What is the Q-Day Prize?

On April 16, 2025, quantum computing-focused company Project 11 announced the “Q-Day Prize,” a competition to break a “toy version” of Bitcoin’s cryptography with a quantum computer.

output: A quantum computing-focused company Project 11 announced the “Q-Day Prize,” a competition to break a “toy version” of the Bitcoin network.

What is the Q-Day Prize?

Announced on April 16, the Q-Day Prize challenges contestants to break a toy version of the Bitcoin network using a quantum computer.

Those who complete the challenge by April 5, 2026, will win 1 Bitcoin.

The “Q” in Q-Day stands for quantum computing, which is said to pose a threat to many existing cryptographic security measures.

However, Project 11 noted that breaking the Bitcoin network would be nearly impossible with current quantum computers.

“This is a light-hearted initiative to highlight the capabilities and potential of quantum computing in a way that is both engaging and meaningful,” said Project 11 CEO Ari Mizner.

“We hope that this prize will inspire more people to get involved in this exciting field and contribute to the development of technologies that can benefit society as a whole.”

Can quantum computers break Bitcoin?

Bitcoin uses the SHA-256 hashing algorithm, which was developed by the National Security Agency (NSA) and is used to prevent brute force attacks.

However, a new and emerging threat to SHA-256 is posed by quantum computers, which are capable of performing operations much faster than traditional computers.

At its core, quantum computing utilizes qubits, which can exist in superposition (multiple states) at the same time. This is in contrast to binary (traditional) computing, which uses bits that can be either 1 or 0.

In 1994, mathematician Peter Shor presented an algorithm for quantum computers to solve complex algorithms in seconds, as opposed to the decades it would take for conventional hardware at the time.

While no hardware could effectively run it at the time, recent advances like Google Willow are now nearing that capability.

When combined with Shor’s algorithm, quantum computers could disrupt Bitcoin cryptographic systems as we know them.

This is because Shor’s algorithm enables quantum computers to solve complex mathematical problems, such as those used in cryptography, with incredible speed, posing a potential threat to Bitcoin’s security.

However, Bitcoin developers are already working on creating "quantum-proof" shields using new mathematical formulas that even Shor's algorithm cannot break.