Meet the sand sculptors from Season 4 of Race Against the Tide

Meet 10 of the world's best sand sculpting teams ready to compete in the most demanding outdoor art competition in the world. Only one team will emerge victorious, claiming the $10,000 grand prize and the coveted title of Race Against the Tide champions. 

Season 4 debuts with back-to-back episodes on CBC and CBC Gem Sunday, April 28 at 7:00 p.m. 

AMIN & AFROOZ 

Amin and Afrooz are a brother/sister duo from Iran who have been sand sculpting together for almost 20 years. Winning first place in Iran's inaugural sand sculpture festival sparked Amin's passion for carving sand. Afrooz began her academic career in agriculture before being introduced to sand sculpting by her brother. Together, they bring their strong bond and love of sand to Race Against the Tide. 

AMANDA & LISA 

Amanda and Lisa are friends from Florida and Washington in the United States. Amanda previously served in the US Armed Forces as a Combat Engineer Officer before embarking on her sand sculpting journey over 17 years ago. Since then, she has competed at semi-pro sand sculpting competitions. Lisa was introduced to sand sculpting in 2008 when her husband's business participated in a local Sand in The City event. Since then, Lisa has won numerous competitions with her sand sculpting teams along the West Coast. 

LUCINDA & EMERSON 

Lucinda and Emerson are an aunt/nephew duo from Texas. Lucinda, known as "Sandy Feets" is a legendary sand sculptor who has been carving since the late '80s. She once held the record for the world's longest sand sculpture. She has taught generations of sand sculptors, including her nephew Emerson. They specialize in sand castles and together, they've created award-winning sculptures for festivals and competitions across the world.

VAIBHAV & GOWRI 

Vaibhav and Gowri are professional sand sculptors from India who have been carving for the past 10 years. Vaibhav's sand-sculpting journey began when he entered a local sand sculpting festival with no experience. He's been passionately carving ever since. Gowri went to school for mechanical engineering and 3D modelling but followed her dreams of a career in sand. She opened one of India's first sand sculpture museums, where she creates hundreds of sculptures based on themes of heritage, religion and wildlife. 

THOMAS & ALEX 

Thomas and Alex are from Quebec, Canada who met 20 years ago. Their sand-sculpting journey began in 2006 when they both accepted a contract from the late master sculptor Michel Lepire. As a multidisciplinary sculptor, Thomas has been competing in sand, ice, snow and wood carving festivals around the globe. Alex is a jack of all trades who, outside of sculpting, is an author and illustrator of graphic novels. Together they're bringing their vast experience and sharp senses of humour to the biggest beach battle in the world. 

MATT & LIAM 

Matt and Liam are a father/son duo from the United States. For Matt, a retired firefighter, carving sand is a family affair. Married with six children, he has been competing in sand sculpting competitions over the past ten years with his sons Ian, Matthew Jr. and most recently, Liam. Liam is the youngest sand sculptor to ever compete on Race Against the Tide. 

JOON  & MITSUHIKO 

Joon and Mitsu are young and fearless sand sculptors from Los Angeles, California and Fukuoka, Japan, who enjoy injecting their Japanese heritage into their sculptures. Even though Joon has only been sand sculpting since 2019, he's carved for some big names, including Amazon, Google and Taylor Swift. Mitsu has been sand sculpting for a decade and has won several awards in sand sculpting competitions across Asia. Together they want to prove that a young team has what it takes to win Race Against the  Tide. 

MORGAN & DELAYNE 

Morgan and Delayne are friends. Morgan is from California and Delayne is from Penticton, B.C. Morgan has competed in more than 50 professional-level sand sculpting competitions, winning over a dozen first-place medals. In 2015, she helped set the Guinness Book of World Records for "tallest sand castle" in Miami. Delayne is an award-winning sculptor whose career spans over 25 years. When he's not carving intricate sculptures, he's usually immersed in stonemasonry or creating commissioned pieces in his studio. 

JORIS & BENOIT 

Joris and Benoit are friends from the Netherlands and France. Joris is a revered sand sculptor with a graphic design background and experience in art direction for television and movies. His passion for sand sculpting was ignited when a friend introduced him to the art form 16 years ago. Benoit was a high-end chef before stumbling upon sand sculpting when he volunteered to help at a competition in 2001. Known as the "bulldozer" in the sand community, he's been shovelling, compacting and competing at sand festivals ever since. 

ANDREI & KATERYNA 

Andrei and Kateryna are a husband-and-wife team who immigrated to Squamish, B.C. from Ukraine. They met in college and have been sculpting together ever since, participating in festivals and competitions worldwide for over 20 years. While they can carve using any style, they love drawing from real life to inspire their sculptures. 

Watch Race Against the Tide on CBC Gem.