UPDATED: $1 Million Fund for the World’s Most Unique Home Ideas
Update as of April 15, 2020: In light of the developing news around COVID-19, we thought long and hard about the best way to prioritise entrants’ health and safety, as well as supporting the ability to comply with the various local shelter in place and social distancing rules imposed around the world. While we will continue to examine the global feasibility of carrying out the efforts of the Unique Airbnb Fund, we are pausing the Unique Airbnb Fund at this time and are hopeful we’ll be able to reopen entries in 2021. Please check back here for future updates.
Airbnb is searching for the world’s wildest home ideas – and has launched a $1 million fund to make them a reality. The Unique Airbnb Fund is the company’s first-ever $1 million program designed to find and help finance the most unconventional and unusual liveable spaces on the planet. Ten recipients of the Unique Airbnb Fund will be selected by an expert panel of design and style innovators, including Emmy®, Tony and GRAMMY Award-winning actor Billy Porter, Airbnb Superhost Kristie Wolfe, of the famed Big Idaho Potato Hotel, and global and cutting-edge architecture firm MVRDV.
Starting today, design enthusiasts can submit their proposals at airbnb.com/uniquefund. All submissions will be scored against criteria based on creativity, feasibility, sustainability and social good (more found here). Inspired by the entrepreneurial spirit of the company’s three co-founders, the Unique Airbnb Fund is meant to enable anyone with an extraordinary house idea to design and build it into a reality, and share it with travellers all over the world.
The only thing better than pushing the boundaries of style, is empowering others to do the same. I’m thrilled to join Airbnb in this global search for the most outrageous, spectacular home ideas ever. I can’t wait to see these concepts developed by design lovers from around the world firsthand.
Style icon Billy Porter
The Unique Airbnb Fund is a great initiative that makes hospitality exciting. It will empower people to create new spaces with daring, imaginative and fantastic architecture. Personal wunderkammers will be created for guests to appreciate and be inspired by
MVRDV partner Fokke Moerel
Searches for unexpected and unique spaces – such as shepherds huts, windmills and tiny houses – have increased by nearly 70 percent over last year on Airbnb.* Some of the most booked listings of all time include domes, RVs, treehouses, and yurts across the world.** Applicants can draw inspiration from a plethora of unconventional Airbnb stays, including:
A chance to enter the Unique Airbnb Fund is now open until 11:59pm EST on April 15, 2020. The ten winners will be selected by the panel of judges mentioned above by May 15, 2020. For more information, see the Official Rules.
*Based on internal Airbnb data measuring year-over-year growth of searches for unique listings as of February 2020 vs. 2019.
**Based on internal Airbnb data measuring the most booked unique listings as of February 2020.