The Tourist Board of the City of Nin organized this year the jubilee, tenth Sand Festival, an event that has been bringing together enthusiasts of the art of making sand sculptures for years. On the famous sandy beaches of Nin, competitors of all age groups gathered from early in the morning to create their sand creations under the expert eye of the jury. This year, the jury consisted of academic sculptor Igor Maštruko and long-time friends of the festival, restorers Dejana Brdarić and Krešimir Valentak from Zagreb.

Winning Motifs
The first place this year was won by Jozef and Lucija Kuruc from Slovakia with an impressive sculpture of a fisherman pulling a large fish out of the sea with the help of his faithful dog. This touching scene, depicting a moment of solidarity between man and animal, earned them the victory. The uniqueness of their installation was the use of a fig branch from Slovakia, which Jozef brought to Nin as part of his composition. The fig, originally planted in Dalmatia, now grows in Slovakia, and one of its branches symbolically returned to Nin to become part of this sand sculpture.

Participants came from different parts of Croatia and Europe, among them Božena Gržan from Petrčane and Frida Dorkin from Zadar stood out. Božena won second place with her sculpture of Grgur Ninski, while Frida impressed the jury with her sculpture of Mačkarena – a cat with a mermaid. Particularly interesting was the fact that this year, three competitors shared the third place, each with their unique approach and theme. Boris Cikač won third place with a sculpture of an octopus with a human face, Erik Baksa from Domašinec created a sculpture of a cat with a fish, while Zita Blažević from Čakovec built a Pozoj – a dragon guarding the castle in her hometown.

Diversity and Wealth of Motifs
This year's Sand Festival in Nin attracted competitors from Croatia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Hungary, and Poland, further confirming the international appeal of this event. While the competitors were busily creating their masterpieces out of sand, swimmers, in addition to sunbathing and swimming, had the opportunity to enjoy this unusual artistic expression. The festival thus once again demonstrated its ability to combine fun, creativity, and community in a unique way.

Challenges and Peculiarities of the Festival
The Director of the Tourist Board of the City of Nin, Marija Dejanović, expressed satisfaction with the success of this year's festival. She emphasized the importance of the festival for the promotion of Nin and its beaches, which have been recognized for years as some of the most beautiful in Croatia, but also in Europe. Dejanović highlighted how sand sculptures, although temporary, have become a symbol of transience and the beauty of the moment, as wind and tide gradually return them to the sea from which the sand originated.

The Sand Festival in Nin not only provides an opportunity for creative expression but is also a gathering place for families, friends, and nature lovers. Every year, the festival brings new challenges to competitors, but also to the audience, who enjoy watching the creation of these works of art. Nin's sandy beaches, with their golden sand and clear sea, have become the ideal place for such events and have been recognized internationally as an attractive destination for families with children.

This year's festival brought many unforgettable moments and inspiring sculptures, and many participants will remember this day for a long time. Photos of the sculptures created on the sandy beaches of royal Nin will remain a lasting memory of this special event.

You can view the event's photo gallery at this link:
https://karlobag.eu/fotogalerija/jubilarni-festival-pijeska-u-ninu---natjecatelji-iz-hrvatske-i-europe-stvarali-umjetnost-od-pijeska-na-ninskim-plazama-jveso

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