Radical Innovation Award open for submissions

The John Hardy Group, leader in hospitality real estate development has announced that the 2016 Radical Innovation Award is now open for submissions. This year marks the award’s 10th year anniversary, a great milestone as last year’s winner, Zoku, opens up in Amsterdam this May. The hospitality competition is calling for innovative design concepts that aim to challenge the hotel industry. Submit your ideas by April 22nd for a chance to bring your concept to life and a prize of $10,000. See official details below.

Official Information:

The John Hardy Group announces the Radical Innovation Award call for entries and 2016 competition details. Now in its tenth year, Radical Innovation is an incubator led by top hospitality executives and design minds seeking to challenge the hotel industry and elevate guest experience using progressive thinking in design and operations. The Radical Innovation Award invites contestants to submit their ideas for the next big hotel concept and compete for a grand prize including $10,000 to further their concept, as well as chance to have their idea realized.

The competition is open to all; both students and professionals are encouraged to enter. Contestants are invited to submit their ideas online March 16th through April 22nd. All entries require a clear and compelling brief along with realistic design renderings showing how the concept would be brought to life. The jury will judge concepts on creativity and design, as well as potential impact on the industry.

Image Courtesy of Radical Innovation Award

We’re really looking for the next big industry idea. For the last ten years, we’ve discovered talented design and business minds from around the world. As we work to realize some of our previous winners this year, we’re even more excited to cultivate fresh thinking about hotels.

– John Hardy

The jury will select three finalists, including one student winner, to participate in the Radical Innovation live event. Finalists will be provided transportation to New York City, where they will pitch their ideas on-stage at the New Museum on September 28. A live vote by audience and jury members will determine the grand prize-winner and recipient of the cash prize.

Image Courtesy of Radical Innovation Award

The student winner will receive a $1,500 prize, as well as the opportunity to receive a two-year full scholarship to the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, where she or he will earn a Master’s Degree in Hospitality Design, valued over $60,000.

Since its founding in 2006, Radical Innovation has awarded more than $100,000 to hospitality minded firms and creative thinkers.

Image Courtesy of Radical Innovation Award

Process

• Our jury of top hotel executives will review all submissions, entered through RadicalInnovationAward.com (accepted from March 16 – April 22).
• All concepts will be judged on creativity, design, feasibility, and quality of presentation.
• Finalists will be shortlisted and the jury will mentor the concepts of their choosing.
• Three finalists will be flown to New York to present their ideas live at the Radical

Innovation event on September 28, in front of a room of top hospitality, design and business leaders. The event is co-produced by The John Hardy Group with support from founding sponsor Global Allies, official partner Sleeper magazine and media partner Architizer.

Radical Innovation jury:

Michael Medzigian, CEO and Director, Carey Watermark Investors
Jena Thornton, LEED AP, Managing Director, Eagle Rock Ventures
Simon Turner, President, Global Development, Starwood Hotels
James Woods, COO, The Bowls
Wing T. Chao, Founding Principal, Wing T. Chao Architect
Claude Amar, President, The John Hardy Group International

About Radical Innovation

Radical Innovation challenges the hotel industry to elevate the guest experience by calling for new ideas in design and operations. Each year, submissions are received and reviewed by a jury of hotel insiders. Select finalists present their concepts in front of industry influencers and investors during a live event where the audience votes to determine the winner. Since its founding, Radical Innovation has awarded nearly $100,000 to progressive architectural and hospitality-minded thinkers.

About The John Hardy Group

The John Hardy Group is a strategic, transformational development services firm for investors and brands engaged in hospitality real estate. Leveraging its international expertise, the group delivers feasibility analysis, project management, development management, and construction management, as well as project accounting for capex, renovations, redevelopment, and new development for both individual deals and entire portfolios.

JHG is recognized as the leader in providing creative solutions to complex building challenges, tapping its diverse team, using proprietary project research and planning, and specialized inhouse software that tracks progress and budget conformance. The firm excels as a bridge between the ambition of its clients and project realization, having managed more than $6 billion in development-related assignments encompassing 870 hospitality projects in 35 countries. Offices are located in Atlanta, Los Angeles, New York, Paris and Honolulu.