An open letter to the Sand Sculptors of the World
To the editor:
There has been a lot of speculation about what is happening with the World Championship of Sand Sculpture. This letter will hopefully answer the questions you may have and let you know more fully what we are setting forth.
Almost everyone has heard of Seattle, Washington, a city of 539,000. Fewer have heard of Tacoma, a city about 50 miles/80 km south of Seattle, with a population of 204,000. There is a major freeway that connects the two, Interstate 5. Located midway between the two cities on I-5 lies the city of Federal Way. It has a population of about 90,000 and 125 languages are spoken there.
The media (television, radio, newspaper) easily reach from Seattle to Tacoma making it the 15th largest metropolitan statistical area in the United States with a combined population of 3,334,813. If you expand the area to include Olympia, the state capital just south of Tacoma, the market becomes the 13th largest in the U.S. and has a population of slightly more than four million. Almost all media also feed national and international networks.
SeaTac International Airport is about ten miles/eighteen km away, making transportation connections very easy.
The residents of Federal Way are educated and prosperous. Slightly more than twp-thirds of the households are families. There is a stronger foreign-born population than the state average. (The state has an average of 10.4 percent; Federal Way has 17.4 percent).
It is the perfect location for a world event. ‘The Worlds’ is moving to Federal Way.
The Changes We Are Making:
Our goal has never been to create a new competition – more so, to enhance ‘The Worlds’ for the betterment of all. We are increasing the prize money amounts. Transportation, food, and lodging will be PAID FOR BY THE CONTEST not the sculptors. We are spending major amounts to market The Worlds and increase awareness of both the event and the art sport of sand sculpting.
Since the contest is now paying for each master sculptor to attend, a limit must be set for the number of solos, doubles, and teams in order to determine a budget. We have currently set those levels at 30 solos, eight doubles, and six teams. We reserve the right to increase those amounts if possible.
There are now contests in the U.S. and Canada (we’re still working on the rest of the globe) that will be qualifiers for ‘The Worlds.’ If you win First Place at one of these contests, you will automatically be included at The Worlds. If you win second or third, you will be in a pool of contenders that we will draw from as space permits. If we took the top two or three from each qualifying contest, we could easily have more people than spaces.
‘The World’s’ will still be in September, just after Labor Day. As it sits now, the first week will be for display sculptures with the following week to feature doubles sculptures, then solos and teams the week after that. The awards ceremony and dinner will be at the end of the solo/team week. Tentative schedule is Sept. 7 to Oct. 2 with the tail end being a gallery display.
By changing the competition to one that pays for sculptors to attend, several other changes are needed, again, for budgetary reasons. Doubles and teams will now be selected by jury. Anyone competing in the doubles and not competing the following week will have the option of working on a display piece for an additional show-up and finish stipend; returning home; or leaving and returning for the awards ceremony at their own expense. As travel is involved, this decision will need to be made well in advance of the contest. Anyone staying and working (or competing) will retain their room and meals.
Sculptors who do not place by qualification and are being considered will be asked to submit examples of their work and a recent resume. All sculptors attending will need to submit a photo and biography.
There are far more details than can be easily communicated in this initial letter. A website will soon be set up that will have a section for the public and a sculptor’s only section. As details are finalized they will be available on the website. We ask your patience in this endeavor.
We are working to make certain this event serves tradition, enhances the world-wide sculpting community, and helps to perpetuate sand sculpting. We would rather error on the side of caution and initial non-inclusion than to create something that becomes unwieldy, unprofitable, or in some other way non-sustainable.
We are pleased to keep the traditions of ‘the Worlds’ and excited about enhancements we are creating for you. Keep watching for updates, hopefully there will be a bunch of them — and all good. Until then, we remain,
Your Humble Staff of ‘The Worlds’
Charlie Beaulieu,
Doc Reiss,
Bob Hitchcock,
Suzanne Altamare