The 23rd annual Sand Sculpture Festival sponsored by Friends of the Dunes took place on Saturday under cool overcast skies at a new location on the beach at the Samoa Drag Strip (easy access and lots of parking). Fifteen artist teams and a few other freelancers showed up to have fun creating amazing sand sculptures in a very temporary medium — think high tide. They could use only sand, water and items found on the beach. Check out photos of the entries in the slideshow below.

The cash-winning sculptures included: Best of Show - "Tale of the Plastic Whale" by the Northcoast Environmental Center; Dedicated Diggers - "Octopi" by Los Pulpos; Most Imaginative - "Every 200 years a creature emerges" by Fog People; People's Choice - "Grendel's Castle" by The Lone Wolf; Youth Sculpture: "Octoworld" by the Manila Community Resource Center; Staff Pick - "Hip! Hip! Hippocampus" by Amphipods; Photographer's Choice - "Hungry Hippo" by Dean and the Little Hippos; and Gold Shovel Trophy - "Ducks in a Row" by The Accountables of Hunter, Hunter & Hunt CPA's.