26th Annual Coney Island Sand Sculpting Competition Brought Sea Creatures To Shore

Is it truly summer if you haven’t built a sand castle on the beach?

Coney Island’s 26th annual sand sculpting competition, presented by Brooklyn Community Services (BCS) and Astella Development Corp, took the classic beach activity to a new level on Saturday, August 20.

The event featured approximately 60 sand sculptures created by amateur and semi-professional sand sculptors competing in the family, individual adult and adult group sand sculpting categories.

Professional sand sculptors and amateurs came out to show their artistic abilities with just sand and water. The prize was $250 for the best sculpture. The judges included Councilmember Mark Treyger, Assemblymember Pamela Harris, and New York City Parks Commissioner Mitchell J. Silver.

The winners of the adult group sculpture was Larry Watkins and Tom Oldewurtel for their extremely detailed and striking “Creature From The Black Lagoon” sculpture. The adult solo winner was Jose Aguirre’s “Two Mermaids,” and the Andrades won the family sculpture for their “Pokemon Cellphone.”

Other sculptures included the Eiffel Tower, a large Luna Park sign with the Thunderbolt logo beneath it, the Wonder Wheel, Spongebob, and sea monsters.

“It definitely is an opportunity for everyone to get together and have a great time, you know,” participant William Petrosino told NY1. “And you always hear bad news in the news, and this is something that actually gets the community together and do something good.”

An original sand sculpture was built on the beach that saluted Brooklyn Community Services’ 150th anniversary, which is a year-long celebration. The Coney Island Sand Sculpting Contest was co-sponsored by Fine Fare Supermarket, State Senator Diane Savino and NYC Department of Parks & Recreation.  For more photos, check out the Brooklyn Community Services website.