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And your three minutes start... now!

Physicist Richard Feynman once said "I can safely say that nobody really understands quantum mechanics" - can you help us prove him wrong? We challenge you to create a three-minute video about any aspect of quantum science or technology, that a high school student can understand.

Watch Oxford PhD student Maria Violaris give a video summary of the competition below.

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Quantum? Is that the thing with the cat?

Yes! Schrödinger's cat is a popular quantum thought experiment. Some systems such as tiny particles show quantum behaviour, where they can be in two places at once, called a superposition of states. Erwin Schrödinger pointed out that if cats can also be quantum, then they can be dead and alive at the same time.

But there's lots more to quantum than cats and superpositions! The electronics in the phone or computer that you are reading this webpage on rely on quantum mechanics. People are racing to build quantum computers, which can perform many calculations at once. Quantum particles have been sent to space on satellites to enable ultra-secure quantum communication. There are experiments to show quantum teleportation, and debates about whether there are many quantum universes.

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The laws of Quantum on the Clock

How to enter

1. Create a video on any aspect of quantum science or technology, that is no longer than three minutes.
2. You can submit your video individually or in a team of up to four.
3. The video must be accurate, and if the chosen topic is controversial or under debate, then this should be mentioned in the video.
4. The video should not promote a particular company or organisation, though they can be mentioned as examples of who is implementing a quantum technology. 
5. The video can be in any format! It could be a single person or a group of people talking to the camera; a drama; visuals and animation; song, poetry or dance; or something else... all creativity is welcome. 

Please see the terms and conditions for the competition (PDF, 105KB)

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Eligibility

The competition is open to students in the UK and Ireland, in their final two years of pre-university education. This includes A-level, International Baccalaureate, Scottish Higher and Advanced Higher (S5 and S6), Irish Senior Cycle, or equivalent courses.

We strongly encourage submissions from students with all backgrounds that are underrepresented in the physics community.

If you are not eligible for the competition, but think quantum sounds cool anyway, check out our collection of online quantum resources for some fun quantum reading.

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Submissions

The deadline for the competition was originally 31 March 2022 but has now been extended to 5pm on Friday 8 July 2022.

You can submit your entry by filling in the form below, including a link to your video. To upload an unlisted video to YouTube, you will first need to create a Google account. You can also find out more about how to upload an unlisted video to YouTube.

Important note about completing your entry form

• If all students involved in the entry are under 18, then a parent, guardian or teacher should complete the form with their contact details.  All under-18 consent forms should be sent to qqq.comp@physics.org by the adult doing the submission. 
• If all students involved in the entry are 18 or over, then one of the students should complete the form with their contact details. All 18 and over consent forms should be sent to qqq.comp@physics.org by the student doing the submission. 
• If the entry is a team with a mix of students under 18 and 18 and over, then the form can be completed by either a parent, guardian or teacher, or one of the students that is 18 and over, with their contact details. The appropriate under 18 and 18 and over consent forms for each student should be sent to qqq.comp@physics.org by the adult doing the submission.
• A school staff member (such as a teacher or administrator) should email a confirmation of eligibility of all students involved in the submission. The email should be sent to qqq.comp@physics.org, saying “I confirm that [full name(s) of all students involved in the submission] is/are a student at [name of school] in [year group]”. 

To get updates about the competition, follow the IOP QQQ group on Twitter.

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Prizes

The winners and runners-up of the competition will all receive cash prizes, with the team cash prizes being shared between the team members.

The winners of "Best individual" and "Best team" prizes will also receive a one-year subscription to Physics World and an expenses-paid invitation to a prize-giving event at the Photon 2022 conference dinner, with the opportunity to network with expert quantum researchers at a major UK conference. 

One representative from each winning entry for the sponsor prizes will also be invited to the prize-giving event (if the winning entry is a team, they can choose one representative). 

In 2022 the conference is taking place in Nottingham, 30 August to 2 September.

Find out more and enter here.