Insider Brief
- The International Year of Quantum has opened a global poetry competition inviting writers to explore quantum science through verse, with entries accepted until June 30, 2025.
- The competition, organized by The Brilliant Poetry and backed by UNESCO’s IYQ, offers three cash prizes and global recognition, encouraging poems inspired by quantum concepts.
- Submissions must be original, human-written, no more than 40 lines, and composed in English, French, or Spanish; winning entries will be celebrated at an online event honoring 100 years of quantum science.
PRESS RELEASE — The International Year of Quantum (IYQ), designated by the United Nations’ UNESCO, today announced that quantum poetry submissions will be accepted until June 30, 2025 and entrants may be sent from anywhere in the world.
“The best poetry, like the best science, is about curiosity, observation, and making sense of the world in new ways,” said Sam Illinworth, contest originator, professor and science poetry academic at Edinburgh Napier University and CEO of STEM Matters. “[The] Brilliant poetry is a space for writers to explore science with both wonder and precision, creating work that resonates across disciplines.”
This call to write about the past, present, and future of quantum science and technology, first announced on March 21, appropriately on World Poetry Day, encourages writers world-wide to get creative about quantum for an opportunity to win one of three cash prizes and global recognition.
This is the second worldwide poetry competition presented by The Brilliant Poetry, an organization that champions the power of poetry to make the complex, and often abstract world of scientific inquiry accessible and captivating to all. This year’s competition will feature an esteemed panel of judges including Diego Golmbek, internationally recognized biologist, science communicator, and award-winning author, who has long championed the intersection of science and culture; and Jean-Pierre Luminet, PhD, is French astrophysicist, writer, and artist known for his work on black holes and cosmology. An emeritus research director at CNRS, he pioneered the first computer-simulated image of a black hole. A Kalinga Prize laureate, he shares science through books, poetry, and visual arts.
How To Enter:
The competition is free to enter and open to writers worldwide. Writers are to submit their entries at TheBrilliantPoetry.com
- Each person may submit ONE poem in total
- Your poem should have a limit of 40 lines
- Poems must find inspiration in the quantum
- Poem must be written in English, French, or Spanish
- Poems must be written by a human with no assistance from AI (artificial Intelligence)
Winning poems will be published and featured in a live online reading event in celebration of 100 years of Quantum Science and Technology, as well as awarded one of three cash prizes.
1st place: £1,000
2nd place: £500
3rd place: £250
Curious about what other events are taking place? More IYQ events can be found at quantum2025.org.
About the International Year of Quantum Science & Technology:
The UN declared 2025 the International Year of Quantum Science & Technology (IYQ) to mark the 100th anniversary of the study of quantum mechanics, and to help raise public awareness of the importance and impact of quantum science and applications on all aspects of life. It also aims to inspire the next generation of quantum scientists and improve the future quantum workforce by focusing on education and outreach. Anyone, anywhere, can participate in IYQ by helping others to learn more about quantum or simply taking the time to learn more about it themselves.
