Ticket to Ride

That's what we had on Saturday with a day trip to view the 2026 Hampton Beach (NH) Sand Sculpting Classic. Nashua, NH, Transit System ran 2 buses that left and returned to the transit center. The $10 roundtrip cost was less than driving and paying for parking. 

The one downside was that traveling on a city bus for over an hour can be a bit uncomfortable as these are definitely not tour buses. But, we had a fun adventure and were joined by several friends which included other mill apartment residents.

The 3-day competition, sponsored by the Hampton Beach Village District, ran June 18-20. It brought together 10 master sand sculptors each working to bring their artistic visions to life in sand while knowing their creations would be short-lived.

The artistic creativity of these sand sculptors was amazing and the details in their work was unbelievable so realistic from the scales on a snake, a cat’s fur and the facial expressions.

Sponsorship sculptures created by The Grady Bunch

Each year there’s a sponsored theme. This year, it was From Sea to Shining Sea – America 250. Sponsorship sculptures aren’t created by competition sculptors, but are done ahead of time by competition organizer/master sculptor Greg Grady, Sr and his team, The Grady Bunch, who worked with 100 tons of sand to create the sculptures.

This year, the large sponsor site paid tribute to key symbols and figures in American history, including the Declaration of Independence, the bald eagle, Martin Luther King Jr., Benjamin Franklin, a Statue‑of‑Liberty‑inspired mermaid and Rosie the Riveter, representing women who powered the nation’s factories and shipyards during WW II.

The NH state motto was displayed in Live Free or Die which featured Revolutionary War hero John Stark on horseback. 

26 Annual Hampton Beach Classic master sand sculptors from the U.S. (4), Russia (2), Latvia (2) and Canada (2).

Sculptors had three days to sculpt their masterpieces. There were 10 sand sculptures. It's a do-it-yourself competition and start and finish times must be followed. Only sand or water are, no lewd, rude or crude sculptures are allowed. Entries are judged on overall impact, technical skill and degree of difficulty. Along with battling the clock, this year sculptors dealt with the elements. Day one brought a torrential downpour, high winds on day two, and scattered showers on day three.

Judging a sand sculpture can be subjective, but there's a critical element — the Wow factor. Others include: artistic merit, originality, quality as a work of art, accurate proportions, expressive faces, degree of difficulty, technical skills, plot area and sand use.

Winners were announced late Saturday afternoon and are selected by an official panel of judges when the competition time expires.

Canadian sculptor Abe Waterman took first place and the Sculptors' Choice Award for his 21-foot-tall piece, The Height of Stupidity. The winning design set a Hampton Beach height record and earned Waterman the top $6,000 prize and the Sculptors Choice Award voted on by fellow competing sculptors.

The Height of Stupidity took 1st place and towered 20 feet

The towering sculpture depicts an AI‑powered robotic arm holding a skull toward the sky. Below it, Waterman carved human figures with their heads buried in the sand. He used scaffolding to reach the top and worked down. 

The sculpture's height was the tallest one this year. According to event organizers it was a "Hampton Beach record." Last year, Waterman created a 16-foot sculpture. Waterman previously won the Hampton Beach contest in 2018 and 2021.

Spiritual Affinity garnered the second place prize

Second place and a prize of $4,000 was awarded to Spiritual Affinity by Dmitry Klimenko from Saint Petersburg, Russia. Klimenko's sculpture shows two figures standing back‑to‑back, their garments and hair intertwined, with an owl perched between them.

Third place went to The Birth of Venus

Third place prize of $3,000 went to another Russian sculptor, Ilya Filimonstev from Moscow won for The Birth of Venus. The sculptor said he drew inspiration from both Hampton Beach and the famous Botticelli painting of the same name.

Waiting for the Sunrise captured fourth place, The People Choice and Governor's Awards

Waiting for the Sunset by Karlis Ile of Riga, Latvia, was the fourth place winner. The front of the sculpture shows the backs of a man and woman with a dog beside them as they watch the sunset. Walking around the other side, the dog is no longer with them in life, but remains present in spirit. The side facing the boardwalk shows them as a younger couple.

The public voted for the People's Choice awards at the competition end

The sculpture won two other awards as well — the People's Choice Award and NH Governor Kelly Ayote selected it for the Governor’s Choice Award. After the competition ended, Hampton beachgoers were allowed in the area to cast ballots for their favorite sculpture.

Go with the Flow was done by the 2025 winner

Last year’s winner, a Hampton Beach favorite, Mélineige Beauregard, a native of Canada who now resides in FL, created Go with the Flow. Her intricate piece shows a woman rising from a swirling, circular form that looks part wave, part vortex. She had to recreate the sculpture after torrential downpours washed away much of the first day’s work. 

Ancestral Knowledge was by a long-time sand sculpter

Carl Jara of Cleveland, OH, said that he used the stormy first day as his “pound‑up day” to pack and shape the forms of his sculpture, Ancestral Knowledge. He was the only competitor to have competed in all 26 years of the competition.

Even though, other sculptures didn't win an award this year, their creations were still quite amazing and among my personal favorites.

Puss N Boots was the most whimsical creation 

Five‑time world champion Karen Fralich brought a dose of fun with Puss 'N Bolts, a playful spin on the fairy tale "Puss in Boots." The piece was inspired by kitty cats and steampunk. Puss is wearing a catnip machine and on the back, there’s a reservoir with catnip in it. The dial shows it's nearly full so he looks happy.

The sculptor of Revival drew inspiration from the myth of Medusa

Agnese Rudzite from Latvia  is an internationally acclaimed sculptor. Her sculpture, Revival, draws from the tragic myth of Medusa, a woman violated by Poseidon, then punished by being transformed into a Gorgon with venomous snakes for hair and a gaze that turned onlookers to stone. A central theme in her work is the female figure. Rudzite sculpted Meduca as breaking away from the evil snakes and transforming back to a beautiful woman.

Joon Park was a first time participant with Born to Be

Born to Be was the creation of Joon Park is known as “JP” or the “JP Sandman” from California. His  sculpture depicts a young boy prince wearing a paper crown, positioned between two halves of the king he eventually becomes.

Justin Gordon was the sole sand sculptor from New England

New England was represented by Justin Gordon, a self-taught sculptor, from Gloveland, MA. His piece titled One Nation Under God had been heavily damaged by the rainstorm and large portions had to be redone. 

The sand sculptures are still available for viewing. All, including the sponsor site in honor of America's 250th, will remain on display through June 28 and are lighted for nightly viewing. Here's more information about the sculptures:

What are the sculptures made of?

Sand and water. Grains of sand are kept in contact with each other by compacting them together with water as the bonding agent. 

Beach sand is not used

Hampton Beach has round grains.Flat grains of sand compact and retain water better than round and will offer a more stable and longer lasting finished produce.The sand, 250 tons was delivered to the boardwalk from a NH quarry, then moved to the beach. Each sculptor was given 12 tons of sand and a plot size of 18 feet x 18 feet.

How do they stay together?

Sun, wind and gravity are enemies as the water canl drain and evaporate from the sun, allowing wind to blow it away. A wind screen is sprayed on the exterior shell after completion, a mix of school glue and water is the most common method. Rain isn't harmful to the sculpture if it's not torrential. A heavy rain can result in loss of fine detail as what happened last Friday.

How do they get so high?

Forms usually made from wood or plastic are placed one on top of the other gradually getting smaller towards the top, like a pyramid, removing the last form first and then carving down until finally removing all the forms. This must be done properly or the sculpture will collapse. Completed structures have no support of any type and no assistance or power tools can be used.

How long will sand sculptures last?

Sculptures can last quite a while if properly maintained and not damaged by the elements. But, these sand sculptures are temporary. Sprayed with a protective mixture of water and school glue they're on public display until June 28. After that, the sand will be leveled back out into the beach by heavy machinery.

The 2027 dates for the Hampton Beach Master Sand Sculpting Classic haven’t been officially announced, but it’s usually held in mid-to-late June.