airbnb's $10M OMG! fund will help architects build outrageous dwellings

airbnb’s open call for the ‘world’s craziest’ designs

Airbnb has announced that it is on the hunt for the ‘world’s craziest spaces,’ and will help foot the bill to build them with its OMG! fund. The initiative takes its name from the company’s OMG! category listings — a curated collection of the most unique homes available for stay — which already include a massive boot, a UFO house, and a grassy, gothic-style hobbit hole.

The OMG! fund is an open competition in which 100 winning applicants will each be awarded $100K to build their offbeat dwelling. The competition has just opened, with architects, designers, and DIYers invited to submit their vision in the form of ‘blueprints, plans, and video.’ Ideas will be judged by an expert panel for their originality, feasibility, guest experience, and sustainability. Entries are due by July 22nd, 2022 — apply here!

UFO House, Redberth, United Kingdom, image courtesy Airbnb

OMG! FUND: out-of-the-box design is the destination

Airbnb’s newly announced OMG! fund is shaped in part by the growing trend of flexible living that has emerged in the past two years. As a result, travelers are seeking the most unexpected spaces. Last month the company launched its Airbnb Categories feature which contextually organizes listings by style and type, so that a search is more than just entering a location and dates into a search box. The many categories include surfing, camping, historic, arctic — the OMG! category is designated for the most outrageous dwellings which are the destinations themselves.

With over 30,000 out-of-the-box stays added to its OMG! category since its launch last month, Airbnb is searching for 100 more. Entries to the open competition will be reviewed by a judging panel of boundary-pushing design authorities including Iris Apfel, architect Koichi Takada (see more here), and an Airbnb OMG! Category Superhost.

Corner Getaway BnB, Sequim, Washington, USA, image courtesy Airbnb