In a summer defined by American history, what better place to hold a sand sculpting competition than America’s first public beach?
The 22nd annual Revere Beach International Sand Sculpting Festival, a free event, features sculptors from across the globe competing for a $4,500 cash prize.
The winner is determined by a panel of 12 judges, some on-site and some calling in from around the world. The public also gets to vote on their favorite sculpture. Online voting was scheduled to run through Saturday afternoon.
For Meleneige Beauregard, one of the festival organizers, sand sculpture is deeply personal. She told GBH News she had been sculpting for over 25 years.
“I started with my dad, who is a sculptor,” she said.
Her father, Guy Beauregard, uses sand, snow, ice and wood to create his works, earning more than 50 awards and three world championships in sand sculpting.
Meleneige has forged her own path in sculpting, earning three world titles of her own, as well as scores of awards.
Now that she helps organize competitions, she said, she knows there’s a lot more to it than just the contest. It helps build a “large community of sand sculptors,” particularly because the festival is invite-only for the artists.
The sculptures will be open to the public until 8:00 pm on Sunday, July 19 at Revere Beach.