30th Annual Sandcastle Contest Coming Soon To Amagansett

AMAGANSETT, NY — A favorite summer event unfolds again in Amagansett soon as participants get their pails and shovels ready for the 30th Annual Sandcastle Contest.

The concept was originally born in 1991, with the first contest taking place the following year at the Atlantic Avenue Beach in Amagansett, the Clamshell Foundation, which organizes the event, said.

The idea came from the Clamshell Foundation founder Rossetti Perchik, A.I.A., when he was living in Tulsa, Oklahoma and saw a sandcastle contest on the banks of the Arkansas River, organizers said.

"After moving back to East Hampton in 1987, Perchik couldn’t imagine, with some of the best beaches in the world, why there wasn’t a sandcastle contest here," organizers said.

While at first there weren’t any rules, "over the years it became clear that a few were needed," the Clamshell Foundation said. For example, only indigenous materials can be used in the final sand sculpture, no power tools are allowed — and participants cannot build in front of the lifeguard stands or go into the dunes.

Groups were also established so children weren’t competing against adults. The size of each group was limited to six so there wasn’t one person competing against a group of 20, organizers added.

From the very beginning, $10 was charged for each group and the price remains the same, with no charge for the spectators.

"It is one of our favorite days of the year and we hope to see you at the contest this year," the Clamshell Foundation said.