Build a ‘SUNsational Sandcastle' and Help a Local Aquarium

• SUNsational Sandcastles Summer Sand Sculpture Contest
• Enter remotely through July 24; voting happens July 28 through Aug. 14
• Your $30 entry helps support the Roundhouse Aquarium; "fun prizes await" for the winners

Are there more grains of sand at your local beach or adorable opportunities to create something cool over summer vacation with your kids?

The answer, of course, is sand, so much sand, there's lots and lots and lots of sand on the beach. But using some of those grains to fashion something fun alongside your tots, all for a good cause, can create a summertime activity worthy of remembering.

And here's something sunny for the start of summer: The Roundhouse Aquarium Teaching Center is fundraising through a new online contest, one that puts sandcastles at the center of the ocean-close action.

It's the 2nd Annual SUNsational Sandcastle Summer Sand Sculpture Contest, and it is now open to anyone who loves to make damp sand sing.

How does this multi-week happening work?

For starters, you don't need to be at a certain shore on a certain date: You are free to build your sand sculpture wherever and whenever, including in a sandbox or at your local park, if the beach is a bit of a haul.

You'll want to review the rules before you begin, like the fact that natural objects, the sorts of kelp-y finds you might spy at the water's edge, may be used to add flair to your fanciful structure.

These are buildings brimming with brevity, of course, so do snaps photos, the sort of pictures you can send to the Roundhouse Aquarium with your entry. The join-in fee?

It's $30, which will help the aquarium's excellent programs and mission.

You have through July 24 to enter via the Roundhouse Aquarium's site, and the online voting will kick off a few days later, stretching through to Aug. 14.

The High Tide Award and the Creative Claws Award are two of the categories, but there are a few more to explore.

"Fun prizes await" vows the aquarium team, but perhaps the most fun prize of all will come in the construction of your sandcastle, and the memories made at the shoreline.