NOT A HOTELDESIGN COMPETITION2026
The 2nd NOT A HOTEL
International Design Competition
For architects and creators under 40 – with the winning design to be realized and sold.
The first edition received 620 entries from 2,463 participants.
Building on its success, the second edition is now open.
The next NOT A HOTEL will be designed by you.
The Stage is Yakushima
Located off the southern coast of Kyushu,
Yakushima is a UNESCO World Heritage island
celebrated for its ancient cedar forests thousands of years old
and mystical landscapes shaped by white sandy coastlines.
From moss-covered rocks to primeval nature untouched for millennia,
the island offers an extraordinary
The Grand Prize Winner
Becomes the Next NOT A HOTEL
The design selected for the Grand Prize
will be realized and sold as the next NOT A HOTEL.
Following the first edition,
where NATURE WITHIN was awarded the Grand Prize
and is now progressing toward realization and sale,
this competition continues to turn
visionary concepts into reality.
Competition Overview
Eligibility
U-40
Open to architects and creators under the age of 40.
We invite talented young architects and creators from around the world to submit their designs.
Prize
JPY10M
Design Fee※
※ The design fee will be calculated based on the compensation standards set by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism of Japan (Notification No. 98).
Student Prize
U-25
Open to students under the age of 25.
Grand Prize (1 work)
JPY1M
Judges
Founder & Creative Director, Bjarke Ingels Group
Bjarke Ingels
NOT A HOTEL is redefining hospitality in Japan.Our ongoing collaboration—designing a series of hilltop villas across the Seto Uchi archipelago—has become a true Danish-Japanese fusion, not just in aesthetics, but in spirit. Architect and client have evolved into an integrated, interactive, and collaborative organism.
Rarely have I encountered a client as engaged, inventive, and deeply involved as Not A Hotel.
Their openness, initiative, and ingenuity have transformed this process into a genuine partnership—one where every line drawn and every idea proposed finds resonance and response.This design competition is not just a call for submissions—it’s an invitation to dream. To imagine architecture not as limitation but as liberation. Because here is a client that doesn’t just accept the power of design—they amplify it. Their offer to guests is bold: to inhabit a living, breathing architectural fantasy.So my advice to participants is this: Don’t win by managing expectations. Instead, risk falling short—because you aimed too high. It is in that daring that greatness lies.
I look forward to seeing what visions you will share, and to working with Not A Hotel to identify the proposal that represents the next leap forward—wider in scope, higher in ambition.
To all participants: good luck. Be bold. Be audacious. Be unreasonable. I’ll do my part to ensure the best ideas rise to the top.
Founder, Sou Fujimoto Architects
Sou Fujimoto
The architecture created by NOT A HOTEL embraces the rhythms of nature, serving not only as vessels that deeply inscribe human time, but also as bridges that connect daily life to the future.
What is truly required to unlock the full potential of a place and to carry its essential value forward to the next generation?
I invite you to confront this question earnestly with your fresh sensibilities. We, the judges, look forward to encountering proposals so exciting that they might even stir a sense of envy within us.
Founder, Wonderwall®
Professor, Department of Scenography, Space and Fashion Design, Musashino Art University
Masamichi Katayama
The MASU project began with the question, "What is an ideal lifestyle?" It is the act of choosing and shaping one’s own path through space, creating a way of living that takes shape as a genuine reality rather than a mere fantasy.
NOT A HOTEL embraces this concept as its platform, and when we regard architecture not as a physical object but as a phenomenon, we quietly contemplate the question of how to live.
I hope this competition will serve as a starting point for unleashing the boundless imagination of young architects.
LOCATION
An Island Where Ancient Life Still Breathes
— A World Heritage Site
Yakushima is an island of contrasts, where sunlit white-sand coastlines shimmer along the shore while ancient cedar forests, standing tall for thousands of years, rise deep within its primeval landscape. Designated as a UNESCO World Natural Heritage site, the entire island overflows with vitality: mist-covered mountains and moss-clad rocks create an otherworldly atmosphere. In particular, the mountainous interior reveals a realm of mystery and power, shaped by steep, layered peaks and countless valleys and waterfalls born from the island's abundant rainfall. This landscape, where forest and water breathe as one, quietly embraces all who visit, offering a profound sense of nature's timeless rhythms.
Overview of the 2024 Competition
Out of 620 submissions from 2,463 participants across 23 countries, NATURE WITHIN by Mohamed Hassan Elgendy and Nahed Zmeter, architects based in Milan, Italy, was awarded the Grand Prize.
Grand Prize WinnerNATURE WITHIN
I am deeply honored to receive the Grand Prize. When I was informed of the award, I was left speechless, overwhelmed by a mix of surprise and gratitude. This competition brought together an array of immensely talented participants, and I was deeply inspired by the exceptionally high quality of all the submissions. To be chosen from among them fills me with immense joy. This recognition undoubtedly marks a significant milestone in my career. I believe one of the reasons my proposal was selected lies in its clear and compelling concept, which resonated strongly and was easy to understand. As I work toward realizing the project, I plan to further develop this concept, staying true to its harmony with nature while enhancing its beauty.
How to Apply
Application Flow
Entries and submissions must be completed by Sunday, January 11, 2026.
Entry Form
Submission Guidelines
Eligibility
- Age Limit
- Under 40(all group members must be under 40)
Student Category: Under 25(all group members must be under 25) - Number of Entries
- No limit.
※ Individuals or groups may submit multiple works. - Language
- Japanese or English
- Affiliation
- Open to anyone
- Qualifications
- None required
(no need for an architect license)
Prize
- Grand Prize (1 work)
- JPY 10,000,000 + Design Fee
*The Grand Prize winner will be realized and sold as the next NOT A HOTEL.
*The design fee will be calculated based on the compensation standards set by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism of Japan (Notification No. 98). - Excellence Prizes (4 works)
- JPY 500,000 each
- Honorable Mentions (5 works)
- JPY 150,000 each
- Student Prize (1 work)
- JPY 1,000,000
* Realization and sale are not included, but entries will be judged together with those in the General Category.
* If a work overlaps with the Grand Prize winner in the General Category, it will be subject to realization and sale.
Implementation Guidelines
For details, please refer to the NOT A HOTEL DESIGN COMPETITION 2026 Implementation Guidelines.
Judging Process
- First Screening
- Document Review / Late January 2026
(10 finalists and 5 Student Prize candidates will be selected)
Results announced in mid-February 2026 - Final Screening
- Public Jury Session / Saturday, March 28, 2026 (scheduled)
The jury will evaluate both the content and feasibility of the proposals through public presentations and Q&A by the applicants (up to two representatives), and will determine one Grand Prize, three Excellence Prizes, six Honorable Mentions, and one Student Prize.
Site Plan
The site plan can be found in the Materials Folder
Aerial Photo of the Site
The site boundaries are provisional and may be subject to change.
Schedule
September 22, 2025 (Mon)
Entry & Submission Open
October 1, 2025 (Wed), 19:00–20:00
Online Briefing Session
January 11, 2026 (Sun)
Entry & Submission Deadline
Late January 2026
First Screening
Mid-February 2026
Announcement of First Screening Results and Student Prize Candidates (on the website)
March 28, 2026 (Sat)
Final Screening (Public Jury Session) & Award Ceremony
Online Briefing Session
Director and CEO of NOT A HOTEL Inc.
FAQ
Submission rules
- Register your submissions via the registration form on the dedicated competition website. Once you enter the required information, you will be issued a registration number.
- You can register as many designs as you wish.
- Registration numbers are necessary for screening procedures. Make sure to store your registration number.
- If the contents of a registered submission are to be altered, re-register the works once the alterations are made.
- If you wish to submit multiple works, register each of them individually.
Important Notes
- We may publish information about the submissions on platforms such as the competition website or social media, including the designed work, the entrant’s name, the entrant’s firm, what stage of eliminations they are on, etc.
- All submissions must be original works created specifically for this design competition and not announced elsewhere. (Works revealed to be submitted to other design competitions will be disqualified.)
- We will not return submitted works. We will dispose of the submission data and not use it elsewhere without consent. We will not take responsibility for damage or loss of submitted works due to natural disasters or other reasons not attributable to us.
- The copyright of all submitted works, except for the one ultimately accepted, shall belong to their creators. The copyright of the accepted design shall belong to the competition organizers following a design contract to be concluded separately. However, the scope of rights transferred to the organizers shall not include adaptation and translation rights stipulated under Article 27 and 28 of the Copyright Law of Japan.
- Other than the prize money and the fees to be paid pursuant to the contract to be concluded with the winner, the organizers will not pay any royalties, etc. to the entrants related to the sale of the property to be constructed.
- If a winning submission is found to be infringing a copyright held by another company or in major violation of the competition rules set forth, the organizations have the right to cancel the awarded prize after the fact.
About NOT A HOTEL
NOT A HOTEL offers high-end villas
that combine world-class design
by leading architects and creators
with the comfort and convenience
of technologies such as IoT.