Teams on real quantum challenges, with mentors on the floor
3,000RON in prizes
The BreaQ Hackathon is the part of BreaQ where you build: teams take on real quantum computing challenges at the CAMPUS Research Institute, with mentors on the floor and 3,000 RON in prizes at the end. Every level is welcome, from complete beginners to researchers, and the BreaQ Conference follows three weeks later.
Prize pool
3,000 RON
Nine teams on the podium: first, second and third place in each of the three challenges, chosen by the jury after the final presentations.
Three challenges on real quantum problems, each with a starter kit, mentors on the floor and prizes for its top three teams. New to quantum? Quantum Foundations is designed for you.
For beginners
Designed for beginners, this track introduces fundamental quantum concepts and quantum algorithms through a series of small, hands‑on exercises. Participants will progress through challenges of increasing difficulty, building their understanding step by step and gaining confidence in designing quantum circuits.
Built with PennyLane
Quantum AI has the potential to process data in new ways and offer advantages over classical approaches, but noise on near‑term quantum hardware can undermine its practical performance. Participants will use PennyLane to explore a quantum AI pipeline and how it must adapt to realistic, noisy conditions.
Quantum security
Quantum hacking exposes weaknesses in quantum devices, algorithms, and communication protocols. Participants will explore how real‑world imperfections can be exploited, showing that even quantum technologies are not immune to attack.
At the first BreaQ, in November 2025, every team picked one of three challenges:
Quantum machine learning
Participants were challenged to develop hybrid quantum–classical neural networks for grading diabetic retinopathy from RetinaMNIST medical images. The task involved designing new architectures and experiments to assess whether quantum components improve predictive performance, reduce the number of trainable parameters, or enable better generalization from limited training data compared with classical models.
Built with Classiq
Participants were challenged to implement the Kuperberg sieve algorithm using Classiq, combining quantum operations with classical post‑processing to recover a hidden parameter in the Dihedral Hidden Subgroup Problem. The task explored how quantum algorithms can tackle hard problems relevant to cryptanalysis, with an additional challenge to adapt the implementation for execution on quantum hardware.
Quantum key distribution
Participants were challenged to simulate attacks on quantum key distribution, focusing on intercept–resend attacks against BB84 and Trojan‑horse attacks that exploit information leakage from quantum devices. The task involved measuring how attacks affect security, evaluating detection and defense strategies, and analyzing trade‑offs, with optional extensions covering additional device attacks and adversarial attacks on quantum machine learning models.
More sponsors are announced as they confirm. Want to support the hackathon? Write to us.
24–25 October · Hackathon
Splaiul Independenței nr. 313, Sector 6, București, 060042
On 18 October 2026. There is no fixed limit on the number of participants.
Yes. The BreaQ Conference on 14 November is open to everyone, whether or not you take part in the hackathon. It has its own registration form, open until 5 November.
BreaQ runs in both Romanian and English.
No. Register on your own and we match you with a team at the event, or name your team on the form. Everyone on a team registers separately.
None. Every level is welcome, from complete beginners to researchers, and the Quantum Foundations challenge is designed for beginners. The form asks about your experience so we can balance the teams, and mentors are on the floor to help.
Yes: 3,000 RON in prizes. At the end of the hackathon each team publishes its code and gives a short presentation to the jury, and each of the three challenges awards first, second and third place, so nine teams win a prize.
Everyone who registers receives an invitation to the official Discord server. You can also email breaq2026@roqteam.ro.
A valid ID for registration, your laptop, and the will to learn while having fun.
You can, but we don’t recommend it. There are no beds on site, only beanbags and a few sofas.
Yes. Summer time ends in the night: at 04:00 on Sunday 25 October the clocks go back to 03:00, so the night is an hour longer. Every time we publish is Bucharest local time, and the hackathon ends at 14:00 by Sunday’s clock.
Yes, meals and refreshments are provided. Please indicate any dietary restrictions when you register.
BreaQ 2026 · Part two
Three weeks after the hackathon, BreaQ moves on stage: a day of talks by researchers and industry experts at the Military Technical Academy “Ferdinand I”. Open to everyone, whether or not you hacked.
On stage in 2025: speakers from Quantinuum, ELI-NP, IFIN-HH, the German Aerospace Center and Oxford. The 2026 line-up is announced soon.
Registration for the hackathon closed on 18 October. Coming to the talks? The conference on 14 November is open to everyone, and its registration is free until 5 November.
Register for the conference
