Inside the 2026 Million Dollar Pool Design Challenge

The Million Dollar Pool Design Challenge is back for its sixth year, giving designers the same client, property and ambitious project brief—and challenging them to show how they would solve it.

In this episode of the Pool Magazine Podcast, host Joe Trusty sits down with competition co-founder Mike Farley to discuss how the Challenge has evolved, why you don't have to be an elite designer to enter, and why Farley believes learning from other competitors can be just as valuable as winning.

Farley also breaks down this year's Siltstone Estate scenario in Louisiana, the challenges designers will have to solve, how design and visualization tools have changed over the years, and why competitors still need to show the thinking behind their work. The conversation also explores how the Challenge has helped designers grow their skills, gain industry recognition and, in some cases, turn a strong showing into new career opportunities.

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