HAMPTON — June 11 was pound-up day for the 10 artists competing in the 2025 Hampton Beach Master Sand Sculpting Classic.
Carl Jara of Lyndhurst, Ohio, hauled piles of sand with his shovel, pouring them into a large wooden form for his sculpture to take shape later this week. The other nine competitors spent Wednesday doing the same, packing water and sand together to create the base of their pieces.
“This is the painful phase of sand sculpting,” Jara said with the noon sun bearing down on him. “Like with any art, you have to make the sacrifice, and this sacrifice is 16 hours of shoveling, hacking and hauling water.”
The sculptors had all of Wednesday to finish their base. They were scheduled to return Thursday to begin the contest. For three days, the sculptors will work on their piece with an award ceremony set for Saturday, June 14 at 7:30 p.m.
A total of $25,000 will be awarded to the top finishers. The top prize is a check for $6,000. Awards also include the People’s Choice Award, judging of which takes place Saturday from 1 to 3 p.m.
What do master sand sculptors have planned for contest?
The contest is in its 25th year, and some competitors have returned year after year. Karen Fralich, of Ontario, Canada, has competed at Hampton 22 times.
“It’s definitely one of a kind,” Fralich said of the competition in Hampton. She won last year’s People’s Choice and Governor’s Choice Awards.
Some, including Fralich, were reluctant to share their plans for their sculpture. Others were open about their ideas.
Karlis Ile of Riga, Latvia, said he asked his 3-year-old son for a suggestion. When his son said “turtle,” he was at first dismayed.
“I was like, ‘oh no. A turtle, it’s like the basic.’ The amateur stuff is a turtle,” he said. “I didn’t want to disappoint him.”
Ile said he reconsidered the idea and took a new perspective. Now, he said he plans to make a turtle reaching for the stars.
“I decided that a turtle is underestimated,” Ile said. “It’s a very beautiful creature.”
Some said they were still deciding on their design.
“It’s a surprise for the people and for me, also,” said Ilya Filimontsev, of Moscow, Russia.
Filimontsev is in his first year competing at Hampton Beach. He said he has been trying to come in past years, but events like the COVID-19 pandemic and war have prevented him from traveling from Russia to New Hampshire.
“Finally, I’m here,” Filimontsev said.
This is not his first time competing in New England, as he said he has been to Revere Beach in Massachusetts for a competition as well. He said he and others in the competition this week in Hampton often see each other at international events.
“I’ve known almost all of them for 20 years,” Filimontsev said. “More than my family at home.”
David Ducharme of British Columbia, Canada, said he plans to make a sculpture built around seeds and growth. The design will involve a plant rising out of a big concrete platform symbolizing resilience.
“Tiny little seeds sometimes get a strong hold. How did they manage to grow in the middle of a parched, dry concrete, asphalt?” Ducharme said. “It finds a way.”
