And the Sand Sculpture Winners Are…

Last Saturday saw great fun on the Coney Island beach as the Sand Sculpture contest drew out many artists. The contest on the beach from West 10th to West 12th Streets lasted from about 12 to 3, and included a panel of judges who were judging sculptures in five categories.

The boardwalk included all sorts of fun and festive decorations from sea turtles and mermaids to palaces. Awards were handed out in five categories which included children alone, adults alone, groups of adults, groups of kids and mixed.

And…one of the winners just happened to be actor Vincent D’Onofrio, who plays a detective on “Law and Order: Criminal Intent.” Bringing his entire family along for the fun, D’Onofrio won first-prize in the mixed age category.

The adult alone category was won by Hector Patino who created a domestic violence awareness sculpture of a woman covering her face.

The adult group prize went to Frank Russo who built Harry Potter’s castle. The children’s group category went to Trinise and Amara Owens who built a “Scary Octopus” and the child along category went to Majatt Ajarar who created a smiling sea turtle.

D’Onofrio took the award in the mixed category, creating a treasure chest that had gold coins, skeletons and more. As his wife and former model, Carin van der Donk said, “We love pirates!”