NOT A HOTEL

Tokyo, Japan (September 22, 2025) — NOT A HOTEL Co., Ltd. (Shibuya-ku, Tokyo, CEO: Shinji Hamauzu, hereinafter referred to as "NOT A HOTEL") has opened entries for the NOT A HOTEL DESIGN COMPETITION 2026, the latest installment of its annual design competition for architects and creators under 40. The winning entry will receive a prize of ¥10 million, and its design will be built by NOT A HOTEL (which will entail an additional design fee.)

The jury for the prize includes world-renowned architects Bjarke Ingels and Sou Fujimoto, as well as celebrated interior designer Masamichi Katayama. They will make their decision after reviewing the documents and attending a final presentation round. 

Starting this year, there will also be a new Student Award (U-25) to encourage young architects and creators.

Entries and submissions open today on this website:
https://notahotel.com/en/design-competition/2026

About NOT A HOTEL DESIGN COMPETITION

The NOT A HOTEL DESIGN COMPETITION is an annual contest meant to provide better creative opportunities for architects and creators under the age of 40. The idea is to build a forum for promising young designers who have limited opportunities to put their creative ideas into practice. The winning works are then sold and built as future NOT A HOTEL properties.

From its establishment in 2020, NOT A HOTEL has expanded the possibilities of architecture by collaborating with creators from a variety of fields—not only architects but also interior designers and fashion designers. This competition, too, welcomes all free-thinking creatives, regardless of their qualifications or field.

Last year’s inaugural NOT A HOTEL DESIGN COMPETITION 2024 attracted 620 submissions from 23 countries. The winning project NATURE WITHIN by Mohamed Hassan Elgendy and Nahed Zmeter is currently in development by NOT A HOTEL.

More on NOT A HOTEL DESIGN COMPETITION 2024:
https://notahotel.com/design-competition/2024/winners

An overview of the NOT A HOTEL DESIGN COMPETITION 2026

The setting for this year’s competition is the southern Japanese island of Yakushima, off the coast of Kagoshima. This is where NOT A HOTEL will build Jean Nouvel's recently announced NOT A HOTEL YAKUSHIMA. The island is a UNESCO World Heritage site, famous for its deep nature, millennial-old Yakusugi trees, white sandy coastlines, and moss-covered rocks. The competition seeks architectural ideas that can be used as a NOT A HOTEL (home/villa and hotel) on this very special and sacred land.

The competition also has a new component: the Student Award (U-25). This award is meant to encourage freethinking unrestricted by the practical limitations of construction or sales. The goal is to provide a stage for students aspiring to become architects or designers to take on new challenges. We believe that students’ bold imaginations will bring new ideas to the competition. In the case that a student's work wins the Grand Prize, the project will be moved towards realization and sales.

For more specific guidelines, please click here.
https://notahotel.notion.site/NOT-A-HOTEL-DESIGN-COMPETITION-2026-25374359b1d38053915dd0ee77034372

Competition Details
Target audience: Architects and creators under 40
Age: Those under 40 years old as of April 1, 2025 (In the case of a group, all members should be younger than 40)
Nationality: Any
Qualifications: No requirement (no architect qualification required)
Affiliation: Any (individuals, corporations, or groups are welcome to apply)
Language: Japanese or English
Prizes: Grand Prize (1 work) ¥10 million yen, plus a design fee as part of construction
Excellence Award (4 works) ¥500,000
Honorable Mention (5 works): ¥150,000
Student Award (1 work): ¥1 million (must be younger than 25 as of April 1, 2025)

Only the grand prize winner (one work) will be realized and sold as NOT A HOTEL

Method of Judging
Two-stage method

First round: Document screening. 
From the submitted proposals, 10 teams (shortlist) and 1 team (student award) will be selected.

Second round: Public screening
Presentations by the 10 successful teams
After a Q&A session with the judges, the award winners will be decided.
Up to two presenters allowed
Student Award: The winners (1 group) will have the opportunity to make a presentation on the day of the public judging session.

Schedule
Entry/submission begins Monday, September 22, 2025
Entry and submission deadline: Sunday, January 11, 2026
January 2026: Late first round of judging completed
February 2026: Those who pass the first screening in the middle of the month (10 finalists) and Student Awards (1 group)
Saturday, March 28, 2026: Second round of judging (public judging) and award ceremony

For more details, please visit the special website: https://notahotel.com/en/design-competition/2026

Jury

Masamichi Katayama
CEO of Wonderwall Inc. Professor of the Department of Spatial Design, Musashino Art University
Related projects: NOT A HOTEL KITAKARUIZAWA MASU and NOT A HOTEL HIROO

Sou Fujimoto
Founder of Sou Fujimoto Architects
Related project: NOT A HOTEL ISHIGAKI

Bjarke Ingels
Founder & Creative Director, Bjarke Ingels Group
Related project: NOT A HOTEL SETOUCHI

Shinji Hamauzu
CEO of NOT A HOTEL Co., Ltd.

Comments from the Jury

Bjarke Ingels
Founder & Creative Director, Bjarke Ingels Group

Our ongoing collaboration—designing a series of hilltop villas across the Setouchi 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.

Good luck. Be bold. Be audacious. Be unreasonable.

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. I’ll do my part to ensure the best ideas rise to the top.

Sou Fujimoto
Founder of Sou Fujimoto Architects

The architecture created by NOT A HOTEL is a vessel that is close to the workings of nature and deeply imprints human time, while also serving as a bridge that connects daily life to the future. What is needed to maximize the potential of a place and pass on its essential value to the next generation?

Please tackle this question with all your might and with fresh sensibilities. We hope to see exciting proposals that will make us judges jealous.

Masamichi Katayama
CEO of Wonderwall Inc. Professor of the Department of Spatial Design, Musashino Art University

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.

Shinji Hamauzu
CEO of NOT A HOTEL Co., Ltd.

After the first event, where we were overwhelmed by the talent and passion of the participants, we are thrilled to announce that the second event will be held.

The setting for this project is Yakushima. Your creations will be realized on this island, which has unique beautiful scenery and a rich ecosystem. NOT A HOTELForYakushima is our new base.

I'm excited to see what ideas will emerge from this, and I look forward to seeing all of your wonderful creations.

Online Information Session on October 1st (Wednesday) at 7pm JST

We will hold an online information session on October 1st (Wednesday) at 7pm JST to answer as many questions as possible. For those interested, please fill out the questionnaire in advance. You can apply from the following URL.

Date and time: October 1, 2025 (Wednesday) 19:00~20:00 JST
How to participate: Participate in online streaming
Other: The information session will be held in Japanese. Speakers of other languages ​​should use Zoom's translation function.
Application Form (English): https://contact.notahotel.com/application-design-competition/2026/en

About NOT A HOTEL Co., Ltd.

Company name: NOT A HOTEL Co., Ltd.
Representative: Shinji Hamauzu
Established: April 1, 2020
URL: https://notahotel.com/
X: @notahotel_inc（https://twitter.com/notahotel_inc）
Facebook: @NOTAHOTEL.official
Instagram: notahotel_official（https://www.instagram.com/notahotel_official/)
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@NOTAHOTEL
Inquiry form:https://notahotel.com/contact
Contact: [email protected]