Oceanographic Teaching Stations, Inc. (OTS), the non-profit that manages and operates the Roundhouse Aquarium in Manhattan Beach, has announced the winners of its first annual sandcastle contest, “Sunsational Sandcastles, A Summer Sand Sculpture Contest.”

Sponsored by the Port of Long Beach, Chevron, the Langlois Family, Bayview Pediatric Dental Group and The Corrales Group, Sunsational Sandcastles attracted 16 sand sculpture entries with teams represented by families, schools and local organizations.

Sand sculptures were built locally and as far away as  Hawaii. Each team built their sand sculpture individually and photos of each entry were submitted online. 70 votes were received virtually to determine the winners.

Photos of the winning entries may be viewed at www.roundhouseaquarium.org/sandcastle.

“Congratulations and thank you for safely celebrating summer and ocean science education,” said Grace Adams, OTS executive director, in a statement. “Proceeds from the Sunsational Sandcastle contest will support the Roundhouse’s ocean science education programs as well as the daily care of the animals in the aquarium. We are excited that we have been able to welcome everyone back to the Roundhouse, and continue to serve students and our community through our distance learning initiatives and limited in-person ocean science programs."

OTS’ Roundhouse Aquarium teaching team conducted a total of 519 classes in 2020, serving more than 25,000 students through virtual programs on ocean science. More than 90% of programs were delivered to schools in the Greater Los Angeles county area, with the remainder provided to schools in neighboring Orange County, out of state, and abroad. In 2021, OTS has been expanding its reach to engage students in the inland communities of Riverside and San Bernardino through its virtual programs. Consistent with OTS’ policy of giving priority to students from underserved communities, 85% of the schools served were from Title 1 schools, which typically report at least 50% of their student populations are from low-income families.

For the last 40 years, Oceanographic Teaching Stations, Inc., a private, not-profit organization that operates and manages the Roundhouse Aquarium Teaching Center, has worked to educate all generations about the importance of our oceans, beaches and tidelands.  The Roundhouse has provided life-changing experiences for people of all ages, from a child touching a sea cucumber for the first time, to adults learning how their daily actions affect the ocean. OTS offers a series of immersive, hands-on and standards-aligned education programs in ocean science and environmental conservation. For more information, visit www.roundhouseaquarium.org.