Frequently asked questions

Qiskit Fall Fest is a worldwide series of student-run quantum computing events supported by IBM Quantum. This edition is organised by the NUST Physics and Astronomy Society at NUST, and runs for three days of talks, hands-on Qiskit labs and a closing hackathon.

It takes place on the NUST H-12 campus. The 2026 dates are still being confirmed with the university and will be published on this page and on the registration form as soon as they are fixed — the 2025 edition ran 19–21 November 2025, which is a reasonable guide to the time of year.

Qiskit Fall Fest 2026 is free to attend. There is no registration fee, and no charge for the labs, the hackathon or the certificate.

You will use one during the labs to submit circuits to real IBM Quantum hardware, and an account is free to create. Setup instructions go out by email before the event, and your IBM Quantum account is governed by IBM's own terms rather than ours.

No. Fall Fest is open to the public — anyone in the Islamabad area can register, whether you study at NUST, study at another university, work in industry, or are simply curious about quantum computing.

No prior quantum experience is required. The sessions build up from the linear algebra, and the labs are written so a complete beginner can follow them, while leaving enough depth for people who have seen the material before.

Bring a laptop and its charger — the labs are hands-on and you will be writing and running Qiskit code on your own machine. A laptop that can run Python is enough; the exact setup steps and anything to install beforehand will be emailed to you before the first day.

Registration is handled through an external Google Form, linked from the register button on this site. Fill it in once and you will get a confirmation by email; your place is not held until that confirmation arrives.

The closing date and the number of places are still being finalised, and both will be shown on this page and at the top of the registration form. Register early rather than late — if the room fills up, registration will close before the deadline.

IBM asks every in-person Fall Fest to confirm that the people registering are genuinely able to be in the room, so the form includes a required question about your city of residence and your ability to travel to the NUST H-12 campus for the event. There is no virtual or streamed option, so please register only if you can attend in person.

Photographs and video are taken throughout the three days, so the form asks for your consent before you attend. Footage is used for the event recap on this site, for IBM Quantum's Fall Fest channels, and on NPAS social media.

Yes. Choose the decline option on the registration form and tell the registration desk when you arrive, and the media team will keep you out of photographs and group shots. You can also withdraw consent after the event by emailing the organisers and we will remove the material we control; declining has no effect on your participation or your certificate.

The event is held on the NUST H-12 campus. The exact building and room are still being confirmed with the university, and a map pin plus directions will be included in your confirmation email and shown on this page once they are fixed.

The three days are built as a progression — the labs assume the earlier sessions and the hackathon assumes the labs — so you will get the most out of it by coming to all of them. Whether partial attendance still qualifies for a certificate is being decided and will be confirmed before registration closes.

Catering is still being arranged, so we cannot promise meals yet. The registration form asks about dietary requirements so that whatever we do provide works for everyone, and the final position will be confirmed in your joining email.

Yes — the daily schedule is built around prayer breaks and a quiet space will be available. Exact break timings will be published with the final schedule.

The event closes with a hackathon in which teams build and present a working quantum computing project using what they learned in the labs. It is scoped so that a team of beginners can finish something real in the time available.

No. You do not need to bring a team — how teams are formed, and how large they can be, will be confirmed with the final schedule.

Yes, there are prizes for the winning hackathon teams, alongside the swag every participant receives. The prize list is still being finalised and will be confirmed before the event.

Yes — participants receive a certificate of participation issued through the IBM Quantum Fall Fest programme. In 2025 the certificates were signed by Katie Pizzolato, Vice President, Quantum Algorithms and Scientific Partnerships at IBM.

Certificates are prepared after the event rather than handed out on the last day. The delivery method and timing will be confirmed by email, so use an address you actually check when you register.

Tell us in the accessibility question on the registration form, and the organising team will contact you to work out the details. The venue is still being confirmed, so raising a requirement early genuinely helps us choose and set up the room.

Say so in the accessibility and needs question on the registration form. We cannot guarantee a machine for everyone, but we will try to pair you with someone for the labs so you are not left out.

Yes, and everyone agrees to it at registration: treat other participants, speakers and volunteers with respect, and no harassment, discrimination, intimidation or unwanted photography. The full wording is on the terms page.

Speak to any organiser or volunteer on site — they are the fastest route and can act immediately. You can also email the organisers using the contact address on this site, during or after the event.