Every summer for more than half a century, one day on Nantucket belongs entirely to imagination, creativity, community, and sand. This year, the Nantucket Island School of Design and the Arts (NISDA) will host its beloved Sandcastle and Sandsculpture Contest in July rather than August. Held at Jetties Beach, this tradition has been drawing islanders and visitors together since 1975.
It was a gathering of friends for a beach picnic and to build a sandcastle that NISDA Director Kathy Kelm and her husband Larry Cronin organized in the early 1970s that sparked the idea for this island tradition. They had such fun that they did it again the next summer, and the next, and then they decided to offer the idea to everyone.
The very first contest set the tone for all the fun that followed. As one longtime organizer recalls, the reaction that first year was pure “excitement and joy,” and it’s easy to see why. “Sandcastles are synonymous with summer and the beach, and, at the core of it all, Nantucket is a family-fun focused place!” Many island artists embraced the idea, and it grew from there. That simple formula of sun, sand, and togetherness is one of the reasons the event has endured for more than fifty years.
One of the things that sets the Sandcastle and Sandsculpture Contest apart from a typical beach day is its staying power across generations. Numerous families return year after year, and they take it seriously, in the best possible way. For many, it is more than just an outing: it’s a family tradition they look forward to all year. Some re-live the joy of summer during cold winter months by planning and designing the sand sculpture they will construct.
The Sandcastle and Sandsculpture Contest welcomes multigenerational teams of all kinds. Parents build alongside their children, cousins and neighbors team up, and grandparents happily dig in, too. A family group can be any multigenerational combination, and the Family category remains the most popular of the day.
Because this is a family-friendly amateur event, the sculptures are less about polish and more about heart. And that heart really shows. Over the years, some designs have become fan favorites: mermaids, dragons, sharks, jeeps, sailor’s valentines, ice cream cones, Sconset cottages, whales, and, of course, classic castles. While new superheroes tend to pop up every few years, the themes during this day at Jetties Beach have stayed largely timeless.
Since that first contest in 1975, the event has grown in scope while keeping its original spirit intact. Today, beautiful fancy ribbons are awarded to winners in each category, and every single participant goes home with a ribbon of their own. The contest is open to the public and co-sponsored and promoted by the Nantucket Chamber of Commerce, which has helped make it a well-known and well-attended island tradition.
Spectators are just as essential to the day as the builders themselves. Their energy fuels the event, and the People’s Choice Award gives the crowd a direct hand in celebrating their favorite creations. Day-trippers, summer residents, and yearround families all come out in droves to watch, to cheer, and to immerse themselves in the atmosphere of creative summer fun.
NISDA judges look for originality, creative use of natural materials, clever technique, and genuine effort, with different criteria applied across the Youth, Teen, Family, and Adult categories. Above all, the judges aim to be supportive and encouraging of every participant’s work. Yes, it is a competition, and some builders bring their competitive spirit, but “at the end of the day it is really about enjoying creative effort as a community.”
For a number of years, judging has been anchored by Nantucket’s own Donick Cary, though this year Donick has a commitment that will keep him from attending.
For anyone participating in the Sandcastle and Sandsculpture Contest for the first time, the advice is simple: get inspired by natural materials, plan ahead, and remember to wear sunscreen and hydrate. All sculptures must be made of sand and water. Decorations are permitted, but must be natural items found, such as shells, stones, flowers, driftwood, and seaweed (but not dune grass). No glass, toxic materials, or live animals are allowed in or on the sculptures. Trowels, hand-molds, buckets, and shovels may be used in the construction phase, and temporary forms such as milk cartons and cups can be used to shape sand, but cannot be a part of the final sandcastle or sand sculpture. All designs must be family-friendly, in keeping with the fun community spirit of the event. Remember to come up with a fun name for your team and an inventive name for your creation.
Register in advance at nisda.org. Entry fee is $45 for team registration (includes 3 members) plus $15 per additional participant. Youth registration is for ages 8 to 12; Teen registration is for ages 13 to 17; Adult registration is for ages 18 and older; and Family registration is open to a mix of ages. If space is available, it may be possible to register at Jetties Beach the day of the event, but to ensure your space along the beach, advance registration is recommended.
Organizers hope participants and spectators leave the 2026 contest with a simple takeaway: “Nantucket is a fun-loving, creative community that treasures a good old family tradition.” Artist and Staffer Laura Herhold and Founder Kathy Kelm described it best: “a big group of people show up, for the most part they are strangers. They industriously build their sandcastles, share tools, and ideas…step back to admire and celebrate each other’s work; then they come back the next year and do it again. This is an amateur event, you won’t see professional work here…better yet, the creativity and imagination of friends and neighbors! The spectators are just as important as the contestants—they bring their curiosity and enthusiasm cheering the builders along. It is a fun day whether you build or spectate!”
One thing is certain: NISDA’s Sandcastle and Sandsculpture Contest at Jetties Beach is, and has been for half a century, a classic Nantucket family event that builds memories one sculpture at a time.
51st Annual NISDA Sandcastle & Sculpture Contest:
1-4 pm on July 11, 2026
Rain Date is Sunday, July 12
Register to participate at:
nisda.org/sandcastle-contest-nantucket
