“If you choose not to find joy in the snow, you will have less joy in your life but still the same amount of snow” ~ Anonymous
March 3-5, 2023
We are very excited to again welcome international, national and local teams to each transform a large cube of the world’s best snow into beautiful sculptures, all under the theme
‘Myth, Story, Legend’
* * *
FELICITATIONS, RA-GADASS ROAD CREW!!!
Team Quebec aka the Ra-Gadass Road Crew: Isabelle Gasse, Joelle Gagnon, and Eugène Gagnon, received the Artists’ Choice Award AND the People’s Choice Award with their work “Don’t Answer to Hunger”!
Here are Northland Utilities’ Raymond McDonald and yours truly, Snowking, drawing cards to assign each Sponsor to a Carving Team:
XXVIII PARTICIPATING TEAMS
Wyvern Warriors (Team Great Britain)
Nation: Great Britain, USA, Japan
Mark Thompson, Roger Wing, Marin Murakoshi
“Wyvern”
A fearsome mythical creature - standard of the Kingdom of Wessex Saxons - 927 AD. Body of a dragon, tail of a snake - fierce guardian of the Snowkings Castle.
Ra-Gadass Road Crew (Team - Québec)
Nation: Québec
Isabelle Gasse, Joelle Gagnon, Eugène Gagnon
“Don’t Answer to Hunger”
You may be hungry, you may be cold. But if you feel it coming, don’t open the door. It would take place in your soul, it would wear your bones, and you could host the Wendigo!
Devilish Details (Team Yellowknife)
Nation: Canada
Ryan McCord, Shauna Morgan, Patrice Tremblay
“La Chasse Galerie”
On New Year’s Eve, eight voyageurs make a deal with the devil to be transported by flying canoe to visit their wives and girlfriends, and be back by morning, as long as they don’t speak, or touch any crosses.
Frosty Ferns (Team Manitoba)
Nation: Canada, Métis
Christel Lanthier, Kara Tinkler, Samantha Yarmiy
“Manipogo”
Manipogo is a lake monster said to have lived in Lake Manitoba, near the Métis St. Laurent community. Legend had it that he has a long muddy body with humps that show above water with a sheep like head.
Team South Korea
Nation: South Korea
Hong Soontea, Choi Yongsun, Kim Junman
“Into the Human History”
A work that embodies the evolution of human beings in the history of mankind for several centuries and phased changes of the times.
Frozen Fingers (Team Yellowknife)
Nation: Canada
John Sabourin, Eli Nasogaluak, Derrald Taylor
“Dragon Slayers”
The Hulk teams up with Thor to battle against all of man's nemesis. The age old dragon of death and destruction. The battle has only one outcome for Hulk and Thor both knowing that every battle is won before it is fought.
Photo by Geoff’s Litrato
attention carvers
This is a call-out for all interested, artistic individuals, experienced or not, wanting to join the symposium.
Please submit your application, including a sketch or a photo of your design, by email, no later than November 25, 2022.
For further information, please email snowcarving@snowking.ca
APPLICATIONS ARE NOW CLOSED
Thanks to all that have applied!
Our selections committee is busy reviewing submissions and will contact those that are being short listed.
* * *
Conditions for participating
The Snow Carving Symposium, organised by Snowking’s Winter Festival Society, will be held March 3-5, 2023.
The symposium is open to teams of a maximum of three adults. The only exception is that a team may have up to four members if the group is from Yellowknife, Ndilǫ, Dettah, or Behchokǫ̀, and none of the team members has previously entered a snow carving symposium/ competition in Yellowknife or elsewhere.
The sculptures must be made of snow, with minimal amounts of ice, and may not extend beyond the volume of the original cube of snow. The organisers will provide to each team a snow scoop (to push discarded snow to a designated location away from the sculptures), one ‘lift’ of scaffolding with two platforms (1.5 m high), and various larger tools to share, such as ladders. The use of electric/electronic/ battery operated tools is not permitted. Colouring the snow is not permitted.
The 10x10x10 ft (3m x 3m x 3m) blocks of snow will be assigned to the competitors by lottery draw prior to the start of the sculpting time period.
Two prizes will be awarded: Peoples’ Choice – visitors to the Snowkings’ Castle will vote during the month of March and the prize will be announced at the castle’s closing ceremony. It will be mailed to the winner; and Artists' Choice – all of the snow carvers and 5 carvers of the Snow Castle will vote on their favourite sculpture. This will be announced/ awarded at the end of the symposium.
Local teams, as well as those from afar, will receive stipends for meals; a reception dinner and a wrap-up/ awards dinner will be provided by the organisation.
The costs of travel (to a maximum of $2,250 per team) and lodging (from March 2-6, 2023) for national and international teams are sustained by the organisation. If teams must stay longer due to flight availability, they must apply to the organiser for consideration for compensation prior to committing to the cost; if the teams choose to stay longer for personal reasons, that is at their own expense. Extras such as telephone and bar etc. are not refunded.
Local teams will receive an honorarium for the creation of their sculpture.