If you ask me, getting up early on the weekend sucks. Getting sand in your crevices sucks. And trying to build anything out of tiny grains in a windy environment is borderline insanity. Who would choose to do all of the above?

The many teams competing in this year’s Leap Sandcastle Classic , that’s who. And they’ve got motivation beyond building something beautiful: the competition raises funds for arts and architecture education in Bay Area public schools.

Now in its 43rd year, this most wholesome of competitions pits teams of local businesses against each other in a battle to build large-scale sand sculptures. Each team is assisted by eager groups of elementary school students, who make the whole process significantly more adorable. The 2024 competition raised an impressive $266,383.

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