Marbella sand art competition… life’s a beach

Ten talented sculptors from around the world are currently taking part in the Marbella International Sand Art Competition, a week-long event running from July 9 to 15, whose theme is ‘Secrets of the Sea’.

Between them, the artists – from India, Russia, Ukraine, Poland, Holland, Ireland, Germany, Italy and Spain – will be using thousands of tons of sand to create their stunning sculptures which will be judged in five different categories.

Sudarshan Pattnaik's 'Mermaid' sand sculpture won him first prize at the Copenhagen Sand Sculpture Festival in May.

A favourite to watch out for is award-winning Indian artist Sudarshan Pattnaik from Odisha, who has participated in more than 50 sculpture championships around the globe. No stranger to Spain, he came second in the Valladolid contest in 2003, while his ‘Mermaid’ sculpture won him the first prize at the Copenhagen International Sand Sculpture Festival in May of this year.