QuTech is pleased to announce a call for entries to the Quantum Shorts flash fiction competition. The competition is open to stories up to 1000 words long that take inspiration from quantum physics and include the phrase “There are only two possibilities: yes or no”. The competition is free to enter, offering prizes of up to US $1500.

“It takes colossal imagination to wrap your head around quantum physics and dream up new technologies. Who better to explore these ideas than writers of fiction?” says Artur Ekert, Director of the Centre for Quantum Technologies (CQT) at the National University of Singapore and a co-inventor of quantum cryptography. “I’m excited to judge the entries to Quantum Shorts again this year.”

CQT is the organiser of Quantum Shorts, which has alternated between annual calls for short films and fiction since 2012. Scientific American, the longest continuously published magazine in the U.S., and Nature, the international weekly journal of science, are media partners for the competition.

QuTech is proud to support the Quantum Shorts competition as scientific partner. The 2017 Quantum Shorts competition is supported by scientific partners in five countries. The scientific partners are the Australian Research Council Centre for Engineered Quantum Systems; the Institute for Quantum Computing at the University of Waterloo, Canada; the Institute for Quantum Information and Matter at Caltech in the United States; the UK Quantum Technology Hub in Quantum Enhanced Imaging; and QuTech in the Netherlands, a collaboration between Delft University and Dutch innovation centre TNO.

Eminent judges including authors and scientists will select the winners and runner-ups in two categories, Open and Youth. The public will also vote to decide the People’s Choice Prize from entries shortlisted across both categories. All shortlisted entries will collect awards including a one-year digital subscription to ScientificAmerican.com. Winners will receive in addition a trophy and cash prizes. The winner of the Open category will also be featured on ScientificAmerican.com.

Submissions to Quantum Shorts 2017 can be entered via the website at http://shorts.quantumlah.org, which also features resources on quantum physics and a full set of rules and guidelines.

The deadline for entries is 23:59 GMT, 1 December 2017.