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 travelers 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 Porte

"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.

About Airbnb

Airbnb was born in 2007 when two Hosts welcomed three guests to their San Francisco home, and has since grown to over 5 million Hosts who have welcomed over 1.5 billion guest arrivals in almost every country across the globe. Every day, Hosts offer unique stays and experiences that make it possible for guests to connect with communities in a more authentic way.

About Airbnb.org

Airbnb.org is a nonprofit organization dedicated to facilitating temporary stays for people in times of crisis around the world. Airbnb.org operates independently and leverages Airbnb, Inc.'s technology, services, and other resources at no charge to carry out Airbnb.org's charitable purpose. The inspiration for Airbnb.org began in 2012 with a single host named Shell who opened up her home to people impacted by Hurricane Sandy. This sparked a movement and marked the beginning of a program that allows Hosts on Airbnb to provide stays for people in times of need. Since then, the program has evolved to focus on emergency response and to help provide stays to evacuees, relief workers, refugees, asylum seekers, and frontline workers fighting the spread of COVID-19. Since then, Hosts have offered to open up their homes and helped provide accommodations to 100,000 people in times of need. Airbnb.org is a separate and independent entity from Airbnb, Inc. Airbnb, Inc. does not charge service fees for Airbnb.org supported stays on its platform.

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