Japan is hosting a sleep competition where winner gets £10,000 for a 90-minute sleep challenge

• Japan will host a 90-minute sleep competition on October 5, 2026.

• The winner will receive ¥2.22 million, about £10,000.

• Contestants will be judged using sleep quality data from tracking devices.

• The competition will include planned sleep disruptions to test participants.

Japan is set to host a unique competition where participants will battle for a cash prize by doing something most people do every day — sleeping.

The event, called “Mattrace by Koala,” will take place on October 5, 2026, at SHARE GREEN MINAMI AOYAMA in Tokyo, where contestants will compete to achieve the best quality sleep during a 90-minute challenge.

Unlike traditional competitions that test speed, strength or endurance, the sleep contest will reward the person who records the highest sleep score during the challenge.

Participants will sleep on Koala mattresses while wearing sleep-tracking devices that will monitor their performance. Their scores will be calculated based on factors including sleep depth, sleep quality, how quickly they fall asleep and the stability of their sleep.

The winner will receive a prize of ¥2.22 million (about £10,000), with the organisers choosing the amount because it is linked to the sound of “Zzz,” commonly associated with sleeping.

The competition will feature three separate 90-minute races, with about 20 participants expected in each race. The person with the highest overall sleep score across all participants will be crowned the winner.

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But contestants will not simply be left alone to sleep peacefully. Organisers said the event will include activities such as a preparation exercise called “sleep gymnastics” before the competition, sleep-related items and planned sleep disruptions during the challenge to test how well participants can maintain quality sleep.

The event is being organised by Koala JP, the Japanese arm of mattress brand Koala, with creative direction from event producer Afro&Co.

Applicants must be at least 20 years old, and organisers said participants cannot intentionally deprive themselves of sleep beforehand or use sleeping medication to gain an advantage.

The competition comes as Japan continues to grapple with concerns over sleep deprivation. Organisers said the event aims to make people rethink the importance of quality sleep by turning rest into a competitive activity.