Shore up big wins at SCAD Sand Arts Festival 2023

Contest rules

Competitions are open to SCAD students and alumni who may compete individually or in teams. Work in all categories is judged on creativity of design, quality of craft, and excellence of detail.

Contestants may begin work at 10 a.m., Friday, May 5.  Sculpting in the wrong area before that time may result in participants being asked to start over in the correct area. Contestants should also work above the tide line. Look for the high tide signs, category area, and category number. You may select one or two sections of 10 ft. x 10 ft. beach space to complete your designs.

Participants are responsible for all materials brought to the beach. No glass is permitted, and all garbage and materials should be collected, stored, discarded, or removed from the beach by the end of the day. Contestants may not walk in the sand dunes or disturb the beach grass. Entries in the sandcastle, sculpture, and sand relief competitions must contain only sand and seawater. No other materials will be allowed. The use of natural objects found on the beach (e.g., shells, driftwood, seaweed, etc.), as well as the use of color or binding agents, dyes, or supports is expressly prohibited. Students that use prohibited materials will be disqualified.

The festival is a family event. Any artwork that contains nudity, profanity, or other content deemed inappropriate by festival officials will be removed.

Judges or festival officials can disqualify artists for failure to adhere to any of the above guidelines.

Sand Arts Festival participants and students who wish to take SCAD buses to Tybee Island should complete the trip and transportation waiver. Participants should also complete the photo and video release form.

Competition categories

Sand categories

Entries in the sandcastle, sculpture, and sand relief competitions must only contain only sand and seawater. No other materials will be allowed. The use of natural objects found on the beach (e.g., shells, driftwood, seaweed, etc.), as well as the use of color or binding agents, dyes, or supports is expressly prohibited. Students that use prohibited materials will be disqualified.

Sandcastles

• Sculpt large-scale works resembling castle architecture

Sand relief

Relief is a hybrid between drawing and sculptures and these are physically shorter than sand sculptures.

• Must be less than three feet tall
• May be carved into the beach, modeled on top, or both
• May be representational, abstract, or nonrepresentational

Sand sculpture

• Must be at least three feet tall
• Should be sculpted fully in the round
• May be representational, abstract, or nonrepresentational.

Air 

Contestants in this category may arrive with their work any time between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m., Friday, May 5.

• May include kites, inflatable or flying sculptural forms, and kinetic, wind-powered objects
• Must be self-sufficient and sturdy (must not require the use of a generator or electronics for assistance)
• Human-powered projects that interact with the wind are acceptable

Sand Jam

During the "Gesture Jam" on the beach, contestants will draw the events of the SCAD Sand Arts Festival in real-time. Judges are keeping their eyes out for expression of mark-making, sense of mass, and technical handling of media and movement.

• Register and check in to participate in the Sand Jam
  (If you missed the registration deadline and would like to participate, visit the pier at Tybee on the day of the event.)
• Bring drawing media (e.g., brush pens, markers, felt-tip pens, etc.) and a personal sketchbook for warmups.
• Pick up materials for your final piece at the Sand Jam tent.
• Submit your best sketch and return clipboards to the Sand Jam tent by 2 p.m.

Subject matter and color palette are open. An exhibition of select entries will be held after the festival. For more information, contact Andrew Brandmeyer at [email protected].

What to bring

• Picnic lunch and drinking water
• Sunscreen and a hat
• Bug spray
• Shovel
• Bucket
• Carving tools (i.e., putty knife, trowel, spoon, etc.)
• Cheap paint brush
• Pencil and a sketchbook (for Sand Jam)
• Phone to document work

Awards and prizes

Each registered individual or group is eligible to win no more than one award or prize. Only students and alumni who have registered to compete will be eligible to receive prize money. Participants must be present to collect the awarded prize and are required to fill out appropriate paperwork for the disbursement of prize money to individuals or teams.

Participants vie for the following overall awards:

• SCAD Spirit Award - $3,000
  Spring has spring, and this year's SCAD Spirit Award recognizes artwork that exemplifies the strength of the Hive by featuring our mascot, Art the Bee. Artwork must be created by a currently enrolled student or an alum.
• Best in Show Award: $1,200
  Participants vie for Best in Show, chosen by a guest SCAD alum.
• SCAD Foundations Studies Group: $1,000 
  Foundation studies students team up for a chance to win big. This award excludes Sand Jam designs.
• Class Project: $1,000
  All categories unite in the Class Project Award, where SCAD Bees (outside of foundation studies students) team up to compete for a cash prize. Eligible classes are chosen by the Sand Arts committee in advance. This award excludes Sand Jam designs.

Participants also compete for the following category-specific prizes. Winners of overall awards are not eligible to win these prizes.

Sandcastle

• Winner: $1,000
• Runner-up: $800

Sandrelief

• Winner: $1,000
• Runner-up: $800

Sand sculpture

• Winner: $1,000
• Runner-up: $800

Air

• Winner: $1,000
• Runner-up: $800

Sand jam

• Winner: $500
• Runner-up: $300

View a full list of contest rules and eligibility. For more information, contact Lisa Rundstrom at [email protected].

SCAD student participant check-in

Check-in for all student participants is at the Tybee Beach pavilion on Tybee Island. Competing students must be checked in by 10 a.m. Transportation to Tybee Island is offered for all registered participants and students who would like to attend from The Hive, Chatham, and Montgomery House. At registration, select your preferred pick-up location. Buses will run in the morning every 15 minutes until 10:30 a.m., after which they will run every 45 minutes.

Competing students who will use SCAD buses as transportation, be sure to catch one between 7:30 a.m. and 9:30 a.m. to arrive on time for the 10 a.m. check-in at Tybee. Students not competing but who would like to ride the bus must also complete the trip and transportation liability waiver. After completing the waiver, students will receive an email verification for the completed waiver, which will serve as their bus pass to enter the bus. Non-competing students should consider catching a bus at 10 a.m. or later as they will not need to check in for the event.

All students must show receipt of the waiver to enter buses bound for Tybee Island. Buses will be labeled "Sand Arts" on the route display.

Return transportation is available all day, with several buses arriving at 4 p.m. and the final bus leaving Tybee Island at 6 p.m.

For more information regarding check-in, email [email protected].

Driving directions

• Follow U.S. Highway 80 East (Victory Boulevard) to Tybee Island.
• Drive approximately 17 miles from East Victory Boulevard and Abercorn Street to the turn at Butler Avenue on Tybee Island and continue south.
• Parking lots are located at the east end of 14th, 15th, and 16th Streets.
• Overflow parking is available at the metered spaces located on Highway 80 (Butler Avenue) and on the adjoining side streets.
• Once parked, head for the 15th Street ramp to the beach. The competition area is located between 14th Street and Atlantic Avenue, north of the pier.

Parking

For contestants

Students are strongly encouraged to use free SCAD buses or carpool due to limited parking on Tybee Island. You are required to pay for parking. Improper parking may result in your car being ticketed or towed.

For visitors

Visitors may use inexpensive metered parking on Highway 80 (Butler Avenue). Side street parking is allowed only in metered areas. Participants and spectators at the SCAD Sand Arts Festival should be always respectful of Tybee residents and their homes.

For more information, contact Lisa Rundstrom at [email protected].

The SCAD Sand Arts Festival started as a foundation studies field trip in the early '90s. It soon became an annual SCAD signature event showcasing the sculpture talents of SCAD students and alumni. Check out these marvelous creations from previous years.

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