‘Mt. Lushmore’

The Commodores Award for Overall Best Creation in the 46th Annual Sandcastle Contest at Corona del Mar State Beach was awarded Sunday to “Mt. Lushmore,” featuring the sculpted faces of Britney Spears, Paris Hilton, Nicole Richie and Lindsay Lohan.

The creative design was entered by the “South Coast Educational Primadonnas,” a group of friends and teachers who have participated in the contest for the past 20 years.

Propped up in the sand was a picture of Mount Rushmore, and the women were just one of the many groups on the beach hauling buckets of sand and water back and forth as their masterpiece began to take shape.

The contest is sponsored by the Newport Beach Chamber of Commerce. Other award winners included Most Unique Sand Sculpture, “The Sand Baggers,” given to Doggie Walk Bag, Inc., for its 3-D portrayal of dogs salivating over a treasure chest full of cats.

All the award winners received a souvenir T-shirt and round-trip tickets to Catalina.

— Sue Thoensen