May 15, 2026 -- After 18 months of evaluation, NIST has selected nine candidates for the third round of the Additional Digital Signatures for the Post-Quantum Cryptography (PQC) Standardization Process. The advancing digital signature algorithms are: FAEST, HAWK, MAYO, MQOM, QR-UOV, SDitH, SNOVA,SQIsign, UOV.

NIST Internal Report (IR) 8610 describes the evaluation criteria and selection process. These third-round candidates will have the opportunity to submit updated specifications and implementations (i.e., “tweaks”). NIST will provide more details to the submission teams in a separate message. This third phase of evaluation and review is expected to last approximately two years.

NIST is also planning to hold the 7th NIST PQC Standardization Conference in the late spring/early summer of 2027. The conference will most likely be held in (or near) Gaithersburg, Maryland.