Growing up on the beaches of Long Island & Rockaway Beach, NY my sandcastles usually took the form of large piles of muddy sand with an occasional twig, shell or seaweed draped across the top. Today, we have internet sites and cable shows which offer the latest techniques on constructing everything from a "Sandcastle" to an entire "Kingdom".

Top 10 Sand-Castle Contests

1. The U.S. Open Sandcastle Competition (Imperial Beach, California)
   http://www.usopensandcastle.com/
   
   
2. Hampton Beach, New Hampshire Annual Sandcastle Competition
   http://www.hamptonbeach.org/sandcastle-competition.cfm
   
   
3. The American Sandsculpting Championship Festival (Ft. Myers Beach, Florida)
   http://www.sandfestival.com
   
   
4. Annual Sandsations Sandcastle Competition (Long Beach, Washington)
   http://www.funbeach.com/events/sandsations/
   
   
5. Sand Castle Days (South Padre Island, Texas)
   http://www.sandcastledays.com
   
   
6. Point Reyes National Seashore Sand Sculpture Contest
   http://www.nps.gov/pore/planyourvisit/events_sandsculpturecontest.htm
   
   
7. Annual Cannon Beach Sandcastle Contest (Cannon Beach, Oregon)
   http://www.cannon-beach.net/cbsandcastle.html
   
   
8. The Texas SandFest (Port Aransas, Texas)
   http://www.texassandfest.com
   
   
9. North American Sandsculpting Championship (Virginia Beach, Virginia)
   http://www.neptunefestival.com/events.php?s=12
   
   
10. International Sand Sculpture Festival (Jesolo, Venice Italy)
    http://www.luxorcairohotel.it/en/2009_international_sand_sculpture_festival_03en19165en.htm