EPRI’s 2025 Quantum Challenge brought out the best‑of‑the‑best in the spirit of quantum innovation. With submissions from individuals and teams representing 12 different countries, last year’s Challenge highlighted creative and technically diverse applications of quantum technologies to help advance fusion energy.
That momentum is continuing with the newly opened 2026 EPRI Cyber Quantum Challenge, which invites innovators to develop quantum‑enabled and quantum‑resilient cybersecurity solutions tailored to the real‑world needs of the electric power sector. As interest and participation continue to grow, the results of the 2025 Quantum Challenge offer valuable insight into what strong, impactful submissions look like in practice.
The three winning projects—led by Kory Burns (University of Virginia), Justus Lau (University of Heidelberg), and Ridwan Sakidja (Missouri State University)—reflect the diversity of thinking and interdisciplinary collaboration needed to move quantum ideas from the laboratory to real‑world application.
Here are some key takeaways from our 2025 winners:
Tip 1: Get it on paper.
Each of the team leads for our winning projects noted that the first and most important obstacle was to get their concept on paper. This step can help cement ideas, think through nuances, and find connection points.
“One of the reasons I wanted to write this [proposal] is because I had an idea I was thinking about, and I just really wanted to have it written down on paper somewhere,” said Kory. “If I write it down it means that I kind of get to clear my thoughts and think of some cohesive timeline in which I could accomplish doing this and write to a broader audience about why this is important.”
For Justus, documenting concepts helps connect related ideas. “I’m not necessarily the best at one niche topic, but I think I am quite good at connecting things at a creative point,” said Justus.
So, when in doubt, just write it out... because you might just have a winning idea.
Tip 2: Embrace the detours.
Exploring new quantum applications and use cases requires patience and flexibility. Even experts will find unexpected barriers, challenges or knowledge gaps that need to be resolved.
When this happens, don’t be discouraged. Instead, take the advice of our most recent winners and embrace the detours.
Ridwan and his team uncovered one of these unexpected challenges while attempting the EPRI Quantum Challenge. “We realized there was a blind spot here that not many people realized,” he said. “The challenge was bigger than we initially thought.”
While finding obstacles isn’t always easy, the winners agree that knowing about an issue sooner, rather than later, is always better – and, sometimes, an obstacle can turn into an opportunity.
For Ridwan and his team, uncovering this expanded challenge opened a completely new area of research, one with exciting and wide-reaching applications. Since discovery during the EPRI Quantum Challenge, the team has been actively pursuing research in this new area and expects to publish findings soon.
Tip 3: Seek diverse perspectives.
Over and over again, our winners emphasized the importance of cross-disciplinary and interdisciplinary collaboration. They agreed that these types of approaches held the greatest potential for quantum advantage and some of the most interesting and exciting quantum use cases.
By seeking diverse perspectives, others may be able to fast-track interdisciplinary collaborations and quantum applications for broader uses.
As the 2026 EPRI Cyber Quantum Challenge gets underway, now is the time to turn bold ideas into actionable proposals. Whether you are building on an existing concept or developing a new approach, these lessons from past winners can help strengthen your submission and accelerate progress from concept to impact.