As part of our continuing anniversary campaign to showcase 25 things we’re particularly proud of during our 25 years in business, M2L Associates celebrates the firm’s long-running support of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) Sandcastle Competition. This year’s event returns Saturday at East Beach, 1923 Boddeker in Galveston, and M2L Associates is proud to be a Gold Bucket sponsor.
Billed as one of the world’s largest amateur sandcastle-building events, the AIA Sandcastle Competition is an annual fundraiser benefiting AIA Houston and ArCH Foundation, not to mention one of the top five revenue-generating events for the City of Galveston and an all-around good time for everyone who participates or attends.
Teams from the design, architecture and engineering community come together on the beach to create their long-planned masterpieces and wow the public with their talents — all for a great cause. Monies raised help fund AIA Houston and the ArCH Foundation’s work to educate the public about the role of architecture and urban design in improving the quality of life in Houston.
Two Decades of Support
M2L’s support of the AIA Sandcastle Competition dates back nearly two decades, both as a competing team or in support of partner teams. In 2014 M2L’s own Jeffery Briggs got involved with the event’s organizing committee, becoming co-chair in 2017 and chairing the event since 2019.
Briggs said M2L’s long involvement with the event speaks to the firm’s close connection to the architecture community and appreciation for the collaborative work we produce together. This year M2L Associates also stepped up as a Gold Bucket sponsor, volunteering as a firm to stake and set up the beach in advance of the event. Though his chairmanship ends this year, Briggs said he plans to continue his work on the organizing committee and hopes M2L’s support continues as well.
M2L Associates Principal Lynn Mauer agreed the firm’s involvement is a big win for M2L. “We’re a small firm with a big heart for volunteering and staying connected in our community,” she said. “The sandcastle competition brings attention to the good work of the architecture and design community while also bringing tourists and revenue to Galveston. Being involved is hard work but so much fun. Whether we build a sandcastle or work together to support the event behind the scenes, our entire M2L team looks forward to it every year.”
This year 32 teams will compete for the AIA Golden Bucket Award, Briggs said, down from 50 in 2019. Despite the lower number following the pandemic, Briggs said everyone involved with the enormous undertaking is thrilled the competition is back after the Covid hiatus.
“Like many fundraising events, we’ve been challenged to keep team, donor and sponsor numbers up, but an interesting upside of having fewer teams is the ability to spread out on the beach and give competing teams and the viewing public a less crowded experience,” he said. “If you’ve never been to the event or haven’t been in a while, it is a good time to get down to the island for a much-needed break on a fun-filled day.”
Competing firms begin months in advance generating ideas, developing designs and assigning duties. On the day of the event the teams, stretched along the beach front, sculpt their piles of sand and work nonstop for five hours until time is called and judging begins.
Sculptures are rated on originality of concept, artistic execution, technical difficulty, carving technique and utilization of the site. Competition is always fierce but fun, Briggs said, with prizes awarded in numerous categories that stoke the creative juices and delight the crowd of spectators.
In addition to the top prizes (gold, silver and bronze), awards will be given in the following categories: Architectural Icon; Traditional Castle; Texas Pride: Everything is bigger (and better!) in Texas; Kidtastic: Nursery Rhymes [Row, row, row your boat, gently down I-45!]; Pop Culture: Video Games [Game on … from Pong to Pokemon!]; Go for the Gold!: Celebrating the 2020 (now 2021) Olympics; and Animal Kingdom: Lions and tigers and bears, oh my!
Event Day Schedule
6:30 a.m. Beach opens for teams and sponsors
9:00 a.m. Public is encouraged to begin to arrive to watch the competition
10:00 a.m.–3:00 p.m. Teams compete and build
1:00 p.m.–3:30 p.m. Public favorite voting
3:00 p.m.–4:30 p.m. Judging
4:30 p.m. Awards ceremony
Briggs said organizers continue to look for ways to encourage sustainability throughout the competition, pointing out rules encourage all teams to reduce their environmental footprints and be good stewards of the beaches the event enjoys. A team of judges rates every team on recycling and trash efforts, water-delivery systems, form work and more, with the top-earning team being crowned Sustainability Winner.
Briggs said this year crowds can also check out a special solar-cooking demonstration among the many tents and attractions throughout the event. Special thanks go out to volunteer groups Space City Ski & Adventure Club and Scouts of America for valuable assistance with the sustainability efforts and other competition support.
Weather permitting, beach goers can enjoy the sandcastle creations on Sunday, too. The event is free and open to the public; East Beach parking is $15 (cash only). For more information about this year’s event, including same-day schedules and other details, click here.