Airbnb is paying a share of US$10million to 100 proposed listings. Photo / Supplied
Airbnb is paying a share of US$10million to 100 proposed listings. Photo / Supplied
Tree houses, train carriages, shepherd's huts, wanted. Budding bedsit architects have been invited to up their game for a share of a US$10 million prize.
That'll buy you a lot of tin roofing and beachside views. Airbnb wants you to dream a little bigger, as they offer to grant 100 people a share of a pot to put towards their ideal holiday listing.
The OMG fund is a competition offering financial assistance to the most creative (or crazy) holiday house designs. The top hundred will be awarded around $156,000 to make their designs a reality.
Submissions will be judged on originality, sustainable credentials and how feasible the end result will be. The expert panel of judges are looking to reward the craziest design ideas, and how you aim to pull them off.
The Yellow Submarine tiny house in Marton is one of many unique designs on the agency's website. Photo / Supplied
Competition will be fierce - as New Zealanders' grand designs are pitted against submissions from the rest of the world. However
The final designs will be listed in the website's OMG category. Judges want to see designs that are more than your average stay - but unique once-in-a-lifetime experiences.
Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky singled out a Yellow Submarine in Manawatū as one of his favourite examples of what they are after.
Among the judges are 100-year-old stylist Iris Apfel, Disney imagineer Bruce Vaughn and designer Kristie Wolfe who came to prominence for her potato-shaped house in Idaho.
For the brief, designers are invited to push out the, erm, U-Boat.
The Nelson Shoe: The OMG Fund will be divided evenly between 100 recipients worldwide. Photo / Supplied
You'll have to move quickly. Applications are open for a period of just 30 days, closing 23 July at 4pm NZST, after which the $15.6 million prize pot will be allocated. You'll also have just one year to complete your dream design.
Ultimately the top 100 will be chosen based on how "bookable" and practical they are as a holiday listing on the website. May the best yurt, fairytale castle or giant root-vegetable win.
