Airbnb is calling on the imaginations of architects and designers to conjure up visions for the next homes in its weird and wonderful category of accommodation listings.
The OMG! category covers unusual and idiosyncratic stays in wild and spectacular locations.
For one month, Airbnb is taking submissions from existing and aspiring designers and architects from around the globe, offering USD $10 million to turn 100 of the craziest ideas into real stays.
The competition has grown exponentially from a previous iteration in 2020, when it was limited to 10 ideas.
Ideas will be judged for their originality, feasibility, sustainability and the experience the proposed space will provide guests. Applications will be reviewed by a judging panel of boundary-pushing design authorities, including Australian architect Koichi Takada, fashion icon Iris Apfel, Airbnb vice-president of experiential creative product Bruce Vaughn and superhost Kristie Wolfe.
A Bruny Island hideaway by Maguire and Devine Architects was among the most wishlisted unique Airbnb listings in Australia in 2021.
Image: Rob Maver
Designers with the best ideas will receiving USD $100,000 (around A$144,000) to make their ideas come to life.
The competition arises from a growing trend for flexible living that has emergedin the past two years. According to an Airbnb spokesperson, guests are craving more unexpected spaces that “become the destinations themselves”.
More than 30,000 unique listings across the world were added to Airbnb last year and the OMG! category has one of the highest rates of engagement among guests browsing the site.
Australia is a celebrated travel destination for picturesque views and groundbreaking architecture, and previous local favourites for the OMG! category have included a secret treehouse in the Blue Mountains a hideaway on Bruny Island.
The competition will run from 23 June to 23 July. Click here to submit an application, or to read more on rules and eligibility, view the Official Rules document.
