| Hampton Sand Sculpting Celebrates 11th Year |
The Hampton Beach Master Sand Sculpting Competition in
UPDATE: 2011 HAMPTON SAND SCULTURE WINNER ANNOUNCED
The 11th Annual Master Sand Sculpting Competition in

Karen Fralich from
The "People's Choice" Award was given to Michel Lepire from
The "Sculptor's Choice" Award was given to Marc Lepire for his piece, "Phase Shifter."
The sculptures this year ranged from a heartwarming set of hands holding baby's feet to a depiction of the Old Woman in the Shoe to a nod to Boston Bruins' with a sculpture of M.V.P. Tim Thomas.
The sculptors carved over three days, from June 23-25, to complete their own private sculpture using 10 tons of sand. Voting took place and awards were given out on Saturday, June 25 and the Awards Presentation took place at 8 p.m. on the Sea Shell Stage. The band the Continentals provided musical entertainment.
The sculptures will remain on display through June 29th, and will be lit for night viewing.
ORIGINAL ARTICLE
"This isn't about building sand castles, no matter how incredible they might be," says Greg Grady, event coordinator, and himself a master sculptor. "These artists have an extremely high degree of skill, creating art that is both unique and sophisticated. They are continually pushing themselves to the next level. We never know what they are going to attempt from year to year, and that's part of the excitement of this competition."
The sculptors use nothing but sand, water, and a few plastic or wooden forms to allow them to initially build their masterpieces up high (the forms are later removed). Past creations have featured elaborately detailed mermaids, Roman pavilions, knitting grandmothers, mythical forest figures, pirates, buddhas and dragons--to name a few.
The Hampton Beach Master Sand Sculpting Championship is the longest running solo master sand sculpting event in
The sculptors have a total of 21 hours over three days to complete their sculptures. They are each given their own private plot and 10 tons of sand to work with. Sculptors carved their works from June 18-25, with voting and awards given out on the evening of the 25th, followed by fireworks. The sculptures will remain on display through June 29th, and will be lit for night viewing.
Once again, sculptors are competing not only for the HamptonBeach contest's $15,000 in prize money, but also to qualify for the World Championships. The winner here will get an all-expenses paid trip to the Worlds, to be held atFort
This year, visitors will also be excited to see the extensive improvements underway at
In the meantime, all eyes are on another type of transformation--watching tons of sand be reworked into creations both fanciful and lifelike. While beach goers fervently hope for sun, Grady notes that rainy days are perfect days for viewing the sand sculptures. "Rain actually strengthens the sculptures, so if it rains, come on down and see some magic on the beach." To learn more about the Sand Sculpting Competition, and the many other activities at