Stillwater Hosts Inaugural World Snow Sculpture Championship

An international competition is driving thousands of people to Stillwater.

January 21, 2022

1:53 PM

Photo by Caitlin Abrams

Stillwater Snow Sculpture

This week, Stillwater is hosting the inaugural World Snow Sculpture Championship in Lowell Park. The competition, sanctioned by Finland-based Association Internationale de Sculpture sur Neige et Glace, is estimated to bring 30,000 people to Stillwater. Audiences can witness nine world-class champion snow sculpting teams from five different countries craft intricate designs with snow.

The event has garnered a lot of attention to the riverside town. Not only is it the first ever of this international event, there are a lot of other local activities, including a Wild Rice Cook Off among local Stillwater restaurants, live music performances, and food trucks. “It’s been a huge collaboration. It’s taken a lot of different people and businesses in town to make it happen, we’re excited that it actually happened,” says Christie Rosckes, marketing director of Discover Stillwater.

During the championship, the three-person teams will compete to earn the highest points on their 10-foot cubes of man-made snow. “They partnered with Afton Alps and Green Acres and borrowed snowmakers. They made a ton of snow for a couple days last week leading up to this,” says Rosckes.

Teams started sculpting on Wednesday, and will have 68 hours, with a mandatory layoff from 3 a.m. to 6 a.m., to finish their sculptures by Saturday. Three winners will receive prizes, with the first place team winning bragging rights and the title of first ever world champion. Spectators are encouraged to watch the whole process and vote for their favorite sculpture. The team with the most votes will win a people's choice award. The first, second and third place winners will win cash prizes up to $1,200 and be chosen by their peers. Each team will receive a ballot and judge the other sculptures based on technique, creativity, message and how close their finished sculpture is to the original drawn-out design.

Winners will be announced on Saturday afternoon during the closing ceremony which will be followed by the World's Coolest Block Party. Warm up by dancing to live music or by watching fire twirlers. The week-long event will be closing off with Minnesnowta Nice Day on Sunday, which will feature a pancake breakfast, polka dancing, and announcing the winners of the Wild Rice Cook Off.

Even if you can’t make it during the weekend, you’re in luck. The sculptures are sticking around until they melt— which should be a while thanks to the Twin Cities’ current sub-zero temperatures.

Mark your calendars in advance, because the championship will be coming back next year. Stillwater is collaborating with WinterFun USA to continue the event in coming years. It all started during the pandemic. “In fall of 2020, the city, chamber and businesses came together to try and think about events we could do in the wintertime to have Stillwater be a year-round destination,” says Robin Anthony, executive director of the Greater Stillwater Chamber of Commerce. Historically, Stillwater has been an essential summer destination, but driving people to the river town during the first quarter is always a challenge.

“The Chamber of Commerce signed a three year contract with WinterFun USA, to have this event come back,” Anthony says. “We are learning a lot about how to execute this event and we’re looking forward to next year. A little challenging during the pandemic getting international teams here, but we won’t have that problem next year. We can only hope.”

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