Competition: Quantum Games

The following is a plain English summary of the full terms and conditions for Quantum Games. Entry into the competition is deemed acceptance of the terms and conditions.

• Competition opens Friday, 1 September 2017 and ends Wednesday, 31 January 2018 (5.00 pm UTC+10:00 Brisbane).
• To enter, participants must initially submit a video of their game along with a statement in 100 words or more on the quantum physics addressed in the game
• The shortlisted entries will be decided based on the videos of gameplay submitted by January 31. The shortlist will be announced on February 21 2018.
• Shortlisted entrants will have seven days to submit the full playable game
• The winning entry will be announced on 31 March 2018 
• To be eligible to enter the competition, the entrant must be an Australian resident, 18 years or over, and must not be a staff member or student supported by EQUS.
• Late, illegible or incomplete submissions (and submissions that do not meet the entrance criteria as outlined) will not be considered.
• The intellectual property rights, including copyright rights, to the work will remain with the entrant. The entrant will be credited wherever possible. By entering the competition, the entrant grants a worldwide, irrevocable, perpetual, non-commercial, non-exclusive royalty-free license for the video of game play to the ARC Centre of Excellence for Engineered Quantum Systems (EQUS). This license includes (but is not limited to) the right to use, publish, reproduce and feature any or all aspects of the video in any of the documentation, media work, other promotion and public events by EQuS.
• The fully playable game may be exhibited at a public event at EQUS' discretion for 12 months following the announcement of the winning entry
• It is the responsibility of each entrant to ensure that the video they submit does not infringe any persons rights, including privacy rights, intellectual property rights, including copyright or any other rights of any person. By entering this competition, all entrants agree to hold EQUS and the judging panel free and harmless of any claims, costs or expenses, including but not limited to damages, arising out of the participation in this competition or any competition-related activities and the acceptance and use, misuse or possession of any prize awarded here under.
• EQUS assume no responsibility for any lost submissions to the competition.
• EQUS reserves the right not to award a winner if none of the submissions meets the quality requirements.
• Illegible, incomprehensible and incomplete entries will be deemed invalid.
• EQUS and the judging panel will select the best game entered, and this entry will be displayed on the centre website: equs.org  
• The shortlist and the first prize will be judged by a panel selected by EQuS.
• The prize will be awarded to the person named in the entry. However in the event of a dispute, the prize will be awarded to the account holder of the entry mechanism used to submit their entry.
• EQUS reserves the right to disqualify any entry which, in the opinion of the centre includes objectionable content, profanity, potentially insulting, inflammatory or defamatory statements, disqualify any entrant who tampers with the entry process, who submits an  entry that  is not in accordance with these Terms and Conditions.
• EQUS accepts no responsibility for any late, lost or misdirected entries not received by the centre or delays in the delivery due to technical disruptions, network congestion or for any other reason.
• Any entry that is made on behalf of an entrant by a third party will be invalid.
• Entries should be submitted via the competition website: equs.org/games

Access the full terms and conditions here.

Your submission

EQUS invites you to develop and submit a new computer game that explores quantum principles to the EQUS Quantum Games competition. Your game needs to run on at least one of the following platforms:

• web-based (must run on Chrome and/or Firefox)
• app (Apple Store or Google Play)
• PC or iOS (Windows 7 and onwards; iOS 10 and onwards)

To enter Quantum Games, upload a video to Youtube, Vimeo or Twitch showcasing game play with a short description (up to 500 words) by noon on January 31 2018. If you are shortlisted, we will ask you to submit a fully playable game by 28 February 2018.

By entering the competition, you warrant that you are in compliance with the competition terms and conditions. Please note that the competition is open to Australian residents only at this time. 

Getting started

To help you quarry the quirky quandaries of quantum mechanics, we have described various exotic quantum phenomena here. Other descriptions are at Quantum Shorts.

You might find inspiration in the Quantum Shorts films and stories. You can access submissions from the 2016 film competition and read the announcement of the winning entries.

For examples of quantum physics-inspired games, check out Quantum Chess, meQuanics, and Quantum Moves. 

Quantum Shorts Finalist: Approaching Reality (below)