call for proposal
ICEHOTEL 37 - Open application
Dear artists and designers,
Thank you for all you e-mails and for the overwhelming interest you show about ICEHOTEL, and about the process leading up to next winter. We can now confirm that we will build ICEHOTEL 37, starting in November 2026, and that the International Design Competition is open for applications. We look forward to seeing your creative and innovative ideas. On this page you will find all the information you need to submit a contribution to this years design competition for ICEHOTEL 37.
We are confident that this process will ensure the high quality experience ICEHOTEL is known for, and will preserve the tradition of working with art and design by international professional.
Deadline: Saturday April 11th, 2026.
If you have any questions or comments you can send an e-mail to [email protected] .
an ephemeral art project
ICEHOTEL is more than just rooms and beds, it is an ephemeral art project made of snow and ice from the Torne River, and it is completely unique.
Every year, the entire seasonal ICEHOTEL is reborn in a completely new guise.
By tradition, the actual making of the hotel is an art forum, whereby the seleted suite designers gather in Jukkasjärvi to use the ice and snow as a canvas for their art. Each room is an installation, an original piece of art that melts and returns to Mother Nature in spring.
create your own art suite
What designers, enhancements or completely new features would you like to see at ICEHOTEL in the future? Thoughtful, crazy, innovative, creative or beautiful - there are no rules for how the suites should look. The only requirements is that they must be original designs and include a bed - and everything has to be made from ice and snow.
application & deadline
Each spring we open for new designers and artists to apply. ICEHOTEL evaluates the applications based on concept, innovativeness, visualization and description. The selected artists will be invited to Jukkasjärvi for two weeks in November-December, the same year.
The application for ICEHOTEL 36 opens on January 12th, 2026.
Deadline for application: April 11th, 2026.
The winners are present: May 11th, 2026.
Welcome to our design and building team for ICEHOTEL 36.
Download
We recommend you take a look at the reference applications on this page for inspiration.
Reference application 1
Art Suite Arctic Archive
Design Kristina Möckel & Sebastian Scheller
Reference application 2
Art Suite Parliament of Owls
Design David Rothstein, Carlos Miguel Ramirez Pereyra & Israel Magaña Rodriguez
Reference application 3
Art Suite Sweep Me Off My Feet
Design Elin Julin & Ida Mangsbo
Reference application 4
Art Suite Soap Bubbles
Design Coralie Quincey & Peter Hobbs
The making of icehotel
When the winter is at its darkest and coldest hour, artists from all over the world arrive to the village of Jukkasjärvi. They come to take part in the shaping of the art exhibition in snow, ice and light that constitutes ICEHOTEL. The makers? Well, it changes from year to year; graphic designers, architects, industrial engineers, and artists - the list goes on. The principal aim for the creative team at ICEHOTEL is to seek out truly original ideas for new suites and artwork for each reincarnation of the hotel.
Looking for new and interesting contrasts
Every year ICEHOTEL has an open call for new ideas. Since the hotel provides instructors and tools for the actual sculpting there are no prerequisites for applying - all that matters is your idea and that you are able to join the symposium to create the suite in person. ICEHOTEL evaluates the applications based on the originality of ideas and with the overall composition of exhibition - looking for new and interesting contrasts between different contributors' concept ideas.
Twelve applications are accepted and invited to Jukkasjärvi in November to build their design. Some of them have participated in the past, others are new to the experience - and some are even new to sculpting in ice and snow, and colder climates all together. A team of experienced artists acts as a support team and assists the artists throughout the construction process.
Honorary assignments
In addition to the art suites designers, a number of experienced ice artists with documented skill and technical knowledge are given the honorary assignments to design the public areas of the hotel including the main hall, the ceremony hall, deluxe suite in ICEHOTEL 365 and the ICEBAR.
The final touch is the light design - as most of the artwork is transparent, light adds an important dimension to the end result. A team of light designers works closely with the creators of each room in the hotel to ensure the lighting interprets and enhances the artwork the best way possible.
FAQ
I'm not an artist. I don't even know what tools i need for that work
Don't worry! We will guide you through the technical stuff like learning the material and tools when you get here. ICEHOTEL is about creative exchange; we learn from each other.
I have more than one extraordinary, cool idea
We love new ideas - especially the ones that are creative and a little bit crazy! If you have more than one idea that is great, just make sure to send separate applications for each idea.
Any rules?
We believe that anything is possoble, however, we do have a few guidelines such as that you have to have a unique design and that you have to be able to sleep in the room (and some other stuff that are all listed in the PDF). Remember that entries cannot have been published or made available to the public before the submission date.
CONTACTS
Do you want to get in touch with us regarding your application, or any other art collaborations? Please contact our Creative Director Luca Roncoroni via e-mail at [email protected] .