Pasadena Chalk Festival 2012 Winners: Amazing Photos Of Chalk Drawings On Concrete

Chalking on the street, a childhood pastime, got a fine art makeover at the 20th annual Pasadena Chalk Festival.

Approximately 600 artists from all over Southern California participated in the two-day festival, chalking their art along Paseo Colorado in Pasadena, Calif. And as soon as a summer storm comes, it'll all be washed away.

Of course, chalk art's temporality is part of its beauty, which is why over 100,000 people gathered to see the illustrations over the weekend, reports the San Gabriel Valley Tribune. In fact, demand to see the art is so high that the official Chalk Festival website crashed on Sunday and continues to remain down.

Below is a list of festival winners and a slideshow of their entries.

• Sarah Flores, Best in Chalk of Fame Movie Murals
• Simon Estrada, Best in Animation Alley
• Penny Roberts, Most Humorous
• Katie Yun, Most Colorful
• Moe Notsu, Best of Festival and the Paseo Colorado People's Choice Award Winner
• Dylan Fernandez, Best 3D Effect
• Israel Arzaluz, Best Reproduction of a Masterpiece
• Jamie Leake, Most Inspirational
• Jerry Ortega, Best Technique
• Arlou Somo, Best Original Design
• Shuji Nishimura, 2nd Place
• Moe Notsu won Best of Festival Award and the Paseo Colorado People's Choice Award

All photos by Brian Biery.