The XPRIZE Quantum Applications competition is designed to accelerate validated, real-world uses of quantum computing—solutions that move beyond theory and eventually into scientific and industrial practice.

To ensure the strongest possible field, XPRIZE is opening a Wildcard Registration window from January 14 to March 4, 2026, inviting a limited number of additional teams to be considered alongside Phase I finalists.

This pathway is intentionally selective.

Who the Wildcard Pathway Is For

The wildcard is intended for teams whose work is already highly developed and ready for technical evaluation.

Because of the compressed timeline, wildcard submissions will be assessed against the same criteria and performance bar used to select Phase I finalists. There is limited opportunity for iteration before March.

Teams whose work is still exploratory, speculative, or early-stage should be aware that these submissions are unlikely to be competitive in this round.

The goal of the wildcard is not to surface new proposals—it is to identify credible, execution-ready applications that can withstand rigorous comparison.

What Phase II Will Demand

All finalists, including those entering via the wildcard, will advance to Phase II, where expectations increase substantially.

Phase II places heightened emphasis on:

• Realistic resource estimates, including hardware assumptions and operational constraints
• Benchmarking against best-in-class classical approaches, with clear performance comparisons
• Quantified impact, paired with credible reasoning about feasibility, timelines, and paths to adoption

Success in Phase II requires more than demonstrating quantum capability. Teams must show how and why their approach meaningfully outperforms existing methods in real-world conditions.

Technical Briefing: February 4, 2026

To support serious applicants, XPRIZE will host a technical briefing on February 4, 2026, including an open Q&A session with members of the prize team.

This session will provide additional clarity on evaluation criteria, expectations, and what strong submissions tend to demonstrate. More details will be shared soon.

An Invitation to Teams Ready to Prove What’s Possible

The XPRIZE Quantum Applications Prize is not about speculative potential. It is about validated progress—applications that are ready to be tested, compared, and pushed toward real-world impact.

If your team is prepared to meet that bar, we invite you to apply through the wildcard pathway. Review the submission criteria to self-assess readiness here.