The 2026 Shanghai Xuhui Quantum Hackathon will take place in Xuhui district from May 16 to 17. The event aims to promote the deep integration of quantum computing technology with the real economy.

The event is open to developers, researchers, startup teams, university students, and corporate R&D personnel from around the world.

The competition spans 48 hours, featuring five competition tracks, 30 teams, and a 500,000 yuan ($73,600) total prize pool. It follows a standardized format that includes a unified venue, platform, and presentation process.

Tracks

The five tracks tackle real‑world computational bottlenecks in energy, finance, meteorology, and manufacturing:

1. Quantitative optimization:

Focuses on mixed‑integer optimization problems with constraints, addressing the exponential growth of search spaces in scenarios such as power dispatch and industrial scheduling.

2. Meteorology and oceanography:

Explores quantum solutions for data assimilation, accelerating large‑scale gradient computations in algorithms such as four-dimensional variational assimilation (4D-Var).

3. Scientific computing:

Addresses challenges in large‑scale sparse linear systems to support physical simulation and AI infrastructure acceleration.

4. Energy industry:

Develops reservoir simulation methods and quantum AI models to support optimal decision‑making in oilfield development.

5. Intelligent vision:

Explores quantum YOLO algorithms for object recognition.

Note: Each track accommodates six teams, totaling 30 teams competing simultaneously.

Evaluation

Submitted projects will be reviewed by experts, with two experts per track.

Final scores will be based on the average of the two experts' ratings in each track, considering:

- Problem definition and scenario alignment: Clarity of problem boundaries and suitability of sub‑problems for quantum or quantum‑inspired methods.

- Technical approach and quantum compatibility: Soundness of method design and effective platform utilization.

- Completeness and validation quality: Presence of a runnable prototype, baseline comparison, and reproducibility.

- Application value and presentation effectiveness: Business relevance, demo clarity, and overall presentation quality.

Event highlights

In addition to the prize pool, the hackathon will host activities such as problem briefings, roadshows, and investor meetings to promote the industrial application of technological innovation.

Schedule

Competition kick‑off	8 am-9:45 am, May 16	Participant check‑in, opening ceremony, rules briefing, and detailed problem statement briefings
Competition period	9:45 am, May 16 to 10 am, May 17	Teams will work on-site to design algorithms and conduct application verification, using a quantum cloud computing platform to test and refine their solutions in real time.
Work submission	Deadline: 10 am, May 17	Participants submit complete entries, including runnable code, algorithm documentation, and a demo.
Judging	10 am-noon, May 17	The judges evaluate submissions based on technical implementation, innovation, and application value, determining award-winning teams and teams advancing to the final roadshow.
Final roadshow	1:30 pm-3 pm, May 17	Five winning teams present on‑site and engage with investors and corporate representatives.

Awards

- Champion: one team, 100,000 yuan

- Track excellence award: five teams (one per track), 50,000 yuan

- Outstanding work award: five teams (one per track), 30,000 yuan

Winners will also receive certificates, trophies, and commemorative quantum simulation platform resource packages, subject to official announcements.

Contact

- Hotline: 135-2078-0247

- Email: haoping@oschina.cn

- Venue: Exhibition Center, Building 2, Yuandian Building, Xuhui district

- Address: No 555 Yunjin Road, Xuhui Binjiang CBD

 

Sources: Official WeChat account of Shanghai Science and Technology (ID: "sh_stcsm"),Shanghai Engine Community