Submissions Are Now Open
Begin your application today! Join Initiative 99, a global architecture competition aimed at designing accessible, beautiful and dignified 3D-printed homes that can be built for under $99,000.
The multi-phase competition offers a total prize purse of $1 million (USD). A selection of winning designs will be built by ICON and showcased as a model for the future affordable housing.
Initiative 99 Supporters



Initiative 99 Supporters
We Believe That
Everyone Deserves to Live in a Dignified Home
Everyone deserves a safe and dignified place to call home, but for over 1.6 billion people in our world today, that’s just not the reality. Home ownership shouldn’t be a dream. A resilient, dignified and beautiful home should be accessible and affordable.
We invite you to help us solve this problem with new and novel 3D-printed home designs. Now is your opportunity to make a difference in people’s lives by creating home designs that leverage robotic construction.
The Challenge
Design a Home to Be
Built for $99,000 or Less
The Opportunity
Design Freedom
ICON’s advanced 3D-printing technology allows for designs that leave traditional flat walls and boring boxes behind to build entirely new types of homes. If you’re an architect, a designer, a builder, or just someone who cares, then we need your help to create a new, disruptive solution for affordable housing.
The Tools
The Technology
That Makes it Possible
Robotic construction is faster, more efficient and allows for entirely new forms of architecture. Join Initiative 99 to create a new, disruptive solution for affordable housing.
Total Cash Prize
The competition offers a total prize fund of $1 million (USD). ICON is committed to building a selection of the winning designs at multiple locations to be announced in the future.
Initiative 99
The Submission Details
Download the full Rules, Terms, and Conditions by entering your email address in the field below. These documents contain the design brief, as well as the necessary terms and conditions that must be acknowledged upon submission. Submissions will officially open August 08, 2023.
Initiative 99 Jurors
Looking for Innovative Designs
The jury consists of an expert panel of architectural practitioners, academic leaders, policy makers and non-profit organizations committed to realizing affordable housing solutions.
Michelle Addington
Former Dean of Architecture @ University of Texas
Lucia Athens
Austin's First Chief Sustainability Officer and author of The Sustainability Revolutionists @ City of Austin
Michael Bell
Professor & Founding Chair, Columbia Conference on Architecture, Engineering and Materials @ Columbia University
Shajay Bhooshan
Associate Director @ Zaha Hadid Architects
Alejandra Guerrero
Deputy Director @ CityLab, Department of Architecture @ UCLA
Brett Hagler
CEO, Co-Founder @ New Story
Mariana Ibañez
Chair and Associate Professor @ UCLA Architecture and Urban Design
Bjarke Ingels
Founder & Creative Director @ BIG
Michael McDaniel
Director of Design & Strategy @ ICON
Marc Norman
Associate Dean of the Schack Institute of Real Estate @ New York University
Melodie Yashar
VP, Building Design & Performance @ ICON
The Schedule
Phase 01: Key Dates
Phase 01 | Date |
---|---|
Rules & Regulations | May 23, 2023 |
Submissions Open | August 08, 2023 |
Submissions Close | December 11, 2023 |
Judging Finalized | February 28, 2024 |
Phase 1 Winners Announced | March 19, 2024 |
Phase 2 Begins | April 01, 2024 |
Initiative 99 Categories
Student Requirements
- All student entrants must be enrolled in an academic program of at least an undergraduate level.
- A Student Entrant may be an individual, a group of students from the same university, or a group of students from a mix of universities.
- Each Student Entrant member can only enter the Competition once and cannot be part of more than one team.
- A Student Entrant may not submit an entry as an individual and as part of a team.
Open / Professional requirements
- An individual (architect, artist, design professional, engineer, etc), group of individuals, or professional firm may enter this category.
- Any Professional Entrant that is an architectural firm must have all their team members be employed with said firm or engaged as an independent contractor at least 90 days prior to the beginning of the Registration Period.
- Any Professional Entrant who is an individual who is part of a firm but participating as an individual without affiliation to their firm must fulfill entry requirements during non-working times and use software or other equipment that does not belong to the firm, unless the Professional Entrant has written permission from their firm to do so. Professional Entrants who are part of a firm but participating as an individual and reside in any jurisdiction where an individual must obtain written permission from their firm in order to participate in a competition like the Competition, must obtain and provide such consent to enter the Competition.
- A Professional Entrant may not submit an entry as an individual and as part of a team.
In the News
Articles & News
A 3D-printing company is preparing to build on the lunar surface. But first, a moonshot at home
A thread running through ICON’s work is building homes for disadvantaged people, including accommodation for the long-term homeless, often in collaboration with non-profits. Creating affordable housing is also an objective, which led the company to launch design competition Initiative 99 last month.
ICON announces 'initiative 99' competition to design 3D printable affordable housing
ICON has announced a global architecture competition ‘Initiative 99,’ calling on designers to create homes that are at once beautiful and affordable — meaning they can be built for no more than $99,000 USD. Initiative 99 is offering a total prize of $1 million USD to the winning design teams at the end of the year-long competition.
ICON announces a global competitionto reimagine affordable housing
Texan construction technology company ICON has announced a global competition calling on the architecture community to submit home designs that can be built for under $99,000 (USD).
$99,000 to build a house? 3D-printing company Icon announces affordable housing contest at SXSW
Designing a house that could be built for under $99,000 might seem difficult or even impossible, but it's the idea behind a contest by Austin-based Icon, a 3D-printing construction company, this year at South by Southwest.
$1 million prize announced at SXSW for new designs that reimagine affordable housing
Architects from around the world are being called on to help solve the affordable housing crisis. South by Southwest is the launch pad for a $1 million competition to get the best and brightest to create affordable designs that make homeownership more attainable for more people.
FAQs
{ faqs[0].open = !faqs[0].open }" class="cursor-pointer faq-question font-roboto-sans text-base pr-16" itemprop="name" >Do the competition materials need to be anonymous? Can we identify ourselves in the video?
{ faqs[1].open = !faqs[1].open }" class="cursor-pointer faq-question font-roboto-sans text-base pr-16" itemprop="name" >Is there an entry fee to participate in Initiative 99?
{ faqs[2].open = !faqs[2].open }" class="cursor-pointer faq-question font-roboto-sans text-base pr-16" itemprop="name" >Why does ICON retain a license for Initiative 99 submissions?
{ faqs[3].open = !faqs[3].open }" class="cursor-pointer faq-question font-roboto-sans text-base pr-16" itemprop="name" >Will applicants be compensated if their designs are not selected as winners in the competition?
{ faqs[4].open = !faqs[4].open }" class="cursor-pointer faq-question font-roboto-sans text-base pr-16" itemprop="name" >Who owns the design submissions?
{ faqs[5].open = !faqs[5].open }" class="cursor-pointer faq-question font-roboto-sans text-base pr-16" itemprop="name" >The total purse in Phase 1 is $320,000 but the competition is touting a $1 million prize. Where is the other $680,000 in prize money?
{ faqs[6].open = !faqs[6].open }" class="cursor-pointer faq-question font-roboto-sans text-base pr-16" itemprop="name" >What is the correct target for cost estimates / the recommended cost per square foot for designs?
{ faqs[7].open = !faqs[7].open }" class="cursor-pointer faq-question font-roboto-sans text-base pr-16" itemprop="name" >Is there a maximum number of team members per team?
{ faqs[8].open = !faqs[8].open }" class="cursor-pointer faq-question font-roboto-sans text-base pr-16" itemprop="name" >Section 1.6 mentions a “Registration Form”, what is this referring to?
{ faqs[9].open = !faqs[9].open }" class="cursor-pointer faq-question font-roboto-sans text-base pr-16" itemprop="name" >Is there a separate interior design component to the competition?
{ faqs[10].open = !faqs[10].open }" class="cursor-pointer faq-question font-roboto-sans text-base pr-16" itemprop="name" >Are there more technical details available pertaining to printability? For example, understanding the level of precision with printing, the height of each printing pass, etc. Will more precise cost estimating figures be made available? Mobilization and demobilization costs? Printed cost per CF?
{ faqs[11].open = !faqs[11].open }" class="cursor-pointer faq-question font-roboto-sans text-base pr-16" itemprop="name" >Is it possible to design lofts?
{ faqs[12].open = !faqs[12].open }" class="cursor-pointer faq-question font-roboto-sans text-base pr-16" itemprop="name" >How does the prize money get divided between a group of students from either the same or different universities entering under the Student Category?
{ faqs[13].open = !faqs[13].open }" class="cursor-pointer faq-question font-roboto-sans text-base pr-16" itemprop="name" >Under what conditions will the winning projects of the competition be realized, will the winning teams be able to be involved in the subsequent processes?
{ faqs[14].open = !faqs[14].open }" class="cursor-pointer faq-question font-roboto-sans text-base pr-16" itemprop="name" >What should be included in the video submission?
{ faqs[15].open = !faqs[15].open }" class="cursor-pointer faq-question font-roboto-sans text-base pr-16" itemprop="name" >Can the video submissions include animation?
{ faqs[16].open = !faqs[16].open }" class="cursor-pointer faq-question font-roboto-sans text-base pr-16" itemprop="name" >Could we design structures that use concrete roofing? How is reinforcement in roofing suggested in submissions?
{ faqs[17].open = !faqs[17].open }" class="cursor-pointer faq-question font-roboto-sans text-base pr-16" itemprop="name" >Where will a selection of winning designs be built?
{ faqs[18].open = !faqs[18].open }" class="cursor-pointer faq-question font-roboto-sans text-base pr-16" itemprop="name" >If a submitted design is over budget, would the submission be disqualified?
{ faqs[19].open = !faqs[19].open }" class="cursor-pointer faq-question font-roboto-sans text-base pr-16" itemprop="name" >Can we create our own cost estimation breakdown for our submissions?
Have Questions?
Feel free to email us at initiative99@iconbuild.com
Initiative 99
Stay Informed
Join the challenge and bring creativity, energy, and passion to make a difference in the lives of millions of people around the world.
Let’s create a better future with affordable, dignified homes for everyone. Sign up to stay informed of deadlines and developments with Initiative 99.