World Championships of Sand Sculpture

I have always admired ice sculptures and realized how similar sand sculptures are, and I discoverd that some ice sculptors also sculpt sand. The World Championships of Sand Sculpture are held each year in Harrison Hot Springs, British Columbia, Canada beginning the first Tuesday of September and ending the following Saturday. Scultures remain up until the beginning of October.

About
The World Championships of Sand Sculpture draw about 300 participants who compete in one of three classes and event participation is limited to master sculptors/carvers, who have years of carving and sculpting experience. The event is held in Harrison Hot Springs because there is no tide to wash away the art (it's a lake beach), and the sand is angular mountain silt, instead of round ocean sand, which makes it easier to sculpt. There are about 200 smaller competitions in North America where ameteurs can compete, and several other competitions around the globe.

Master Team Class

-Teams are between 2 and 10 people

-100 person hours per team
-2007 Champion: Sandboxers - Victoria, BC, Canada

Master Doubles Class

-Two people

-50 person hours
-2007 Champion: Michel deKok & Nicola Woods

Master Solo Class

-One person

-22 person hours
-2007 Champion: Dan Belcher (winner 3 years in a row)- St. Louis, MO, USA

How Sand Scultpures Are Made

The sculptors first create a plan of what they want to make, complete with drawings. At the beach, they shouvel sand into forms and add plenty of water, or they stack wet sand into the desired general shape. Tamping, or compacting the sand is performed between layers, until all the needed sand is formed and compacted. Sculpting starts at the top and the forms are removed as the carving progresses to the ground.

World Championships of Sand Sculpture

http://www.harrisand.org/