Sand Sculpture Competition Brings Over 7000 To New River Beach

More than 7,000 people attended the 36th annual Sand Sculpture Competition at New River Beach on Sunday. The world-renowned sandy beach in Charlotte County is known for its perfect sculpting conditions, thanks in part to foggy mornings on the Bay of Fundy that help keep the sand moist and malleable as the tide goes out and the sun comes up.

There were 66 official sand sculpture entries in the competition in three different categories: adult, youth and group with all three categories in the running for the top best overall prize. The McMisner Palmer Family took home first place in the group category as well as the coveted first place overall prize for their entry aptly called Fallen Forest. Charlotte County's own Franklin Oraiz who has a background in woodcarving won first place in the adult category for his sculpture of a lion and cub, which took him over multiple hours to create. 

In the competition's 36 seasons, judges have come up with a detailed checklist of qualities they are looking to see in each design, including technical difficulty and artistic merit. 

Many beach goers inspired by the official contestants built their own sand castles and creations for fun while some just took in the sights and soaked up the sun, many driving to New River Beach from all over New Brunswick.

The judging wrapped up just as the tide rolled in, sweeping over the day's masterpieces and bringing them back into the sea, leaving only memories in their wake and a clean slate for a new day. The profoundness of the sand sculptures' impermanence was not lost on even the youngest beach goers who revelled in their demise as the waves washed them away.