World Snow Sculpting Championship Returns to Stillwater This Week
An annual winter tradition is back again in Minnesota starting tomorrow, January 13th. It's not just a tradition for Minnesota, it's a tradition for people around the world. It's the World Snow Sculpting Championship, which takes place every year in Stillwater.
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Stillwater's Annual Snow Sculpting Competition
The crazy thing is, this is only the 6th year! It feels like it's been going on for a lot longer than that, but Stillwater started hosting this competition for snow sculpters from around the world in 2020.
The city of Stillwater had grown extremely quiet in 2020 (gee, I wonder why), and they were afraid for the future of their downtown. They came upon a snow sculpting organization called Winter Fun LLC, which was looking for a place to host a first-ever snow sculpting championship.
Stillwater ended up being the perfect fit, and ever since, snow sculpting teams from around the world travel to Stillwater to compete.
2026 World Snow Sculpting Competition in Stillwater, MN
This year, there are 16 teams from around the world who will bring their talents to Stillwater. The festivities kick off on Tuesday, January 13th, with an opening ceremony at 5 PM.
Wednesday, January 14th at 8:30 AM is the official start of the snow sculpting portion. Teams will have 70 hours to complete their sculpture. The competition ends at 2 PM on Saturday, January 17th with the awards ceremony at 6 PM.
There's tons of fun to be had throughout the week with a market, live music, and the Taste of the Nations, where 16 local bars and restaurants will each offer a specialty menu item "with global flair" that represents the countries that the teams come from.
You're able to walk around and watch the sculptors work all week. The sculptures will also be up and available for people to see until they melt, so if you can't make it this week, you still have an opportunity to see the amazing works of art.
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Gallery Credit: Carly Ross
