The winners of the 2022 Hampton Beach Sand Sculpting Classic

A familiar face took the top prize at the 2022 Hampton Beach Sand Sculpting Classic over the weekend.

Mélineige Beauregard, a Montreal native currently living in Hawaii, won first place and the People’s Choice Award for her sculpture titled “I Am Life.” She previously won first place at the competition in 2020 and finished in second last year.

Beauregard said she loves sculpting, adding that she has been doing it since about 2001 when she started carving with her father.

For the winning 2022 piece, she found inspiration from the design known as “The Flower of Life,” which she even has tattooed on her arm.

“It’s a very powerful design that is present in almost all of life,” Beauregard said. “It’s a pattern, actually, that we have in our cells and all nature.”

One side of her sculpture shows life, featuring flowers and other elements of nature, while the other side shows death, she explained.

“So, life: it’s also death; it’s also decay. Like nature, it’s very – it’s not only like the creation of life, it’s the destruction of life,” Beauregard said.

Karen Fralich of Toronto, Canada came in second place with her sculpture, “Trolls,” which was inspired by the story, “Peer Gynt,” a Norwegian fairytale.

Carl Jara of Ohio earned third place for his piece, “Entropy.”

Rusty Croft of Carmel, California received fourth place and Sculptor’s Choice with his creation, “Transition.”

Greg J. Grady of Derry, New Hampshire secured the Governor’s Award for “Wyvern Whisperer.”

All the sculptures will remain available for viewing through Sunday, June 26 at 10 a.m.