Sand Masters

Last weekend we headed up to Hampton Beach for the 8th Annual Master Sand Sculpting Competition. I was very excited to attend as I'd wanted to see these ever since they started to compete at Hampton and also since seeing the show on the Travel Channel "Sand Blasters".

For the Hampton Beach competition, the artists have two segments that they do. The first is a giant group project that consists of a bunch of different sculptures paying homage to the event's advertisers/sponsors. The second segment is a 21-hour individual competition in which each artists works on their individual creation until 4:00 PM on the last day. At that point time is up whether they have finished or not. There are several cash awards consisting of the top 5 sculptors and then the People's Choice Award.

During the voting for the People's Choice Award, beachgoers get in line to take a ticket (admission is free). They then walk down the row of sculptures and cast their vote on the way out. Steve and I voted for different ones, and the one that he chose is the one that achieved the People's Choice Award (well deserved, but as you'll see I went for clever over technical detail).

Here are some shots of the overall winner, the giant group project, and Steve & I's choices for the People's Choice Award.

Overall Winner: Japanese Garden


Shot of the Group Project


Steve's Favorite: Tropical Paradise


My Favorite: Salvadore, Daili, Llama (get it?)


I had a fantastic time and I will definitely be going again next year. If you're looking for a summer activity that's fun and inexpensive, I highly recommend attending one of these events. Hampton Beach's will be from June 12-25 next year, so be sure to go!