Winners of The North American Sand Sculpting Championship, a featured event in the 37th Virginia Beach Neptune Festival were announced Friday evening. The event is one of the world's largest sand sculpting competitions.
The Virginia Beach Neptune Festival Boardwalk Weekend is held annually on the last weekend in September, and is recognized as one of the Top 100 Events in North America. The festival takes place along the oceanfront boardwalk, from 2nd Street to 36th Street. Over 500,000 visitors attend the festival each year.
Sand Sculpture of King Neptune by Ilya Filimontsev by Photo credit: Meryl Ann Butler
The invitational sand sculpting competition with a cash purse of over $50,000 drew artists from 11 countries. The Neptune Festival invites participants who have competed and placed well in other respected sand sculpting competitions.
Sand sculpture detail. Dan Belcher (USA) & Benjamin Probanza (Mexico) by Photo credit: Meryl Ann Butler
Professional sand sculptures are judged according to skill of construction, originality, strongest impact, and overall presentation. Competitors have 24 hours over three days to complete their sculptures.
The third place prize for Solo Professionals ($3,000) went to "Poor Planning" by Walter MacDonald.
Poor Planning by Walter MacDonald by Photo credit: Meryl Ann Butler
John Gowdy (Italy/N.J.) won the $5,000 for first place in the Solo Professionals category for "Love Never Grows Old." A retired firefighter, he is now a professional artist, painting and carving in both marble and sand. Gowdy conducted free "No Hassle Sandcastle" clinics on sand sculpting which were open to the public prior to the festival.
Love Never Grows Old by John Goudy by Photo credit: Meryl Ann Butler
Edith van de Wetering and Wilfred Stijger of The Netherlands won $9,000 for first place in the TEAM professionals in the master's division for their sculpture, "Carpe Diem."
Edith has been a sand sculptor since 1993 and is her 4th year competing at the Neptune Festival. Wilfred has been a sand sculptor since 1989. They won 1st place at the 2009 International Sandskulpturen-festival Rorschach, Switzerland.
Carpe Diem Edith van de Wetering and Wilfred Stijger (West side) by Photo credit: Meryl Ann Butler
Carpe Diem Edith van de Wetering and Wilfred Stijger (Eastt side) by Photo credit: Meryl Ann Butler
Carpe Diem also took the Sculptor's Choice and Neptune's Choice awards for Teams.
On Wednesday Sept. 22, the sand and water mixtures packed in forms gave little clue to their imminent incarnations as Jill Harris and Thomas Koet (USA) prepared for their sand sculpture.
Harris and Koet's "Flamenco" won the fifth place prize for Team Professionals ($1,000).
The fourth place prize for Team Professionals ($3,000) went to "Celtic Sisters" by Karen Fralich (Canada) and Sue McGrew (USA).
Flamenco by Jill Harris and Thomas Koet (USA) by Photo credit: Meryl Ann Butler
The oil spill was also the topic of "Save the Sea" by Sudarsan Pattnaik (India.) It won fifth place for Solo Professionals ($1,000) and depicts King Neptune rising from the Sea to discover oil spillage. It also won the Neptune's Choice and Sculptor's Choice Solo awards.
Save the Sea by Sudarsan Pattnaik by Photo credit: Meryl Ann Butler
The second place prize for Solo Professionals ($4,000) went to Rich Varano for "Cascadia: A Sand Fantasea."
Cascadia: A Sand Fantasea by Rich Varano by Photo credit: Meryl Ann Butler
The fourth place prize for Solo Professionals ($2,000) went to "Glory Lost and Restored" by Matt Diebert.
More amazing sand art at www.opednews.com
Amazing works of art! So hard to believe these are made from sand and water. Nothing like any sand art I have ever made or had the patience to attempt.
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