BEST IN SHOW RUBRIC
Everyone wants to win the coveted Best in Show award! Teams will be judged based on how well they meet on the following criteria:
- Design: Originality of subject and design and creativity
- Craft: Balance, proportions, detail, and use of space
- Theme: Interpretation and expression of the theme.
- Teamwork: Participation of kids, organization, and collaboration
SANDCASTLE BUILD RULES
Where to Build:
At 8AM, Leap staff and volunteers will be on the beach to rope off the sites. Teams may bring rakes to clear their own sites as early as 10AM. You may bring tools, and set up your “staging area” but no building or digging on the 20’ x 20’ site for your sandcastle is allowed until the foghorn is blown at 11AM signaling the start of the contest.
Building sites will be 20’ x 20’, and there will be 20 feet between sites. You’ll also have a 20’ x 20’ “staging area” or team support area for any tents or lunch setup that you might have. These spaces will be marked prior to your arrival. Teams MUST NOT build beyond their site parameters.
There will be a central corridor between your staging area and your sandcastle site for the public to view the castles. It will be marked with orange cones on the side closest to your staging area. We appreciate your help in keeping a clear lane for viewing.
What to Build With:
You may start raking and leveling your plot when your arrive at your site. Start your water trenches, install signage & other support infrastructure. Materials in the final sand structure are limited to: sand, water (in any form, including ice and dry ice), and biodegradable materials found on Ocean Beach during competition hours.
These items are ok to build with:
Buckets, tupperware containers, and small molds of other varieties are ok to use. Molds similar to the size and shape of a 5 gallon bucket is the largest size that is acceptable to use. These types of molds should be used largely used for decorative accents only, and not for major structural elements of your castle.
These items are NOT ok to build with:
Formwork is defined as: “The term used for the process of creating a temporary mold into which concrete (in our case, SAND) is poured and formed. Traditional formwork is fabricated using timber, but it can also be constructed from steel, glass fibre reinforced plastics and other materials.” Plywood, or other materials used for creating a temporary form is not permitted in the Sandcastle Classic.
Only human-powered tools are allowed during the building process. The use of generators of any variety is NOT ALLOWED. Electricity, gasoline, and other power sources are prohibited.
For a full list of permitted tools, review the suggested tool list.
Other Things to Keep In Mind:
No professional sandcastle consulting or assistance is allowed.
This is an event benefiting youth, and therefore we encourage you to keep a 3:1 adult to child ratio on your team. Judges will evaluate the participation of students at each site throughout the day for the Best Participation of Students award.
Teams are required to design and make T-shirts. The T-shirts must contain team name, school name, Leap’s logo and the Sandcastle Classic logo. The Best T-shirt award will be given to the team with the most creative and original T-shirt design.
Teams are encouraged to design and make site signs. The sign should be adjacent to the sandcastle and placed facing the Great Highway and walkway between the team sites and the staging areas. The sign should contain team name, school name, Leap’s logo and the Sandcastle Classic logo.The Best Site Sign award will be given to the team with the most creative and original site sign design.
Have fun!
SANDCASTLE BUILD SCHEDULE
- Judges will start touring sites from 12:15PM-1:15PM (Best Team T-Shirt, Best Site Sign, Best Participation of Students, Honorable Mentions)
- The final tour of all sites will be from 1:30 PM-2:30PM (Best in Show)
- Building must stop at 2:30PM.
- Awards at 3:00PM.
See the full event schedule here.