'A meditative practice': the Australian Sand Sculpting Championships 2025

[cbabe]

https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2025/apr/08/2025-australian-sand-sculpting-championships

‘A meditative practice’: the Australian Sand Sculpting Championships 2025

Tasmanian artist Meg Murray won the top prize with Screech of the Sea, a creation with ‘undeniable villainy’

By Tom Gill
Tue 8 Apr 2025 00.58 EDT

They say life’s a beach, but whoever coined that phrase probably wasn’t looking at today’s economic and political landscape – or they had an incredible sense of humour. Much like the artists at this year’s Australian Sand Sculpting Championships, which returned to Frankston foreshore, just south of Melbourne, for the first time since 2019.

This year’s event had a playful take on our polarising times; its theme is “The Villains of Storytime”, and sculptors responded with giant sand-made depictions of familiar witches and wolves from fairytales and Disney movies. Looking around, visitors can see a big bad wolf, Ursula from The Little Mermaid and a mythical siren calling to unsuspecting sailors.

Tasmanian artist Meg Murray’s sand sculpture, Screech of the Sea, won this year’s singles category. Her sculpture gained points for its “undeniable villainy”, said judge Kylie Stillman, who, as part of a panel of judges, scored sand creations on originality, adherence to the theme and technical skill.

“The sand was used in a way that we all felt seemed almost impossible and very risky,” Stillman said.

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(Photos anyone?)

[sinkingfeeling]

1. Really awesome work. Photos at link.