About the Hackathon

Welcome to the Alexandria Quantum Hackathon—Egypt’s first-ever national quantum hackathon—proudly hosted by the Bibliotheca Alexandrina and supported by OQI (The Open Quantum Institute, hosted at CERN, born at GESDA, and supported by UBS), in celebration of the United Nations’ 2025 International Year of Quantum Science and Technology (IYQ).

As part of this global celebration, Alexandria is bringing together Egypt’s brightest minds to showcase the country’s creativity, innovation, and growing talent in quantum science and technology.

We're teaming up with the Open Quantum Institute (OQI) and iQafé to bring you a hands-on, future-facing experience like no other.

Whether you're a coder, a physicist, a dreamer, or just quantum-curious, this is your opportunity to dive into one of the most exciting scientific frontiers and help shape Egypt’s place in the quantum world.

Preparing for the Hackathon

 

To ensure participants are well-equipped, Bibliotheca Alexandrina launched a comprehensive preparation program nearly a year ahead of the hackathon.

Together with iQafé, BA introduced the Monthly Series in Quantum Computing, also featuring the Quantum AI Lab, to serve as a platform for cultivating knowledge and honing hands-on skills in quantum computing.

The Alexandria Quantum Hackathon 2025 seeks to engage students primarily from Egypt, guided by expertise from both local and international mentors, including those who have excelled in previous quantum computing hackathons. These mentors, along with domain experts, serving as speakers and judges, form a rich community of support, guidance, and evaluation.

Looking further ahead, the hackathon aspires to become a catalyst for growing the quantum computing community in Egypt, and potentially across the region in subsequent years.

The structure of the event includes clustering 30 students into 6 teams, each composed of 5 students and supported by 2 mentors, one experienced in quantum computing and the other strong in machine learning. Mentors will also assist teams in developing code, building user interfaces, and managing repositories.

 

Judging criteria will focus on:

• Relevance to social impact

• Originality

• Technical quality

• Presentation performance

• Business sustainability potential

 

Judges will also provide ongoing feedback and support throughout the hackathon.

In addition, Day 1 and Day 3 will feature expert talks addressing both the technical and social dimensions of quantum computing.

 

What to Expect?

• Mentorship: Engage with leading quantum and AI experts for direct guidance.
• Team Collaboration: Work closely with peers and mentors to build quantum-powered solutions.
• Challenges: Solve real-world problems using quantum algorithms.
• Prizes & Recognition: Compete for awards and potential internship opportunities.

Who Can Join?

The Alexandria Quantum Hackathon is open to participants from all backgrounds with a passion for quantum technologies. Whether you're just starting out or deep into your research, you're welcome to be part of this unique opportunity.

We’re calling on:

• Senior undergraduate students
• Postgraduate students
• Researchers and academics

If you're curious, motivated, and ready to explore the quantum frontier, this is your space!