The question.
What does the internet make when it has to share one physical surface? Skin of the Year is a collaborative image experiment made from hundreds of tiny contributions. On October 1, 2026, the grid locks. I’ll turn the finished canvas into one physical iPhone 17 Pro Max skin, put it on my own phone, and live with the result for about a year.
How the test works.
Each contributor chooses a block, uploads a JPG, and adds one visual input to the same continuous image. Bigger packs give an image more room to develop. Every tile costs US$5, and the placement stays visible as the experiment fills in.
What you get.
You’re buying a place in the digital artwork, not a physical product. After the canvas locks, you’ll get the finished artwork, a wallpaper version, and a certificate showing your coordinates. No physical skins are shipped to contributors.
The honest economics.
This is a real paid art project, not a charity or a prize draw. The project’s creator keeps proceeds after Stripe, hosting, printing, tax, and other operating expenses. The price helps make the experiment possible and gives the final object a clear record of who participated.
Where the idea comes from.
The concept follows a lineage started by The Million Dollar Homepage and carried forward in playful new forms by brandmymac.com. This edition turns internet real estate into a physical test: one object that gets scratched, handled, photographed, and carried through the real world.
A printer-shaped variable.
The interactive phone is a working placeholder until the final printer-supplied iPhone 17 Pro Max model and skin template are verified. The cell geometry remains configurable while the physical dimensions are being finalized. The rules explain how those practical changes are handled.
Join the experiment