A design contest would be really intelligent do run.
What better way to include the pinball community through participation.
Ultimately, I'm guessing Stern would think it's a giant pain in the ass to undertake.

Good idea OP.

By design idea, do you mean a fully built and engineered working Playfield?

Or a fully realized CAD design that COULD be built?

Or a sketch?

Or a “it would be cool if” description”?

Or “you should make Beverly Hillbilly’s pinball — Bubblin’ Crude Multiball! It writes itself!”

This has (kind of) been done.

Keith Elwin designed his own game (Archer). Stern used the design for IMDN.

Scott Danesi designed his own game (TNA). Spooky used the design to manufacture TNA.

I think Stern (or other pinball manufacturer), as a business, is less interested in ideas than execution. It’s one thing to dream, and another thing to create. If you craft a brilliant design and execute it successfully, there may be interest from pinball manufacturers.

So if you’re interested in being part of that experience, man, build a game!

You already can! I think you can vote for your favorite Stern game in a pointless tourney bracket, or submit your game room pic for a chance to win a bag full of XXXL shirts and used pens from trade shows.

This is the key part - Keith and Scott didn’t DESIGN a game, they built one. Sure, things had to change for production, but they built a fully working game. AND THEN got really lucky.

Yes 100 times over. I’m in the animation industry and people are always talking about their ideas and sending me their scripts. We have enough idea-guys thanks. We are more interested in those that do.