The competition between countries to attract tourists can reach giddy heights (yes, there is also a much-used formula reaching sober lows). No one though can offer what Sweden is – the chance to own a Swedish island (for one year) for your own private use.

Because Sweden has 267,570 islands. It’s happy to give away five. The idea, by Visit Sweden in partnership with the National Property Board, comes from a global YouGov survey found that people are drawn to silence, fresh air, and free access to nature. 77% said they would consider visiting a Swedish island. 44% of respondents said they would gladly escape the crowds by going to their own island. In Germany and France, one in five even admits they’d appreciate some time away from their life partner.

The initiative, Your Swedish Island, invites international travellers to apply to become custodians of one of five islands, each wonderfully secluded, yet close enough to a local community for essentials – whether it’s picking up groceries, posting a letter, or joining a traditional midsummer celebration. Their “ownership” comes with a formal usage certificate issued in partnership with Statens fastighetsverk. The application simply involves uploading a video explaining why they deserve a one-year right to use one of the five selected islands. A jury will select successful applicants based on creativity and personal motivation, with a travel voucher worth up to 20,000 Swedish kronor (approx. AU $3,123.25) for round-trip flights to Sweden.

They five islands span Sweden’s diverse geography from inland lake islands to windswept skerries in the archipelagos. Tjuvholmen, near Lake Vänern, is fringed by pine and spruce woodland with gulls, terns and sea eagles overhead. Medbådan, shaped by the last Ice Age, offers calm water ideal for canoeing and swimming. Skötbådan is a low rocky stretch once used by fishermen anchoring herring nets. Storberget is a rugged granite outcrop shaped by open sea. And Marsten is where pale stone and sparse vegetation meet open sky close to the mainland balance to solitude with access.

Applications are open until April 17.