6. Hampton Beach, New Hampshire
This invitation-only event for master sand sculptors produces exquisite works of art that seem too elaborate, too finely detailed to be made of mere water and sand. (Completed creations do get sprayed with a solution of water and glue to keep them standing for the week or so that they remain on display—illuminated for night viewing.) Local sand-shaper Greg Grady co-organizes the event and, with his “Grady Bunch,” creates a large collection of sculptures saluting the event’s sponsors. June 21–23, 2007; 603/926-8717 or hamptonbeach.org/sandcastle-competition.cfm.7. Havre-Aubert, Magdalen Islands, Quebec
The Concours de Châteaux de Sable features something you don’t often see at big contests: actual sand castles rather than the fanciful people, beasts, and other sand sculptures that predominate elsewhere. Except in the “Free Style” division, each sculpture “must represent a castle.” These edifices rise along the southern shore of Canada’s little-known but lovely Magdalen Islands, which float in the middle of the Gulf of St. Lawrence. August 10–12, chateaux@ilesdelamadeleine.com.
8. Cannon Beach, Oregon
Sandcastle Day began in 1964, partly as a way of helping the town recover from a tsunami the previous year. Everyone from kids to professionals competes in various divisions. Sculptors start right after the morning high tide, work frantically to turn their visions into reality in just a few hours, then watch their creations wash away with the next high tide. So goes life on the beach. June 16; 503/436-2623, ext. 3, or cannonbeach.org.
9. Point Reyes National Seashore, California
The participants in the strictly amateur Sand Sculpture Contest, held over Labor Day weekend, don’t merely take inspiration from the ruggedly scenic surroundings. They take the surroundings themselves. Shells, seaweed, driftwood, and other decorative detritus often wind up incorporated into the sand structures. The sculpting takes place at Drakes Beach, about an hour north of San Francisco. September 2; 415/464-5100 or nps.gov/pore/planyourvisit/events_sandsculpturecontest.htm.
10. Galveston, Texas
What kind of beach castle would an architect build? Spectators find out at the AIA Sandcastle Competition. The 80-some competing teams consist of architects, designers, engineers, and contractors. Most contests prohibit mechanical assistance, but here the sponsor (the Houston Chapter of the American Institute of Architects) allows elaborate forms, mechanized tampers, and water-pumping systems. All of which can make the construction process as entertaining as the finished products. The event takes place at East Beach on the tip of Galveston Island. June 2; 713/520-0155 or aiasandcastle.com.
(Another Texas contest deserves honorable mention: The Texas SandFest in Port Aransas—three days of elaborate sand-shaping in masters, amateurs, youth, and pro-am divisions. April 18–20, 2008; 800/452-6278 or texassandfest.com.)
