Love To Relax? Do Absolutely Nothing For 90 Minutes & Win Big At The 'Space-Out' Competition

Picture this: a world where the ultimate champion isn't the fastest or the strongest, but the one who masters the fine art of doing absolutely nothing. Well, guess what? There's actually a competition where you can win a prize for doing nothing but zoning out! Sounds unbelievable, right? Welcome to the Do Nothing Competition, where laziness isn't just a hobby, it's a sport!

Do absolutely nothing, & win big

The annual 'Space-Out' competition, also known as the 'Do Nothing' competition, took place in South Korea on Sunday, celebrating the art of doing absolutely nothing.

So, who wins this quirky contest? It's the person who can zone out for 90 minutes without falling asleep, checking their phone, or talking.

As strange as it sounds, participants' heart rates are monitored while onlookers vote for their top 10 favorites. The contestant with the most stable heart rate among the top 10 takes home the trophy!

Space Out Competition

More than 4,000 individuals applied to participate in this year's competition among whom 117 contestants were selected, spanning from a second-grade child to individuals in their 60s.

For many participants, the event served as a respite from burnout and stress, commonly experienced in a country with high academic pressure and an intense drive for success.

Kwak Yoon-gy, a 34-year-old speed skater and double Olympic silver medalist who secured third place, shared his perspective: "I tried out for the Olympics five times and have never taken a proper rest while training for 30 years."

Winner of Do Nothing Competition, 2024/ Charlie Miller, CNN

The winner of this year's competition in Seoul was freelance announcer Kwon So-a, known for juggling multiple jobs. She was awarded a trophy resembling the Auguste Rodin sculpture "The Thinker."

How was this competition introduced?

The Space-out competition was born out of a visual artist's burnout experience. Known as Woopsyang, she had an epiphany about the value of doing nothing while she herself was battling anxiety from comparing herself to busy people.

Realising others might crave the same idle moments, she founded the contest, aiming for a collective pause amid the rush of life.

She says, "This contest tells you that spacing out is no longer a waste of time but a time that you really need."

Do Nothing Competition/ sankei.com

The contest challenges the notion of "doing nothing," rejecting the idea that spacing out is a waste of time in our hectic modern world and instead transforms it into a valuable pursuit.

Woopsyang described the competition as a form of performance art, saying, "Although the contestants are staying still inside the competition venue, the audience is constantly moving around."

Since its inception in Seoul in 2014, the Space-out competition has gone global, with events in cities like Beijing, Rotterdam, Taipei, Hong Kong, and Tokyo.

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