Coming To A Beach Near You: Sand Sculpting
March 5, 2011 Hout Bay, South Africa
Hout Bay Sandcastle Competition
Whether you’re a professional sand artist, an amateur castle creative or just love the feeling of beach sand between your fingers and toes, this is a day not to be missed. The annual contest, organised by Hout Bay’s Valley Pre-Primary School, is celebrating its 15th year. Building sandcastles is the order of the day but families can also enjoy activities such as face painting, pony rides, balloon artists, jumping castles, magicians, food stalls and other entertainment.
Registration is at 8.30am at Hout Bay beach on the day and the competition kicks off at 9.30am and runs until 1pm. Prizes will be given to winners in each category as selected by celebrity judges. Funds raised at this annual competition go toward improving facilities and sponsoring underprivileged children at Valley Pre-Primary school and Hout Bay Educare Centre in the Hangberg area.
March 12-27 Doha, Qatar
QATAR MARINE FESTIVAL
The Qatar Marine Festival (QMF) takes place at Cultural Village Foundation (Katara), with a wide range of family-oriented attractions on offer to visitors including ‘Sands Kingdom,’ which features 10 internationally-renowned artists crafting sand sculptures from the ground up. 10 artists work in five pairs creating sculptures on the theme of Qatar’s marine heritage. This week, the sand sculptors go head-to-head fashioning individual sculptures on endangered marine species and marine life.
Visitors will be given the opportunity to judge the works of the artists in high-tech ‘video booths’.
Additionally, every evening from 7-9pm, the sculptors will be taking time out from their own labour of love to conduct family sand sculpture workshops where visitors can create their own works of art under the supervision of the professionals. 4:00pm until late through 3/27.
April 15-17, 2011 Port Aransas, TX
TEXAS SAND FEST
SandFest has 24 Master Sculptors competing in 2011. It has become the largest Master Sand Sculpting Competition in the US!!!! SandFest is spread over three days, with a solo and a duo master’s contest and one day with over 200 amateur sculptors.
April 15 – June 15 Algarve, Portugal
9TH ANNUAL INTERNATIONAL SAND SCULPTURE FESTIVAL
The festival is unique in the Iberian Peninsula and is considered the largest festival of sand sculpture in the world, by the size of his sculptures and the area occupied by them. Every year, a group of talented sculptors, from various parts of the world and experts in the art of sculpting sand, joins to form thirty-five thousand tons of sand, an area of fifteen thousand square meters.
June 4, 2011 Galveston, TX
A1A SANDCASTLE COMPETITION
The American Institute of Architects is celebrating its 25th annual SandCastle Competition on Galveston’s East Beach. Watch as teams of architects, designers, and engineers vie for what is considered one of the world’s largest sandcastle competitions, organized by the Houston Chapter of the American Institute of Architects (AIA). This year over 60 teams have their eyes and shovels set on winning the prestigious Gold Bucket Award.
On the day of the event the teams, stretched along the beach front, meticulously sculpt their piles of sand and work non-stop for five hours. The judging of all sculptures is rated on originality of concept, artistic execution of the concept, technical difficulty, carving technique, and utilization of the site. In addition to the Gold Bucket, best team t-shirt design, best team signage, best costume, and public favorite.
Awards are given in 8 different themed categories:
1. That’s Entertainment
2. Let the Games Begin
3. Stars and Stripes
4. Most Complex
5. Best Traditional
6. Best Architectural
7. Most Hilarious
8. Most Lifelike / Realistic
June 18, 2011 Cannon Beach, OR
CANNON BEACH SANDCASTLE CONTEST
Image by George Vetter
It’s hard to tell whether the participants or the spectators enjoy this event more. It all begins just after the early morning high tide, and ends as the next high tide reclaims the beach. Anyone can participate. The emphasis is on fun. Contestants pre-register online, as individuals or as teams by age group, and are judged not only on the finished product, but also on enthusiasm and teamwork.
The rules are simple. Contestants must stay within their designated plot (20′x 20′ for adults). No sand may be added or removed from the plot. Only materials natural to the beach may be used in the finished sculpture. Plots and judging are organized into divisions by age, individual or team, and building instruments, such as forms, used.
July 11, 2011 Belmar, NJ
25th Annual New Jersey Sandcastle Contest
New Jersey’s largest sand sculpting event! Building runs form 8:00am – 2:00pm at Belmar’s 18th Avenue beach. The competition is free and open to participants of all ages. Three prize places are awarded in six individual categories:
- 7 and under
- 8 to 11
- 12 to 15
- 16 and up
- Family
- Day Camps
There is also a “Best on the Beach” award. Spend a fun day at the beach – free giveaways, drinks, snacks,
music and more!
July 16, 2011 Weston-super-Mare, UK
25th Annual New Jersey Sandcastle
RIBA South West, RIBA Bristol & Bath Branch, RSAW and Design Circle (RSAW South) bring you the 2011 Architectural Sandcastle Competition for budding young designers and those with a little more experience to engage in some light-hearted competition on the sands of Weston-super-Mare, next to the seaquarium. 1pm – 5pm.
There will be four categories:
- Tallest sand structure
- Most technically daring
- Best overall scheme
- and the publically voted People’s choice.
Teams should consist of up to six members and children are more than welcome to take part. Each team should provide their own equipment; buckets, spades and any other tools that are to be used (please note: motorised diggers are not allowed).
July 16-17, 2011 Parksville, BC, Canada
QUALITY FOODS CANADIAN OPEN SAND SCULPTING COMPETITION & EXHIBITION
A world class event for Master Sand Sculptors, this event is an official qualifying event for the World Championship of Sand Sculpting in Federal Way, Washington! Master Sand Sculptors travel from all corners of the globe to participate in our remarkable competition and exhibition in Parksville, British Columbia, Canada. Sculptors have 24 hours over three days to create their masterpieces from just sand and water (and a lot of ingenuity!)
July 20-24 Long Beach, WA
SANDSATIONS SAND SCULPTURE CONTEST
2011 is Sandsations 27th year of family sandcastle building and entertainment on the beach in Long Beach, WA. FREE sculpting lessons on Friday, followed by a beach bonfire Friday night. Saturday is the big day, with five hours of sculpting on the beach and the Sand Flea Pet Parade. Prizes and notoriety are guaranteed!
Also, four Masters artists will build sand scultures in downtown Long Beach on Wednesday, culminating Friday afternoon with a sculpture you can stand in to have your photo taken for your holiday cards and scrapbooks. This is a great opportunity to watch masters artists in an environment where time is less of an obstacle to their building and they’ll be able to answer questions. There will also be a children’s learning play area and our Sandsations trailer will be on hand for early registration, purchase of Sandsations t-shirts, hoodies, and baseball caps. The sculptures will be on display through Sunday 6:00 pm
July 22-23, 2011 Imperial Beach, CA
THE US OPEN SANDCASTLE CHAMPIONSHIP
Visitors stroll up and down Seacoast Drive, closed to traffic for the event, taking in the entertainment, food, arts and crafts, and other experiences the U.S. Open Sandcastle Competition has to offer. The musical entertainment, selected from a wide variety of family friendly local acts, draws a huge crowd every year. The Kids-N-Kastles Competition is held on Saturday afternoon.
On Sunday, the official U.S. Open Sandcastle Competition will be held. Professional and amateur sand carving teams throughout the U.S. will compete in the sandcastle building competition with more than $21,000 in cash prizes. Sandcastle building begins at 9:00am and concludes at 2:00pm. Sculptures are only available for viewing until 4:00pm due to the tides.
August 6, 2011 Amagansett, NY
20TH ANNUAL EAST HAMPTON SANDCASTLE CONTEST
East Hampton’s Clamshell Foundation presents the 20th annual East Hampton SandCastle Contest FROM 9:00AM – 4:00PM. Talented, creative and fun loving people of all ages will compete on the beach in five categories for who can build the best sandcastle. Trophies and prizes are awarded in each of the 5 categories.
October 19-23, 2011 South Padre Island, TX
SOUTH PADRE ISLAND SAND CASTLE DAYS
Amateur and professional sand sculptors from all over the world descend on South Padre Island every year to create beautiful works of art using natural elements of the beach. The not-for-profit event showcases the artwork and an appreciation for the coastal environment, and donates to organizations helping to preserve it.
Masters of Sand – Twenty four of the best sand sculptors in the world will work their magic in Isla Blanca Park for three days on the shores of the beautiful Gulf of Mexico. This South Padre Island family festival has become one of the biggest and best international sand sculpture competitions in the United States!
Mid-November, Dates TBD Fort Myers, FL
THE 25TH ANNUAL AMERICAN SAND SCULPTING CHAMPIONSHIP FESTIVAL
Mid-November, Dates TBD Fort Myers, FL
WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP OF SAND SCULPTING
For the second time in history, The World Championship of Sand Sculpting, the largest gathering of sand sculptors in the world, will be in the United States! You’ll see master sand sculptors from across the globe competing to create glorious works of art out of nothing more than sand and water. You’ll see a competition where the contestants must have the physical ability of an athlete and the precision of a surgeon. Each, whether team or solo, must move their sand by the shovel full into forms, compact it, and carve to completion within a set time frame.
To travelers from all around the globe, Fort Myers Beach has world class sand. “The beaches of England are quite rubbish and they don’t have many shells. So I was expecting it to be a little like England, but its not. It’s much better,” said Caitlin Devereaux, who is visiting Fort Myers Beach from England. In fact it’s so much better that a stretch of Fort Myers Beach will be the home of the 2011 World Championship of Sand Sculpting. Works of art will be on display right behind the Holiday Inn, bringing in at least 60 international artists to the fierce competition. The 10-day event is expected to bring out hundreds of thousands of people to Fort Myers Beach, pumping millions of dollars into the economy.
October 1, 2011 (TBD) Ocean Beach, San Francisco, CA
28th Annual Leap Sandcastle Contest
The Leap Sandcastle Contest is Northern California’s largest sandcastle building event. Leap hosts this spirited competition between teams of architects, engineers, contractors, designers and local elementary school students each October at Ocean Beach. With proceeds from sponsors and team fundraising, Leap serves over 6,500 students in over 25 schools across the Bay Area with hands-on learning experiences in art and architecture. This event is a fundraiser, but admission is free. Be there, from 10:00am – 4:00pm, for another exciting competition showcasing the Bay Area’s most enthusiastic young minds!
