Sand Sculpting Is A Dirty Job (But Somebody's Gotta Do It)

Making a sand castle that actually looks like a castle and not a bunch of blobs is hard enough.

Now try to make a sculpture worthy of a museum.

Eleven master sand sculptors have gathered in San Diego this weekend for the U.S. Sand Sculpting Challenge, now in its fifth year.

It’s an event that requires grit, determination, an ample supply of water and more than 300 tons of sand.

The artist with the top piece walks (or surfs?) away with a $5,000 prize.

Sand sculpture by its very nature is ephemeral, but that isn’t stopping artists like Michela Ciappini from attempting to make a grand statement.

Her piece, “Surrender To Diversity,” depicts an angry crocodile with a smiling bunny in its jaw.

“They’re different but the same,” she told the San Diego Union Tribune. “I like the contrast of the aggressive crocodile and the joking rabbit. He could eat her but they are getting along,” said Ciappini, who is from Italy.

The sculptures are set to be bulldozed on Tuesday, but photos last forever (thank goodness).