Lovehoney competition asks designers to imagine sex toys of the future

Lovehoney, the British company that specialises in sex toys, lingerie and erotic gifts, has launched its latest design competition, this time asking entrants to think up sex toys of the future.

The brief for the Future Sex 2030 competition is “to design a sex toy which we will be using in 10 years’ time.” Entries will be divided into three categories: those from students, designers and members of the public. The winner of each group will be awarded £5,000, as well as the possibility for further paydays if the design is successfully put into production.

“If we get a design which brings something completely new to the market, there is no reason why the designer cannot enjoy the same payday [as previous winners],” says Lovehoney’s product director Bonny Hall.

Previous winner Trevor Murphy amassed over £320,000 in royalties from the sale of his winning design, Sqweel. The former artist used animation software to sketch out his ideas – which is now the world’s best-selling toy of its kind – over the course of two days.

This year, judges have encouraged entrants to push past the sense of touch. “[The design] could incorporate elements of scent, sound, sight, communication or meditation,” says competition judge, sex educator and writer Alix Fox.

“[We want designers to] look for gaps in the market… is there a challenging sexual situation many people face that they could help improve or solve?”

Designers looking to enter the competition do not need to prototype their design. “All we need is a great idea and a rough sketch,” says Hall, adding that the production and testing processes for the winning design will be handled by Lovehoney’s in house product development team.

The Future Sex 2030 competition is open now and will close for entries February 2020. Designs should be submitted to the Lovehoney competition website.