For the first time in Cougar history, Brigham Young University students competed in the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's annual quantum hackathon from Jan. 30 to Feb. 1 — and won.
MIT’s iQuHACK is one of just three quantum hackathons in the nation, attracting around 400 in-person participants and thousands of remote competitors from more than 80 countries.
Students compete in teams to tackle complex challenges using quantum computing, an emerging technology that operates beyond the limits of traditional computers.
This year, BYU students Cayman Quinn, Jonas Goodrich, Kai Sandberg and Will Ott joined forces with University of Southern Mississippi student Nishant Chaudhari to work through the night solving high-stakes problems, and ultimately won the competition under a 24-hour deadline.
“Our team dynamic was incredible,” Ott said. “We were clear about what we were working on and what we needed from each other.”
The BYU Q-gars took on a fast-paced, strategy-driven challenge that played out like a competitive network game, where teams built and controlled connections while managing limited resources and outthinking rivals — all while racing against the clock.
“Other teams took shifts and had some people sleeping while others worked, but all five of us worked the entire night,” Quinn said. “That was probably one of the things that set our team apart.”
What set the Q-gars apart wasn’t just their willingness to grind, but their inexperience. All five team members are sophomores or younger and new to quantum physics and coding.
“You don’t have to be the most experienced or advanced,” Sandberg said. “You just need to be creative and motivated.”
More than 12 hours into the competition, the BYU team sat in last place behind more experienced Ivy League teams. Not only that, but some teams had surged ahead by exploiting a loophole in the game.
Rather than exploit the bug, the BYU team focused on solving the problem correctly, which ultimately paid off. Around 2 a.m., organizers fixed the issue and reset the leaderboard, putting all teams back on equal footing.
“We were one of the only teams that wasn’t affected by the bug fix,” Sandberg said. “Integrity ended up being a competitive advantage.”
At 3 a.m., the team had its first breakthrough. By applying concepts they had learned in class just days earlier, they matched their solutions to the specific types of “noise” in the system, allowing them to build more effective circuits and climb the leaderboard.
With the technical hurdle behind them, the team shifted to strategy, expanding efficiently across the network and even turning the challenge into a playable web game.
In their final presentation, the team walked judges through their solution and the interactive game, highlighting the creativity behind their approach.
Their clear communication and innovative problem-solving earned them first place in an international field and positioned BYU as a growing presence in quantum research.