Do you love spacing out? Here's a competition that rewards people for doing absolutely nothing

Time of India

18-07-2025

Credit: Getty Images
Do you ever just sit... and stare? Not on your phone. Not while a podcast hums in the background.
Just… sit. Breathe. Let the world pass by, and do
absolutely nothing
.
It sounds ridiculous.
But the truth is, it's a concept that different cultures have long recognized, and even cherished, enough to give it a name.
The Dutch call it
Niksen
- the art of intentionally doing nothing, free of guilt or purpose. Italians wax poetic about
dolce far niente
- the sweet pleasure of idleness. In Taoist philosophy, there's
wu wei
- a way of moving through life by not forcing things, by letting go and letting be.
None of these are calls to laziness.
If anything, they're reminders that a pause is necessary and frankly speaking, the need of the hour.
Ours is an era defined by constant pings, endless feeds, and this unrelenting worship of productivity, even stillness has become performative. We 'relax' by watching five episodes straight. We 'rest' by doomscrolling.
Actual idleness, no screen, no sound, no stimulation, is so unfamiliar that it now comes with rules, a venue, and… prizes.
Yes, there's now a competition for doing absolutely nothing.
It's called the Space Out Competition, and yes, it's exactly what it sounds like. A group of people gathering in public, not to run, or speak, or outperform each other, but to sit silently for 90 minutes, eyes open, phones away, doing nothing but existing.
The event was dreamed up in Seoul in 2014 by Korean artist Woopsyang. She had grown exhausted by the pressure to be 'on' all the time, always busy, always creating, always available. So she flipped the script. What if zoning out could be an art form? What if not doing was a kind of performance?
Since then, the competition has popped up in cities around the world, held in open spaces with curious onlookers walking by, unsure if they're witnessing a meditation session or modern protest.
Before the competition begins, participants are asked to stretch a little for 90 minutes of absolute stillness. No speaking. No sudden movements. No falling asleep. No humming, snacking, texting, fidgeting, or even smiling too much. A doctor checks heart rates every 15 minutes. Anyone who breaks the spell, a laugh, a glance at the phone, a sip from an unsanctioned bottle, is quietly escorted out.
And the winner? It's not the one who sits the longest, but the one who spaces out best.
The scoring system is part artistic, part physiological. Ten finalists are chosen based on audience votes, likely for their expressions, their stillness, or their backstory. Then their heart rates are compared. The person with the most stable heartbeat is crowned the champion of doing nothing.
The top prize is a gold-painted trophy shaped like Rodin's
The Thinker
, a certificate, a badge, and an invitation to the next international round. But really, the reward might just be the permission to stop.