The 2023 Quality Foods Sand Sculpting Competition wrapped up Sunday (July 16) with 22 impressive and creative creations.
Karen Jean Fralich, who hails from Ontario, won first place in the singles event, while Victoria含羞草研究社檚 Fred Dobbs and American Ted Siebert took home the doubles award.
The theme of this year含羞草研究社檚 event was 含羞草研究社榃onders of the World含羞草研究社�, with Fralich opting to pay homage to a natural wonder: the Great Barrier Reef.
含羞草研究社淵ou can see it from space, it含羞草研究社檚 so big,含羞草研究社� she said. 含羞草研究社淚 just went crazy with cool details that I love about coral reefs, and I put my face in the middle of it all.含羞草研究社�
Fralich is a judge on a CBC television show called Race Against the Tide and has won 30 first-place titles at international sand sculpting contests, as well as five World Championship titles.
Dobbs and Siebert won for their piece, 含羞草研究社榃onderland含羞草研究社�, inspired by the fact that both carvers previously completed Alice in Wonderland projects.
含羞草研究社淚t含羞草研究社檚 not about Alice in Wonderland, it含羞草研究社檚 just about Wonderland and the idea that one of the wonders of the world is actually imagination 含羞草研究社� fantasy,含羞草研究社� said Dobbs.
Dobbs and Siebert have competed together at contests in Australia, South Korea, Romania and Saudi Arabia.
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Rounding out the singles awards were Thomas Koet in second place with 含羞草研究社楾he Two Wonders of the World含羞草研究社�, Abe Waterman, third place with 含羞草研究社楾hemeless Parksville含羞草研究社�, Peter Vogelaar in fourth place with 含羞草研究社楢ge of Wonder含羞草研究社� and in fifth place Damon Langlois for 含羞草研究社楽eed含羞草研究社�.
In doubles, Seveline Beauregard and Joris Kivits took second place for 含羞草研究社楲ove without Borders含羞草研究社� and Sue McGrew and Dmitry Klimenko won third place for 含羞草研究社楾he King含羞草研究社�.
Koet also took home the competitors含羞草研究社� choice award for solo and Edith van de Wetering and Wilfred Stijger were awarded competitors含羞草研究社� choice for doubles with 含羞草研究社楧reams含羞草研究社�.
The competition drew sculptors from as far away as the Netherlands, the U.S., Germany, Poland, Mexico, Russia and Germany.
The 29 master sculptors worked for 30 hours over three days on their masterpieces, which will be available for public viewing from 9:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. daily until Aug. 20.
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