Edmonds sand sculptors get creative in annual competition

A contestant at work.

Sand sculptors of all ages gathered at Olympic Beach Friday to compete for top honors in the annual Edmonds sand sculpture contest, hosted by the Edmonds Waterfront Center.

While the 25 entrants in this year’s contest weren’t able to take advantage of the super low tide like last year, they made space by clustering closer to the Waterfront Center. 

Musicians Lito and Connie Castro performed at the wedding circle in front of the center, waving to a small audience as Connie sang and Lito strummed on his guitar.

Judges (L-R) Tabatha Shoemake, Karen Barnes and Manjit Kaur.

The judges included Edmonds Police Community Engagement Coordinator Tabatha Shoemake, Edmonds Waterfront Center Board Member Karen Barnes and Edmonds Parking Enforcement Officer Manjit Kaur. Winners were determined by their technical skills, creativity and originality, and adherence to all the rules.

2024 Sand Sculpture Bucket Award Winners

Children

Children First place: Sea Glass by Jenna, Naomi, Izzy, Rapael, Evaline and Karia.

Sea Glass

Second place: Fitzgerald by Aidan.

Third place: Cousin Love by Sienna, Lena and Lilli.

Family

Family first place: The Sandy Frogs by Zoe, Margie and their grandparents

The Sandy Frogs

Second place: The Cats by Stella, Aya, Jenn, Royce and Ines.

Third place: The Ferocious Trout. Names were not given.

Adult

Adult first place: Jaws by Adrian, Livi, and Olive.

Jaws

Second place: Evie Carrigans’ Team

Third place: Jimmy Hurd

“[Olive’s] favorite animal is sharks, and we wanted something to be movie-based, so we based it off from the Megalodon poster,” said Livi Herman, one of the first-place winners in the adult category. 

Adrian Lewinsohn, who is Herman’s teammate, said that they carved a circle in the sand first before adding the finer details, such as seashells for teeth and a “dead Barbie” in the middle of the maw. “

The trio won second place with Bodybuilding Barbie last year, and they are planning to compete again next summer.

No award was presented in the Day Camp/Organization category because contestants had to leave early and didn’t stay for the judging, Edmonds Waterfront Center CEO Daniel Johnson said.

You can view more photos here

— Story and photos by Nick Ng

  1. Thank you for sharing your photos, Nick. The sculpture of the hippo family was a favorite of ours. Bravo to all the sand artists!

  2. It would be great if this was held on a day with favorable tides so the public could enjoy viewing the sculptures. No, not at 2:30 when they are judged, but at 5-6PM when people are done with work. This event occurred on a day with a +9′ tide in the afternoon and by 5PM there was not a sand sculpture in sight!

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