Hampton Beach Master Sand Sculpting Classic 2023: Check out the sculptures and who won

HAMPTON — Mélineige Beauregard was shown the love at the Hampton Beach Master Sand Sculpting Classic, taking home the top prize and the People's Choice Award for the second year in a row.

"Thank you Hampton Beach!," she said after winning her fourth championship in five years for her piece titled "Love is a Universal Temple." "I guess you really like my stuff."

The intricate sand sculpture showed a mother and child embracing in the shape of a cathedral. "It's about the feeling of being in love, whether it's human or animal," Beauregard said. "It's very sacred. It is its own temple by itself."

Beauregard, of Captain Cook, Hawaii, was awarded $6,000 for first and another $1,000 for the People's Choice Award.

The three-day contest sponsored by the Hampton Beach Village District wrapped up Saturday and featured a who's who of master sand sculptors. The contest was organized by Greg Grady and is in its 23rd year.

The rain and wind on Saturday made for a trying last 8 hours for the sculptors as they put the final touches on their masterpieces.

"Rain on the last day did not help," said Beauregard. "The rain destroys everything you do. Not as much as the structure, but all the details and texture that you put into it."

"Today was a little miserable," said sculptor Abe Waterman, who took home second place, and $4,000, in the contest.

His piece titled "Dave is Here" was a portrait in the sand of fellow sculptor and artist David Andrews, who died on Oct. 23, 2022, at 53. Andrews competed at previous Hampton Beach competitions and was a champion snow and ice sculptor for over 35 years. His artistry is represented in murals all over the country. According to his obituary, he "lost his battle with mental illness."

"This is a piece… I would like to say it's for Dave Andrews, but it's for all of us also," said Waterman. "He was an incredible guy and sculptor for many years. I was going to call it 'Dave is not Here' because I think he would have thought that was funny. But I went with 'Dave is Here' because he is still here with all of us."

The sculpture of Andrews also won the Sculptors Choice Award, voted on by those competing in the contest.

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Third place and $3,000 went to Carl Jara, of Lyndhurst, Ohio, and fourth place and $2,000 was a tie between Karen Fralich, of Ontario, Canada, and Bruce Phillips, of San Diego, California.

Jara said his sculpture "Obsolete" represents an old man who just found out he's no longer needed.

"I have been in this business for 32 years, and I have sculpted at this event for 23," he said. "An old guy like me with years of experience, I feel, at times, a little obsolete. This is a vulnerable piece. I'm letting it out there."

Fralich's sculpture "Raptor Ryder" depicted a female rock star riding a dinosaur, with the back of the piece serving as an album cover.

"Heavy metal and dinosaurs, two of my favorite things," said Fralich, who listened to Metallica and Judas Priest on her headphones as she worked on the piece.

Phillips' sculpture titled "Ascent" was about "how Artificial intelligence is basically replacing free thought."

Winning the Governor's Award, selected by Gov. Chris Sununu, and securing a spot in next year's contest was Chris Guinto for "The Devil is in the Details."

Other sculptors who competed this year included Greg J Grady, Justin Gordon, and Rusty Croft, of Carmel, California, known as one of the “sand guys” on Travel Channel’s television show “Sand Masters."

"The title of my piece was 'Audio Immersion,'" said Croft. "I lost my headphones in that sand pile because I was fully immersed in the audio. That's what the whole piece encapsulates. How your mind doesn't need your eyes to see a vision sometimes, it's just the audio. The sound comes through."

Making his Hampton Beach debut was Matthew Deibert, a retired Atlantic City firefighter captain who has been competing and working in the sand since 1999. His piece "Guardian of Her Dreams" depicts a young girl sleeping in bed with her teddy bear, sword in hand, protecting her from nightmares.

Prior to the three-day contest, sculptors worked on the sponsor site with the theme "The Sand Before Time." The site includes various dinosaurs and a special tribute to the Old Man of the Mountain.

Sculptures will remain up through June 25 and will be lighted for nightly viewing.

This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Hampton Beach NH Sand Sculpting Classic 2023 winners