Radical Innovation Award 2026
Competition Brief
The Radical Innovation Award 2026 is an annual international design and innovation competition organised by the Radical Innovation Foundation, a registered 501(c)3 non-profit based in Atlanta, Georgia, and initiated by The Hardy Group. Now in its twentieth edition since being conceptualised in 2006, the competition targets the global hospitality and travel industry, challenging architects, designers, technologists, and product innovators to propose bold ideas that advance the future of hotels, tourism, and related sectors.
The competition operates across five tracks: Project Professional, Project Student, Product Professional, Product Student, and Technology. Submissions are open globally with no nationality or age restrictions beyond the student eligibility criteria. Architecture and design firms, independent practitioners, students, and technology startups are all eligible to participate.
Intent
The competition does not prescribe a specific site, typology, or brief. Participants may define their own hospitality innovation challenge and propose a response. Entries are evaluated primarily on how radical and forward-thinking the idea is, followed by originality, creativity, feasibility, and quality of presentation. The platform explicitly connects design and development communities, with real estate developers, investors, and industry operators participating as jury members and advisory board constituents alongside design professionals.
Purpose
Beyond the award itself, the competition functions as an industry networking and deal-making platform. Selected finalists receive mentorship from the jury and advisory board, present live at the annual awards ceremony in October, and have their submissions showcased on the Radical Innovation website with public voting open. Student Project winners are connected to academic scholarship and assistantship opportunities through university partners. Student winners in the Product category are connected to a network of designers, manufacturers, and investors. Technology winners are introduced to technology leaders, operators, and investors to advance commercialisation.
Requirements
Submissions are made through the Zealous platform. Project submissions (Professional and Student) are filed through one submission portal; Product submissions (Professional and Student) are filed through a separate portal. Technology submissions are accepted under the same competition framework. Entries must present an innovative concept for the hospitality or travel industry. Evaluation focuses on how radical and forward-thinking the concept is, supported by originality, feasibility, and presentation quality. Full submission format requirements are available through the Zealous portals upon registration.
Jury
The competition operates three separate juries: a Design Jury for Project submissions, a Product Jury, and a Technology Jury. The 2026 jury includes:
Project Jury:
- Christina Zimmer – Senior VP of Design and Development, Newbond Holdings
- Rika Lisslo – VP of Development, Hyatt Americas
- Josh Owen – Vignelli Distinguished Professor and Director, Vignelli Center for Design Studies at RIT; President, Josh Owen LLC
- Mark Friesen – Principal, Beyer Brown and Associates
Product Jury:
- John Edelman – CEO, Heller Furniture
Technology / Advisory Jury:
- Eran Chen – Founder and Executive Director, ODA
- Claude Amar – Managing Director, The Hardy Group International
- John Hardy – Chairman and Founder, The Hardy Group
- Stacy Shoemaker Rauen – Hospitality Design editor and industry leader
- Dan Dobin – Chairman, Valley Forge Fabrics
- Isaac Kubryk – CEO, Global Allies
An Advisory Board of over 25 professionals from firms including ODA, Cooper Carry, Hart Howerton, DLR Group, UNLV School of Architecture, University of Illinois, NYU, and others supports the jury process.
Registration Fees
| Entry Type | Fee |
|---|---|
| Project submission (Professional and Student) | To be confirmed via the Zealous portal |
| Product submission (Professional and Student) | To be confirmed via the Zealous portal |
| Technology submission | To be confirmed via Zealous portal |
Registration fee amounts are not published on the main competition website. Participants should access the Zealous submission portals directly to confirm current fees before registering.
Prizes and Rewards
| Award | Prize |
|---|---|
| Student Project Winner | $5,000 cash + opportunity to apply for assistantship and full scholarship at UNLV Masters of Architecture or University of Illinois Teaching Assistantship (School of Architecture) |
| Student Product Winner | $2,500 cash + connection to network of designers, manufacturers, and investors |
| Technology Winner | Connection to technology leaders, operators, investors, and industry partners (no cash prize stated) |
| Professional Project Winner | Not specified (global media exposure across hospitality and design outlets) |
| All Finalists | Mentorship from jury and advisory board + live presentation at awards ceremony + website showcase + public voting exposure |
Cash prizes are published only for the Student categories. Professional Project and Professional Product prize values are not specified on the competition website. Winners are announced at the live awards ceremony on 22 October 2026 and shared across global hospitality and design media.
Key Dates
| Milestone | Date |
|---|---|
| Call for entries opens | 10 March 2026 |
| Call for entries closes | 3 August 2026 |
| Finalists announced and public voting opens | 22 September 2026 |
| Awards ceremony and winners announced | 22 October 2026 |
✦ ArchUp Competition Review
Radical Innovation is a well-established hospitality-focused competition with nearly two decades of operation and a jury drawn from active real estate developers, hotel operators, and design practitioners, which gives its professional track genuine industry connectivity. The student prize structure is clear, and the academic partnership pathway through UNLV and the University of Illinois adds real value for qualifying winners. The primary limitation is transparency: registration fees are not published on the main website, and prize values for Professional categories are entirely unspecified, which makes an informed entry decision difficult. The open brief with no fixed site or typology suits experienced practitioners but offers little structural guidance for new entrants. For architects and designers working in hospitality architecture or innovative building typologies, the jury composition and industry network access represent the strongest arguments for participation.
Final Thoughts
Radical Innovation 2026 is a credible industry-connected competition for hospitality and travel design, most clearly valuable for student entrants who benefit from defined cash prizes and academic pathways, and for professionals seeking direct exposure to developers and operators. Submission fees and professional prize values should be confirmed via the Zealous portals before committing. Entries close 3 August 2026 at radicalinnovation.io.
Registration Deadline
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