ICTP-IBM Quantum Computing Prize

The call for nominations for the new ICTP-IBM Richard Feynman Prize in Quantum Computing is now open. Nominations should be submitted online at https://e-applications.ictp.it/applicant/login/4259; self-nominations are not accepted. The deadline is 15 November 2025.

The ICTP-IBM Richard Feynman Prize in Quantum Computing, named in honour of quantum mechanics pioneer Richard Feynman, is open to anyone who has made significant contributions to the field of quantum computing. It is intended to be awarded annually at a yearly conference co-sponsored by ICTP and IBM. 

The prize will include a monetary award; recipients will be chosen by a prize committee chaired by Professor Peter Zoller, an internationally recognized pioneer in quantum science.

Richard Feynman was an American physicist renowned for his work in quantum electrodynamics, as well as a visionary who saw the profound implications of quantum mechanics for the future of computation. He received the 1965 Nobel Prize in Physics jointly with Julian Schwinger and Shinichiro Tomonaga, for their "fundamental work in quantum electrodynamics, with deep-ploughing consequences for the physics of elementary particles".

The new quantum prize marks the second time that ICTP has teamed up with IBM to recognize innovation in cutting-edge research areas. In May 2024 the two organizations announced the establishment of a new, annual prize for researchers in AI – the ‘AI for Science’ Prize, aimed at acknowledging major contributions in this field. That prize was awarded to computer scientist Simon Olsson of Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden,  “for his pioneering work on the use of Artificial Intelligence methods in molecular simulations, overcoming long-standing computational problems in statistical mechanics, with translational impact on drug discovery and vaccine design.”