The sandcastle must be primarily designed and led by the child/children, with parents and caregivers allowed to assist, but only by following the child’s direction. The creative vision and decisions must come from the child.

No specific theme is required, allowing for full creativity! Judges will be looking for creative and imaginative designs. Bonus points may be awarded for sandcastles that highlight the local environment, te ao Māori values, or family/community themes.

Sandcastles can be of any size, as long as they are structurally sound

and self-supporting. The use of towers, tunnels, arches, or other creative elements is encouraged.

Natural materials found on the beach (like shells, seaweed, driftwood, etc.) must be used for decoration, but families are allowed to use tools such as spades, buckets, and moulds to help construct their sandcastles.

Entries must be original creations and not pre-built or copied from existing sandcastle designs.

Participants can create their sandcastles at any beach, as long as they adhere to the guidelines and submit their entries within the competition period.

Entrants can submit one entry per day. Participants must submit a photo of their creation via the Entries page, along with the child’s name, entrant number, age and a brief description of their design.

The competition runs from December 25th, 2025 to February 28th, 2026. All

entries must be submitted by 5pm on February 28th. Participants must attend the Coastie Kids Celebration Day on March 1st from 2pm-4pm to be eligible to receive their prize. If the winner is not present, the prize will be awarded to the next eligible participant who is attending the event.

To be eligible to win, participants must attend the Coastie Kids Celebration Day on March 1st 2026. Prizes will be awarded in person, and if the winner is not present, the prize will be given to the next eligible contestant in attendance.