Sand Sculpting contest now in its 17th year

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 29: Grab your buckets, spades and spatulas as the annual Sand Sculpture Competition is almost upon us.

The popular family event is now in its 17th year and this week is the last chance to enter the competition. It takes place this Saturday on Horseshoe Bay from 10am to 4pm followed by judging and prizes.

This year’s event is being supported by the Department of Tourism for the seventh year and includes an overall cash prize of $500 as well as smaller prizes.

For those wanting to brush up their skills there will be sand sculpting clinics on Thursday, August 30 and Friday, August 31 one hour before sundown.

There will be no professional sand sculpturers coming to the island this year due to budget constraints but there will be an entry by long-term enthusiast Hannah Strange who won the competition last year with her sculpture of an octopus eating sushi (pictured left). Competition organizer Nicky Gurret also hopes to create a sculpture. 

Gurret said she never believed that the competition would last this long. She brought it to the island as a member of the council of the Institute of Bermuda Architects after seeing a similar event in the States.

She told the Bermuda Sun: “It something that people love to come out and see — it’s like performance art. It brings out the inner child in all of us. There is something free and innocent about it and it comes at no cost.”

The categories are Families; Children 12 Years and Under; Teenagers Aged 13 to 19 Years; Open; Company/Organization and Tourist.

Building time is limited to 10am to 4pm in a building lots area of 12 feet by 12 feet. Each team is limited to six entrants and there can only be one category per team.

A panel of three judges will begin judging at 4pm and there will be cash prizes in each category and an overall winner prize of $500.

The first 40 entrants will be given a pile of sand to work with so they don’t have to collect it themselves.

The competition takes place Entry is free and forms are available from [email protected].