Shovel for shovel, hour after hour, detail grafted upon detail, sculptors on the beach worked and manipulated the moist sand into exquisite reliefs, fabricating astonishing intricacy for material so delicate. No artistic element was too small to be incorporated; stonework, facial expressions, archways and bridges could be seen, crafted from the granules to create castles and sculptures that would capture the amazements of passer-bys. This is how contestants of the Rehoboth Sandcastle Contest like it. Serious work. Even decorative embellishments such as real clamshells on a mermaid, or shiny oyster shells for dragon's eyes brought the sand-art to life. But aside from these little elements, everything you see here is bona fide SAND. No structural materials were added.

Robert Hedden, mastermind behind the dragon you see above, says his family has applied themselves to summer sand-sculpting for over 30 years. Too bad the sculptures are washed away at end of day; else he would have a gallery's-worth of sculptures to keep. Being an engineer, Robert chuckled, saying, "Usually I'm building things that are permanent!"

What's with the octopus, you ask? The team who fashioned this piece incorporated every element of a political cartoon – appropriate, as they all are government employees. To express the confusion and upset they've been dealing with at work thanks to the gulf oil spill, they decided to portray "Super-Obama" arm-wrestling the BP Octopus, whose tentacles are wrapped around the Capitol Dome and an oil rig. A caption in the sand nearby read, "Now YOU clean it up!"

This creative monstrosity is the work of Team "Artistic Differences," (headed by Eric Bollinger) who has one 1st in the adult sandcastle category for the last three years. They prefer to stick with the castle tradition, thought they have a new design to offer every year. Concerning the winnings of the contest, first place is voted upon by the public, while judges choose 10 other pieces as best in show.

Soon, the tardy tide swept its outstretched hand, leveling the short-lived works of art into smooth sandy beach once more. Still, we were able to eternalize these amazing sand-castles in photos, which you can see HERE. Be sure to check the website (link at the top)for this years winners!

Written by Erik Yount. Photography by Errol Webber.