2026 International Snow Sculpture Championships Winners

Many of us consider the snowmen we build in the park to be works of art (and they absolutely are), but the talented contestants in the International Snow Sculpture Championships take icy creations to another level — literally. Following 94 hours of nonstop carving at the Riverwalk Center Plaza in Breckenridge, Colorado, the 2026 winners were announced in a Wednesday awards ceremony.

The gold medal went to Team South Korea. The only team this year with a woman captain, Mi Kyoung Kim, their sculpture — titled “Beauty Beyond Difference: Harmony of Coexistence” — includes orbs that symbolize life, diversity, and coexistence, per a press release. “Everything worked well: the interior, the exterior, close-up, and at a distance,” said judge George Lundeen. “The piece morphs and changes shape as you walk around it.”

Team Mongolia took silver for their piece, “Lassoing Time,” and Team India nabbed bronze with their sculpture, “Corn: The Ultimate Domesticator.” Though the contest doesn’t award cash prizes, the gold, silver, and bronze winners each received a trophy, and the People’s Choice and Artists’ Choice victors also walked away with awards.

Now in its 35th year, the competition featured one of its most internationally diverse lineups yet, with teams from Breckenridge and Vermont as well as Argentina, Germany, Finland, India, Italy, Lithuania, Malta, Mongolia, South Korea, and Ukraine. In June, the Snow Sculpture Organizing Committee sent out more than 250 invitations, and after receiving submissions in August, a selection committee chose the teams for the 2026 competition. Power tools and internal support structures weren’t allowed when competitors carved their 12-foot-tall, 25-ton snow blocks amid a blizzard and sub-zero temperatures.

This year’s magnificent sculptures are on public display through Tuesday — take a look below.