In May of 2023, ICON kicked off Phase I of Initiative 99 calling upon students, designers and architects from around the world to help us address the global housing crisis by designing homes that could be built for $99,000 or less with ICON's 3D-printed construction technology. Entries from more than 60 countries were represented in the submissions, and six winners and ten honorable mentions were awarded in March 2024. The first, second, and third place designs in each category were featured in a collection in ICON’s CODEX, a new digital catalog of ready-to-print home architecture.

The top prize winners and honorable mentions of Phase I were subsequently invited to advance their designs within Phase II of Initiative 99. Phase II asked contestants to adapt their designs to site constraints and parameters for construction at Community First! Village. First, second, and third place winners have been awarded in both the open and student categories, as well as three honorable mentions per category. Two of the award-winning designs have also been selected for construction at Community First! Village and will be brought to life in part from grant funding from Wells Fargo. Construction is anticipated to break ground in early 2025.