120 HOURS

What 120 HOURS does

120 HOURS is a privately held organization that operates the 120 Hours Architectural Competition, self-described as the world's largest architectural competition for students, run by students. The organization serves architecture students globally, who register through the Submittable submission platform and have 120 hours (5 days) to complete and submit their architectural design work. The organization's sole core product is the annual competition itself, with a supplementary Competition Archive module that catalogs and showcases past submissions, functioning as both a portfolio reference and a marketing asset.

The underlying technology stack is minimal and entirely third-party: submissions are processed through Submittable, content (including archive imagery) is served via a Sanity.io CDN, and the website (120hours.no) was designed and developed by an individual developer identified as Kadens. There is no proprietary technology, no native mobile application, no disclosed APIs or SDKs, and no AI/ML components. Contact with the organization is informal, with Instagram DMs recommended as the primary channel for urgent enquiries, and the main website serving as the principal information hub.

The business model is not commercially disclosed. No revenue figures, funding rounds, sponsorship amounts, or pricing structures are reported. The competition is described as free for eligible students, and the organization appears to function as a non-profit, student-led entity, likely sustained through sponsorships and partnerships rather than direct revenue generation. No headcount, management team, board composition, or ownership structure is disclosed in available sources.

Name

120 HOURS

Legal name

120 Hours

Website

https://120hours.no

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

120 HOURS operates the world's largest architectural competition for students by students, where global participants have 120 hours to complete design submissions. The student-run organization also maintains a public archive of past entries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Student Architectural Competitions

akta.pro primary industry

Competitive Exam Prep (Olympiads, academic competitions, entrance contests) (EDANABAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Architecture Schools (within Arts & Design institutions) (EDAHAJAG), Academic & Education Conference Organizers (THAHACAE), Portfolio & Audition Preparation (Arts School Admissions) (EDAMAAAK)

Keywords

• Student architectural competition
• Architecture design challenge
• Student design contest
• Architectural submission platform
• Competition archive

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Competition Operations: Revenue model is not explicitly disclosed in the available sources. The organization appears to be a non-profit competition run by students for students, likely funded through sponsorships and partnerships.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

120 Hours operates the world's largest architectural competition exclusively for students, requiring participants to complete design submissions within a 120-hour (5-day) timeframe. The competition is open globally to architecture students and also maintains an online archive of past submissions as a portfolio showcase. The organization is student-run and leverages sponsorships, a professional jury, and a board to operate the annual event.

Product overview

120 HOURS is an organization that operates a single core offering: the 120 Hours Architectural Competition — the world's largest architectural competition designed exclusively for students. Participants have 120 hours (5 days) to complete their submissions. The organization also maintains a Competition Archive that showcases past submissions, functioning as a supplementary module to the main competition product.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• 120 Hours Architectural Competition

Named customers5 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights2 records

Others

• Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA): Professional body that runs RIBA student prizes and competitions for emerging architects. Relevant as an established institution supporting student architectural recognition, but operates as a chartered membership body rather than an open student-run event.
• Architectural Association (AA) School of Architecture: Independent architecture school globally recognized for student-led design culture and intensive studio formats. Relevant institutional comparator for the architectural-student community 120 Hours targets, though operates as a degree-granting school rather than an open competition.

Broad incumbents

• Holcim Awards: Global awards for sustainable design and construction with categories relevant to architecture students. Comparable as a juried architecture recognition program, but broader in scope and operated by a major foundation rather than a student-run community.
• ArchDaily: The largest architecture media platform globally, operating editorial coverage, project publications, and curated 'Building of the Year' competitions. Comparable as a high-traffic distribution channel for architecture content and competitions, though operating as a media company rather than a student event.
• A' Design Award & Competition: Large international design competition covering architecture along with many other disciplines. Overlaps as a globally juried architectural competition, but operates as a paid, multi-category commercial awards program rather than a free student-only event.

Direct peers

• Archiprix International: Hosts an international biennial award for the best graduating architecture student projects worldwide. Closely matches 120 Hours' focus on showcasing student architectural work and surfacing emerging talent to a professional audience.
• International VELUX Award: Biennial student competition on daylight in architecture, open to architecture students globally. Comparable student-architecture competition model, complete with juried evaluation, public archive, and corporate sponsorship backing.
• eVolo: Runs the widely recognized Skyscraper Competition, an annual architecture competition open to students and professionals. Directly comparable as a global, open-entry architecture competition with a published catalogue of submissions, mirroring 120 Hours' format and audience.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/120hours
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/120hours

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about 120 HOURS