2026 Quantum Pioneers Program

At Microsoft, our quantum mission is clear: to build a scalable, fault-tolerant quantum computer capable of solving problems that are intractable for classical systems. Achieving this requires more than incremental progress—it demands breakthroughs in physics, engineering, and computer science. Our approach is rooted in topological quantum computing, a paradigm that promises inherent error resilience by encoding information in global properties of matter rather than local states.

Topological quantum computing offers a fundamentally different path to scalability, but realizing its full potential requires innovation across every layer of the stack. One promising direction is measurement-based quantum computing, which leverages adaptive measurements on entangled resource states to implement quantum logic. This approach could simplify control, enhance robustness, and accelerate the path to fault tolerance.

Introducing the 2026 Quantum Research Pioneers Program

To advance this frontier, we are launching the 2026 Quantum Pioneers Program (QuPP). Through this program, we invite leading academic researchers to explore the next generation of measurement-based techniques for topological quantum computing.

Microsoft Quantum Pioneers Program Contest Official Rules

1. SPONSOR

These Official Rules (“Rules”) govern the operation of the Microsoft Quantum Pioneers Program Contest (“Contest”). Microsoft Corporation, One Microsoft Way, Redmond, WA, 98052, USA, is the Contest sponsor (“Sponsor”). 

2. DEFINITIONS

In these Rules, "Microsoft", "we", "our", and "us" refer to Sponsor and "you" and "yourself" refers to a Contest participant, or the parent/legal guardian of any Contest entrant who has not reached the age of majority to contractually obligate themselves in their legal place of residence. By entering you (your parent/legal guardian if you are not the age of majority in your legal place of residence) agree to be bound by these Rules.

3. ENTRY PERIOD

The Contest starts at 12:00 a.m. Pacific Time (PT) on April 13, 2026, and ends at 11:59 p.m. PT on April 27, 2026 (“Entry Period”). The entry period is divided into two (2) Prize Periods, as follows: 

4. ELIGIBILITY

This is a trade Contest open only to students (doctoral students, post-doc students, etc.) and professors (assistant, associate, etc.) at a university or degree-granting research institutions in the fifty (50) United States (including the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico). Applicants may only serve as principal investigator (“PI”) or co-PI on one (1) proposal submitted to Microsoft as part of the Quantum Pioneers Program each year. There can be a maximum of two (2) PIs per proposal. You must be twenty-one (21) years of age or older to be eligible. If you are twenty-one (21) years of age or older but have not reached the age of majority in your legal place of residence, then you must have consent of a parent/legal guardian to enter. 

Employees and directors of Microsoft Corporation and its subsidiaries, affiliates, advertising agencies, and Contest Parties are not eligible, nor are persons involved in the execution or administration of this Contest, or the family members of each above (parents, children, siblings, spouse/domestic partners, or individuals residing in the same household). Void in Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Sudan, Syria, Region of Crimea, Russia, and where otherwise prohibited by law.  

If you are participating in your capacity as an employee, it is your sole responsibility to comply with your employer’s gift policies. Microsoft will not be party to any disputes or actions related to this matter.

PLEASE NOTE: If you are a public sector employee (government and education), all prize awards will be awarded directly to your public sector organization and subject to receipt of a gift letter signed by your agency/institution’s ethics officer, attorney, or designated executive/officer responsible for your organization’s gifts/ethics policy. Microsoft seeks to ensure that by offering items of value at no charge in promotional settings it does not create any violation of the letter or spirit of the entrant’s applicable gifts and ethics rules. 

5. HOW TO ENTER

To create an entry, create a five (5) page written proposal for research related to measurement-based quantum computing that includes: 

• Exploring at least one (1) of the following subject matter areas: 
  • Novel simulation approaches to topological qubit dynamics 
  • Explorations of novel readout and control techniques and components 
  • Quantum error correction and circuit compilation for measurement-based approaches 
  • Early fault-tolerant and NISQ experiments for measurement based approaches 
  • Measurement-based methods for quantum characterization, verification, and validation (MB-QCVV) 
• A statement of need describing the specific outstanding challenge that is addressed by the research activity, that is, what the award funding will be used for; 
• The type and amount of collaboration needed or desired from Microsoft to perform the research activity; 
• Desired outcome of the research activity with expected impact on the field; 
• Facilities, materials, equipment, or other support available and/or needed to complete the proposed research; and 
• A short CV of the Principal Investigators (PI), not to exceed one (1) – tow (2) pages for each PI, should also be included in the proposal. 

To submit an entry, send your written proposal by email to QPP@microsoft.com via an email with “ 2026 Quantum Pioneers Program” in the subject line during one of the Prize Periods. 

The entry limit is one (1) per person overall. Any attempt by you to obtain more than the stated number of entries by using multiple/different accounts, identities, registrations, logins, or any other methods will void your entries and you may be disqualified. Use of any automated system to participate is prohibited.   

We are not responsible for excess, lost, late, or incomplete entries. If disputed, entries will be deemed submitted by the “authorized account holder” of the email address. The “authorized account holder” is the natural person assigned to an email address by an internet or online service provider, or other organization responsible for assigning email addresses.  

6. ELIGIBLE ENTRY

To be eligible, an entry must meet the following content/technical requirements:  

• Your entry must be your own original work; and 
• Your entry cannot have been selected as a winner in any other contest; and 
• You must have obtained all consents, approvals, or licenses required for you to submit your entry; and 
• To the extent that entry requires the submission of user-generated content such as software, photos, videos, music, artwork, essays, etc., entrants warrant that their entry is their original work, has not been copied from others without permission or apparent rights, and does not violate the privacy, intellectual property rights, or other rights of any other person or entity. You may include Microsoft trademarks, logos, and designs, for which Microsoft grants you a limited license to use for the sole purposes of submitting an entry into this Contest; and 
• Your entry may NOT contain, as determined by us in our sole and absolute discretion, any content that is obscene or offensive, violent, defamatory, disparaging or illegal, or that promotes alcohol, illegal drugs, tobacco or a particular political agenda, or that communicates messages that may reflect negatively on the goodwill of Microsoft. 

7. USE OF YOUR ENTRY

We are not claiming ownership rights to your entry. However, by submitting an entry, you grant us an irrevocable, royalty-free, worldwide right and license to use, review, assess, test and otherwise analyze your entry and all its content in connection with this Contest and use your entry in any media whatsoever now known or later invented for any non-commercial or commercial purpose, including, but not limited to, the marketing, sale or promotion of Microsoft products or services, without further permission from you. You will not receive any compensation or credit for use of your entry, other than what is described in these Official Rules. 

By entering you acknowledge that we may have developed or commissioned materials similar or identical to your entry and you waive any claims resulting from any similarities to your entry. Further, you understand that we will not restrict work assignments of representatives who have had access to your entry, and you agree that use of information in our representatives’ unaided memories in the development or deployment of our products or services does not create liability for us under this agreement or copyright or trade secret law.

8. WINNER SELECTION AND NOTIFICATION

Pending confirmation of eligibility, potential prize winners will be selected by Microsoft, our designated agent, or a qualified judging panel from among all eligible entries received based on the following judging criteria:  

• 33% - Faculty Merit: Faculty is accomplished in research and community engagement. 
• 33% - Research Merit: Faculty's proposed research is aligned with Microsoft Quantum interests, innovative, and likely to have a significant impact on the field. 
• 33% - Proposal Quality: The research proposal is clear, focused, and well-organized, and it demonstrates the team's ability to successfully execute the research and achieve a significant impact. 

Potential winners will be selected within twenty-one (21) days following the Entry Period from among all eligible entries received. In the event of a tie between any eligible entries, an additional judge will break the tie based on the judging criteria described above. The decisions of the judges are final and binding. If we do not receive enough entries meeting the entry requirements, we may, at our discretion, select fewer winners than the number of Contest Prizes described below. 

Potential winners will be notified via the contact information provided during entry no more than seven (7) days following judging with prize claim instructions, including submission deadlines. If a selected winner cannot be contacted, is ineligible, fails to claim a prize or fails to return any Forms, the selected winner will forfeit their prize and an alternate winner will be selected. If you are a potential winner and you are twenty-one (21) years of age or older but have not reached the age of majority in your place of legal residence, we may require your parent/legal guardian to sign all required forms on your behalf. Only three (3) alternate winners will be selected, after which unclaimed prizes will remain unawarded.   

9. PRIZES

The following prizes will be awarded: 

At least one (1)* Grand Prize. Each winner will receive:

A cash prize, to be awarded as a check to the winner’s educational institution (or if to the winner, if the winner is not affiliated with any institution) for the purpose of pursuing the research described in the winner’s submission. Approximate Retail Value (ARV) $200,000.00 USD.

*Microsoft may decide, in its sole and absolute discretion, to award up to four (4) additional prizes in the Entry Period for any reason.

PLEASE NOTE: If you are a public sector employee (government and education), your prize will be awarded as a research grant directly to your public sector organization and subject to receipt of a gift letter signed by your agency/institution’s ethics officer, attorney, or designated executive/officer responsible for your organization’s gifts/ethics policy. The ARV of electronic prizes is subject to price fluctuations in the consumer marketplace based on, among other things, any gap in time between the date the ARV is estimated for purposes of these Official Rules and the date the prize is awarded or redeemed. We will determine the value of the prize to be the fair market value at the time of prize award.

The total Approximate Retail Value (ARV) of all prizes is between $200,000.00-$1,000,000.00 USD, depending on the number of additional prizes awarded.

We will only award one (1) prize per person during the Entry Period. No more than the stated number of prizes will be awarded. No substitution, transfer, or assignment of prize permitted, except that Microsoft reserves the right to substitute a prize of equal or greater value in the event the offered prize is unavailable. Prizes are awarded “AS IS” and WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, express or implied (including but not limited to, any implied warranty of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, or non-infringement); you assume the entire risk of quality and performance, and should the prizes prove defective, you assume the entire cost of all necessary servicing or repair. 

Prizes will be sent no later than twenty eight (28) days after winner selection. Prize winners may be required to complete and return prize claim and/or tax forms (“Forms”) within the deadline stated in the winner notification. Taxes on the prize, if any, are the sole responsibility of the winner, who is advised to seek independent counsel regarding the tax implications of accepting a prize. By accepting a prize, you agree that Microsoft may use your entry, name, image and hometown online and in print, or in any other media, in connection with this Contest without payment or compensation to you, except where prohibited by law.

10. ODDS

The odds of winning are based on the number of eligible entries received. 

11. GENERAL CONDITIONS AND RELEASE OF LIABILITY

To the extent allowed by law, by entering you agree to release and hold harmless Microsoft and its respective parents, partners, subsidiaries, affiliates, employees, and agents from any and all liability or any injury, loss, or damage of any kind arising in connection with this Contest or any prize won. 

All federal, state, and local laws and regulations apply. In the event of a dispute, the decisions of Microsoft are final and binding. 

We reserve the right to cancel, change, or suspend this Contest for any reason without prior notice, including but not limited to, cheating, technology failure, catastrophe, war, or any other unforeseen or unexpected event that affects the integrity of this Contest, whether human or mechanical. If the integrity of the Contest cannot be restored, we may select winners from among all eligible entries received before we had to cancel, change or suspend the Contest.  

If you attempt or we have strong reason to believe that you have compromised the integrity or the legitimate operation of this Contest by cheating, hacking, creating a bot or other automated program, or by committing fraud in any way, we may seek damages from you to the full extent of the law and you may be banned from participation in future Microsoft promotions. 

12. GOVERNING LAW

This Contest will be governed by the laws of the State of Washington, and you consent to the exclusive jurisdiction and venue of the courts of the State of Washington for any disputes arising out of this Contest.  

13. PRIVACY

Personal data you provide while entering this Contest will be used by Microsoft and/or its agents and prize fulfillers acting on Microsoft’s behalf only for the administration and operation of this Contest and in accordance with the Microsoft Privacy Statement.

14. WINNERS LIST

Send an email to clarebozzo@microsoft.com with the subject line “Quantum Pioneers Program Contest winners” within thirty (30) days of April 22, 2026 to receive a list of winners that received a prize worth $25.00 USD or more.