The Sand Man

Many teams compete year after year, and begin searching for ideas on July 5. "They're as serious as amateurs can be," said organizer Angie Todd. It is amazing what people can do with sand and buckets of water, she noted.

Competitors are restricted to materials found on the beach. They may not use living plants or animals in their sculptures. The work is judged on "creativity, effort, design and finishing details. You gotta have those," said Gissette Suarez, serving for her fourth year as a judge. 

There are categories for kids, for groups, and for the solitary sculptor. The $150 Best in Show prize is determined by popular vote. The cash prizes are provided by the Ocracoke Civic and Business Association.

Though turtle and lizard-like sea monster sculptures remain popular, a new creature is ascendant. "It's octopus city out here," said Angie.

Scroll to the bottom of the page to see who won.

Brandon and Blake Condron from Mooresville, NC posed with judge Gissette Suarez. Their T-shirts came from Amazon, "where all great things come from," said Blake.

The Fat Tub was popular despite, or because, of its use of a prop, a no-no in the rule book.

Will victory in Ocracoke's competition help some deserving team go to Nationals? wondered organizer Angie Todd.

What's a sea monster's favorite meal? Fish and ships! Mary and Rachel Haggerty of Ocracoke entered the contest for the first time.

This sea serpent was the crowd favorite. It was even larger than the photo suggests.

The team responsible for 'Alice in Wondersand and the Mad Hatteras' wins a prize every year.

Respect nesting turtles!

And the winners are . . .

INDIVIDUAL 12 & UNDER:

1st: Sofie Stillman for Monsters Inc.

2nd: Catherine Todd for Mermaid

3rd: Kevin Davis for Doghouse

GROUP 12 & UNDER:

1st: Giovanni and Hunter for Blackbeard's Chest

2nd: Team Hoffman for Lego Sea Turtle

3rd: Ethan, Starr and Dirk for City of Pompeii

INDIVIDUAL 13 & OVER:

1st: Ian Oelschlegel for Giant Turtle

2nd: Adrianna David for Giant Feet

3rd: Marshall Duncan for Octopus

GROUP 13 & OVER:

1st: Team Awesome for Alice in Wondersand and the Mad Hatteras

2nd: Team Potencia (Gloria and Junior Perez with family and friends) for the Map of Ocracoke

3rd: Team Sand Spot for Dragon Guarding a Castle

BEST IN SHOW: DJ's Crew for the C Serpent.