Which sculptures from the sand castle contest in Brigantine are catching your eye?
BRIGANTINE -- Numerous families each banded together to create their own sand castle masterpieces here Saturday.
Participants in the 7th Annual Ashore Realty Amateur Sand Castle Building Contest took over much of the beach area between the Laguna Grill and Rum Bar and the Atlantic Ocean as beachgoers watched in awe while the sand sculptures were built.
Some of the crowd favorites included a "Christmas in July" theme -- with a snowman fishing as he melts into the sand and an igloo, built by members of the Brownell, Paoline and Updike families of Cinnaminson -- as well as an intricately designed traditional sand castle and a dog captaining a boat as a pod of dolphins swim alongside him.
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Professional sand sculptor Matt Deibert, of Sandcreation in Smithville, created his own masterpiece -- a replica of a Brigantine lifesaving boat amongst the waves.
Briggy the Fox made an appearance during the contest, and there was a bubble area for kids -- and adults -- to enjoy as well.
Approximately 35 sand castles were built during the competition. Prizes were awarded for the top three sculptures in each of four categories.
The winners:
7 and under:- The Eagles
- The Hula Girls
- The Thurber Kids
- Brig Monsters
- The O'Toole and McFarlands
- LMJQ
- Orion
- Emma
- Lulu under the Sea
- Storybook Castle
- Team USA
- The Triple D's
Lori M. Nichols may be reached at lnichols@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @photoglori. Find NJ.com on Facebook.