San Francisco’s annual Leap Sandcastle Classic transformed Ocean Beach into a playful digital landscape this past weekend, where elementary school students showcased their incredible imagination through intricate sand sculptures.

Students from Daniel Webster Elementary, competing under the clever team name “CTRL + Crab”, stole the show with their award-winning creation featuring two giant crabs dramatically engaging with Nintendo game controllers. The event, which marked its 43rd year, invited nearly 20 groups of third- to fifth-grade students to build elaborate sand masterpieces within a tight two-and-a-half-hour window.

This year’s competition theme, “Level Up”, encouraged participants to explore video game-inspired designs. While the winning team’s crab sculpture captured the judges’ hearts, other impressive entries included detailed Pac-Man renderings, Minecraft-inspired landscapes, and even a remarkable dragon sculpture.

Beyond the creative competition, the event serves a meaningful purpose. It’s a fundraiser for Leap Arts in Education, a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting arts programming for Bay Area youth. Local architecture, engineering, and construction firms collaborated with student teams, providing guidance and support throughout the sandcastle-building process.

Jacqueline Haudek Marquez, Leap’s manager of community engagement, shared an amusing post-event tradition: after judging, students enthusiastically demolish their carefully constructed sand creations, turning the artistic experience into a playful celebration of creativity and impermanence.

The Leap Sandcastle Classic continues to be a beloved Bay Area tradition, showcasing the imaginative potential of young artists and providing a unique platform for creative expression right on the shores of Ocean Beach.