offers a powerful route into these conversations, providing a platform where scientific ideas can be expressed in personal, imaginative, and culturally diverse ways.

Looking ahead

As we move through the International Year of Quantum Science and Technology, Brilliant Poetry stands as a reminder that science can inspire not only research and innovation but also art and dialogue. By inviting poets from every corner of the world to engage with quantum science, the competition has demonstrated how cultural and scientific exchange can enrich one another.

We look forward to celebrating the winners in November and continuing to explore the creative potential of science and poetry together.

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Sam Illingworth is a professor at the Department of Learning & Teaching Enhancement, Edinburgh Napier University.

When Clemson University students signed up for the first-ever South Carolina Quantathon in October 2024, they didn’t expect it would launch them onto a yearlong journey that would carry them across the globe and to some of the world’s most respected quantum hackathons. But that’s exactly what happened.

What began as a weekend experience in Columbia, South Carolina, where students worked on quantum random number generation (QRNG) at SC Quantum’s flagship hackathon, has grown into something much larger. Guided by Dr. Rong Ge from Clemson University and supported by cross-sector partnerships, these students now show what can happen when curiosity meets opportunity in the quantum space.

“The original Quantathon catapulted me into a deeper commitment to quantum computing research. It helped me find what I’m passionate about.”  
—Valentine Mohaugen, Clemson undergraduate

Much of this momentum was made possible by Clemson’s Creative Inquiry (CI) Program, which supports Dr. Ge’s “Hands-on Quantum Computing” course. Among its broad assistance, CI helps facilitate travel and training opportunities for students who are immersed in this emerging technology.

CI provided critical early support for the team’s participation in the SC Quantathon and MIT iQuHack, experiences that helped launch their year-long journey. Students backed by CI were also part of the team that competed in Abu Dhabi, a major accomplishment that highlights the lasting impact of this investment. The students affiliated with CI include:

• Nathan Jones (PhD CI Mentor)
• Joseph Benich (School of Computing undergraduate, Junior)
• Toby Cox (School of Computing undergraduate, Junior)
• Valentine Mohaugen (Physics, Senior)
• Ian Lewis (School of Computing undergraduate, Junior)

The broad backgrounds, perspectives, and expertise apparent in the team are a dynamic reflection of Clemson and of the interest quantum technology is gaining across campuses across our region.

From First Hack to First Place

At Quantathon V1, the Clemson team took on the quantum random number generation (QRNG) challenge presented by DoraHacks, creating a framework for scalable quantum random number generation and post-processing for cybersecurity and algorithmic applications. They not only won their challenge but also earned the event’s top prize. In partnership with SC Quantum and NYU Abu Dhabi, the team secured spots at the NYU-AD International Hackathon for Social Good in April 2025 in Abu Dhabi. Their win also came with a mini-grant from DoraHacks to continue developing their project, setting off a wave of insight and new opportunities.

“We dug into the tradeoffs between randomness, speed, and efficiency—things we only scratched the surface of during the hackathon.”  
—Sam Quan, Clemson undergraduate

Over the following weeks, the team expanded on their original work, refining entropy analysis, comparing algorithmic tradeoffs, and drafting a technical write-up of their findings for DoraHacks. In doing so, they gained new skills in quantum algorithm design, optimization, and applied research.

Learning at MIT and Arriving in Abu Dhabi

The momentum from Quantathon V1 soon carried the team to MIT’s competitive iQuHack. The event brought deep dives into theoretical challenges hosted by Alice & Bob, an elite group of participants, and a fast-paced environment that pushed their understanding to new levels.

The NYUAD experience brought a new kind of learning: large, diverse teams working on open-ended problems with real-world applications. As student mentors, the Clemson group played a leadership role. The experience combined cultural exchange with technical leadership, as they guided group projects in areas like quantum sensing, machine learning, and mental health diagnostics.

“The NYUAD hackathon was the best academic and cultural experience of my life. I made friends I’m going back to visit.”  
—Valentine Mohaugen

Their NYUAD projects are now being prepared for publication, a reflection of the depth of their exploration and the professional-level collaboration they achieved through these opportunities.

A New Chapter, and More to Come

At home on campus, the students have helped grow Clemson’s emerging quantum community, supporting peers through a student-led quantum club and mentoring new students entering the space. Today, they’re exploring publications, refining their projects, and even helping plan future SC Quantum events.

Their journey is a vivid example of how faculty support, early access, and cross-sector collaboration can empower undergraduates to thrive in advanced, interdisciplinary fields. The team credits Dr. Ge’s mentorship and Clemson’s academic environment as foundational to their success. 

“I’m incredibly grateful to SC Quantum, DoraHacks, MIT, and NYU Abu Dhabi for opening doors for us. But none of it would have happened without Dr. Ge’s support back at Clemson.” 
—Sam Quan

SC Quantum’s hackathon model and network of partners played a key role in shaping the team’s path, offering early exposure, funding support, and global visibility. As South Carolina’s regional quantum network expands, stories like this show the value of building pathways that meet students where they are and help them reach even further.

And the best part? This is still the beginning.

– – – – – –

Quantathon V2, the second edition of SC Quantum’s flagship hackathon for the Southeast, will take place October 9–12 in Columbia, South Carolina, at the Darla Moore School of Business at the University of South Carolina. The event is powered by qBraid, with Platinum Sponsors the Columbia Area Development Partnership and AgFirst Farm Credit Bank. Learn more about Quantathon V2 by clicking here.

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Dave Alsobrooks
Director of Communications, SC Quantum
dalsobrooks@scquantum.org

(Olivia Castillo is a physics student and APS JNIPER fellow.)

During the first decade of the 20th century, a German chemist named Fritz Haber pulled bread out of thin air, feeding the hungry mouths of a rapidly growing population and ultimately saving billions from starvation. He discovered a method to transform our nitrogen-rich air into ammonia, which fertilizes so much agriculture that half of the world’s population is dependent on it. 

Although synthesizing ammonia from air may seem straightforward due to the presence of only two essential ingredients (nitrogen and hydrogen), it is a process that is remarkably complex. This is largely due to the fact that molecular nitrogen has a triple bond, one of the strongest in chemistry, and breaking it requires a tremendous amount of energy. 

It’s worth noting that ammonia is naturally produced by lightning, a phenomenon that is notoriously difficult to replicate in a controlled lab setting, underscoring the enormity of the challenge. To artificially manufacture ammonia, Haber incorporated a catalyst, a substance that offers an alternative pathway with lower energy requirements to speed up reactions. With the catalyst, Haber satisfied a ravenous population, but Haber’s breakthrough had a blind spot: how it actually worked.

In the absence of this knowledge, Haber’s successors turned to a familiar scientific strategy, relentless trial and error. One notable example was Alwin Mittasch, a German chemist, who conducted roughly 20,000 experiments between 1909 and 1912 to test possible catalysts. Although these educated guesses greatly enhanced Haber’s method, it was still a mystery how each of those catalysts affected the reaction efficiency. 

For early ammonia production, this iterative experimentation worked wonderfully to roll out the ammonia factories and nourish the population. But now, about 2% of the entire globe’s energy consumption is dedicated to ammonia synthesis. As we flood the atmosphere with greenhouse gases, we need a sharper understanding to reduce the reaction’s energy consumption and maximize its efficiency. Thankfully, quantum mechanics fulfilled this need. 

Mapping the Catalyst’s Surface: A Treasure Hunt for Chemists

Common types of catalysts are pieces of metal or alloys that are not consumed by the reaction, remaining unchanged, and it is on their surface where the desired reaction occurs. The main culprit behind early chemists’ lack of understanding of the ammonia synthesis was the intricate surface of the catalyst. These surfaces need to be mapped out diligently because, like a pirate searching for a treasure chest, scientists hunt for active sites, precise points where the chemical reaction takes place, scattered along the surface. An accurate map of the landscape reveals these treasures, allowing chemists to pinpoint where the reaction occurs and illuminating how the catalyst supports the chemical transformation. 

In the case of ammonia synthesis, for nitrogen gas to react, it must anchor onto active sites, breaking its own internal triple bond and replacing it with a bond to the catalyst. To increase the chances of this happening, small particles of the catalyst are sprinkled into a highly porous supporting material, providing a larger surface area for the nitrogen gas to bind to. 

However, because nitrogen can only stick to rare spots on the catalyst, it is difficult for scientists to locate these active sites upon mostly barren terrain. Furthermore, other atoms bound to the catalyst’s surface could affect its reactivity and complicate the surface characterization. To answer these questions, a new kind of map would need to be developed, one drawn by quantum mechanics.  

Using Quantum Mechanics to Model What We Can’t See

In 2005, Karoliina Honkala and her colleagues from the Center for Atomic-Scale Materials Physics in Denmark, equipped with a powerful computational tool from quantum mechanics—Density Functional Theory (DFT)—investigated the surface of ruthenium. Ruthenium is the most effective catalyst for manufacturing ammonia, although iron is the most widespread due to its lower cost. 
Quantum mechanics is the branch of physics that describes atomic interactions, and its foundation lies in Schrödinger’s equation, which chronicles how the quantum state of a system evolves over time. Like the sophisticated algorithm running behind your TikTok feed, Schrödinger’s equation runs the show in quantum physics. But the Schrödinger equation is incredibly difficult to solve. Thus, DFT solves an approximate version of the Schrödinger equation. By finding solutions to this potent equation, DFT allows scientists to zoom into the tiny world of atoms without having to direct X-rays at them or perform any other physical experiments.

In the study by Honkala and her team, DFT first confirmed that breaking nitrogen’s triple bond was the most sluggish and energy-demanding step of ammonia synthesis. More importantly, Honkala and her colleagues estimated the number of active sites on the catalyst as a function of its size, a novel breakthrough in the field. As a sanity check for their model, they determined the overall rates of ammonia production under industrial conditions, which agreed incredibly with known values. This level of detailed insight is valuable for catalyst design and optimization, and over half a dozen patents have sprung out of this study. 

What made their findings revolutionary was that they did not rely on any experimental values to fit their model, only using quantum mechanics through DFT to understand the reaction. 

The multiple uses of the quantum tool DFT

From uncovering the structure of Earth’s iron core (too deep for any measuring probe to reach) to ruling out trial materials unlikely to become effective drugs, DFT has been advancing science in the background for decades, elucidating complex systems with impressive accuracy. 

Many people believe quantum mechanics yields random, uninterpretable results. But despite its statistical nature and philosophical puzzles, quantum mechanics has delivered tangible, impactful results that shape our world for the better. DFT is proof of that: without synthetic ammonia fertilizers—enabled by catalysts like the one Honkala and her team studied—nearly 4 billion people would go hungry. 

References

Main study of this article

Honkala, K., et al. “Ammonia Synthesis from First-Principles Calculations.” Science (American Association for the Advancement of Science), vol. 307, no. 5709, 2005, pp. 555–58, https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1106435. 

A follow-up study with Honkala as a coauthor that provided a lot of useful information for this article

Hellman, A., et al. “Predicting Catalysis: Understanding Ammonia Synthesis from First-Principles Calculations.” The Journal of Physical Chemistry, vol. 110, no. 36, 2006, pp. 17719–35, https://doi.org/10.1021/jp056982h. 

Book chapter on DFT that inspired this article, containing useful explanation of the main study

Sholl, David S., and Janice A. Steckel. “What is Density Functional Theory?” Density Functional Theory : A Practical Introduction / David S. Sholl and Jan Steckel. 1st ed., Wiley, 2009.

Article about DFT and Earth’s Inner Core

Cote, A. S., et al. “Ab Initio Lattice Dynamics Calculations on the Combined Effect of Temperature and Silicon on the Stability of Different Iron Phases in the Earth’s Inner Core.” Physics of the Earth and Planetary Interiors, vol. 178, no. 1–2, 2010, pp. 2–7, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pepi.2009.07.004.

Statistics about Ammonia’s Energy Consumption

IEA. “Ammonia Technology Roadmap.” The International Energy Agency, 2021, https://www.iea.org/reports/ammonia-technology-roadmap. Accessed 27 June 2025.

Data about Ammonia Fertilizer Use

 “World Population With and Without Synthetic Nitrogen Fertilizers.” Our World in Data, 2015, https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/world-population-with-and-without-fertilizer. Accessed 27 June 2025.

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Photo of Karoliina Honkala: Photo taken by Petteri Kivimäki. Provided by Karoliina Honkala. 

Written by Olivia Castillo, a senior, studying physics and humanities at the University of Texas at Austin.

Illustrations created by Serena Krejci-Papa, a first-year master’s student at the University of Barcelona, studying theoretical and computational chemistry with the Erasmus Mundus program. She writes about complex science topics in a way that makes people laugh. You can find more about her at Sciencewithserena.com. 

(Olivia Castillo is a physics student and APS JNIPER fellow.)

Her Childhood

For Elisa Torres Durney, every flower, every leaf, and every insect was an opportunity to discover something new. As a child, her parents could never find her inside the house; she was always outside, exploring the marvels of nature. Her parents loved this, even when she brought dirt into their clean house. They believed in the value of education (as long as she was careful) and even gifted her with a pink microscope. This plastic microscope became her window to a new world, as she continued investigating the outside world with a childlike wonder.

However, Elisa’s curiosity was not limited to what she could see through the microscope. She simply loved learning, including the art she learned from her grandfather, a painter. She only needed to observe her grandpa to master advanced techniques and would spend many afternoons at his side, watching the delicate process of mixing colors to tell a vivid story. She still paints today, using the skills she learned from her grandfather.

Thanks to the support of her parents, by the time she started high school, her curiosity remained as strong as ever. She took full advantage of learning opportunities, working in a lab, participating in theater, and asking questions in all her classes. Unfortunately, the coronavirus pandemic brought all of that to a halt.

Her Journey into Quantum Computing

As a teenager during the pandemic, Elisa had too much free time and was very bored, without social interaction and with fewer activities. In the fall of 2021, she enrolled in an online, two-semester quantum computing class, taught by the Coding School and sponsored by a large tech company, IBM. Before the course, Elisa only knew that quantum mechanics was a field of physics that studies tiny things. No one in her life was familiar with quantum computing, not even her mother, who works in technology.

From the first day, the course captivated her. She learned that quantum computing uses the laws of quantum physics to solve certain problems faster than traditional computers. Her professor explained fascinating topics like qubits (a unit of information in quantum computing) and superposition, properties exclusive to quantum physics. 

A simplified explanation of these concepts would be: a normal computer only uses the numbers zero and one to encode information, but in a quantum computer, the information is encoded in a mix of both. Imagine that the qubit is both zero and one at the same time, but also neither zero nor one. The ability to exist in multiple states at the same time is called superposition in quantum mechanics. Then, once the quantum computer reads it, the qubit collapses into a definite state of zero or one. This is an idea that challenges our classical understanding of the natural world! 

In addition to learning theory, Elisa had the chance to dive into the subject through labs. For example, she worked with quantum circuits and programmed with quantum algorithms, important tools in this interdisciplinary field. Most importantly, she made international friends with other students in the program. Despite her friends coming from very different cultures, they all shared the same enthusiasm for quantum computing. Without a doubt, the course was a transformative experience for her. Elisa said, “When you love something, you want to share it.” And that’s exactly what she did.

Girls in Quantum

After the program, she wanted to keep exploring quantum computing and maintain the network she had formed in that class. She also felt inspired to share what she had learned with people who lacked the same opportunities. So, in 2022, she founded Girls in Quantum, an organization to make quantum sciences accessible to girls across the globe through virtual workshops and other free resources.

At first, the organization was only for girls in Chile (the country where she lived). But after seeing that her classmates came from many countries, she felt that Girls in Quantum should go beyond Chile. Evolving into an international organization was a major challenge. It was hard to find time for meetings: while some of her peers were sleeping, others were just waking up. It was also difficult to find experts to collaborate with. They were lucky if, out of hundreds of emails, even one person replied. The most frustrating part was that many adults didn’t take her seriously. When they saw her, they asked Elisa, “Where are your parents?” Even though she was qualified, they doubted her abilities because of her gender and age, but she persisted, and the Girls in Quantum learned how to be organized and flexible.

Currently, there are twenty-seven active countries in Girls in Quantum, from Japan to Egypt! In total, over five thousand young people around the world are learning with the organization. Elisa, who was recently recognized by Forbes “30 under 30” for this work, is motivated by the movement to democratize quantum computing education. She believes that there are many women with potential in the quantum field that simply lack the opportunities and resources they need to succeed. She is determined to change and open doors for the next generation of women in quantum sciences.

This article is part of the American Physical Society’s PhysicsQuest series.

Olivia Castillo is a senior, studying physics and humanities at the University of Texas at Austin.

Tens of thousands of visitors attended the Highlights of Physics (Highlights der Physik) and the MINT Festival in Jena, Germany.

From September 15 to 20, Jena, Germany, was all about science at the Ernst-Abbe-Platz campus and the Goethe-Galerie. The Highlights of Physics (Highlights der Physik) and the MINT Festival Jena fascinated visitors with a varied program of activities, wonders, and learning. Visitors gained insights into current research in an entertaining and understandable way.

Since 2015, this year marked the second time the Highlights of Physics festival was held in Jena, a premiere in the 25-year history of this science festival. And there was another innovation: the Highlights of Physics took place at the same time as the Jena MINT Festival. It had originated from the first edition of the physics festival in Jena and took place this year for the fourth time.

A diverse programme ranging from climate change to quantum physics

At around 60 exhibition stands and displays, visitors of both festivals were able to engage with researchers on a wide range of topics—from floating cakes to how telescopes work and the function of an MRI scanner. One focus of this year’s Highlights of Physics was on current issues relating to climate change and quantum physics.

Astrophysicist and TV presenter Harald Lesch kicked off the diverse lecture program together with the music ensemble “Quadro Nuevo,” which took the audience on a poetic journey through space with its program Sun, Moon, and Stars (Sonne, Mond und Sterne). The finale was also a crowd-puller: in the large physics lecture hall at the University of Jena on Max-Wien-Platz, physicist and science communicator Metin Tolan and the Academic Orchestra Association of the University of Jena, conducted by Sebastian Krahnert, combined science and music with their program Star Trek –Galactic Music with a Bit of Physics (Star Trek–Galactose Musik mit etwas Physik).

Jena’s example should set a standard

The president of the German Physical Society (Deutsche Physikalische Gesellschaft, DPG), Prof. Dr. Klaus Richter, was impressed by the double festival in Jena. “The partnership between Highlights of Physics and a regular local event such as the MINT Festival should set a standard for achieving lasting effects,” said the DPG president, while welcoming the remarkable interest shown by state and local politicians in the Highlights of Physics in Jena and Thuringia.

The 2025 Highlights of Physics event was organized by the German Physical Society in collaboration with Friedrich Schiller University Jena. The organizers would like to thank their premium partner, the Carl-Zeiss-Stiftung (Carl Zeiss Foundation), and all other supporters: the Wilhelm and Else Heraeus Foundation, the Helmut Fischer Foundation, and Hitachi.

The MINT Festival Jena was supported by the main sponsors ZEISS and dotSource SE, as well as by the Impulsregion Erfurt, Jena, Weimar, and Weimarer Land, together with Jena Wirtschaft and the City of Jena as the main sponsor, and JENOPTIK AG as the gold sponsor.