The Japanese organisers say the tournament aims to draw attention to sleep deprivation in the country.Getting paid to sleep may sound like the easiest job in the world, but a new competition in Japan is set to prove that winning while snoozing is anything but simple.A Japanese mattress company is organising a competitive sleeping tournament in Tokyo, where the best sleeper could walk away with a prize of 2.22 million Yen (around Rs 13.76 lakh). The catch? Contestants must prove they can fall into deep, stable, high-quality sleep within a 90-minute session.The tournament is scheduled for Share Green Minami Aoyama in Tokyo on October 5, 2026.Rules of the gameAccording to the press release, every competitor will use a sleep-tracking device. During the 90-minute power-napping session, organisers will monitor sleep depth, overall quality, stability, and how long it takes participants to drift off.Contestants also won’t be able to simply turn up, lie down, and start sleeping. Before each session, they will have to complete a series of pre-sleep exercises.To make things even less predictable, each participant will be given a randomly selected “sleep item” that could affect their performance.Rules also prevent contestants from gaming the competition. Participants are prohibited from deliberately staying awake all night or showing up excessively sleep-deprived to fall asleep faster. That means pulling an all-nighter beforehand, taking sleeping pills or using other medication to induce sleep won’t be allowed.Story continues below this adOrganisers have also warned that sudden sleep disturbances may occur during each race. The idea is to see whether contestants can maintain their sleep despite unexpected distractions.Awards for the contestMedical staff will assess the data collected during the session to determine who performed best.Several special prizes will also be awarded, including the Deep Sleep Dive Award for sleep depth and the Sleep-Turning Acrobat Award for participants who manage to sleep in unusual positions.Participation is free, and applications are open until September 16. Three competition sessions are planned, with around 20 contestants selected by lottery for each race.Story continues below this adThe Japanese organisers say the tournament aims to draw attention to sleep deprivation in the country, where average sleep duration is among the lowest in the world.This isn’t the first unusual sleeping competition to make headlines. In March, China also hosted an outdoor sleeping event offering cash prizes as part of an effort to highlight the importance of getting enough rest.