Arnau Orobitg and Mandarine Stillwagoon Win 20th Snow Sculpture Competition with Therion Sphinx

Arnau Orobitg and Mandarine Stillwagoon won the professional category at the 20th Snow Sculpture Competition in El Pas de la Casa with *Therion*, a reinterpretation of the Iberian sphinx of Balazote featuring a winged bull's body and human head. The piece also received Encamp commune's excellence award.

Held in the church square after two years paused due to snow shortages, the event featured 12 teams—six professionals starting Friday and six students from 10am Saturday—working daily until midday Sunday on two-cubic-metre blocks of spring snow under an Iberian mythology theme. Organisers reviewed 50 proposals, selecting six per category after technical assessment. Prize money increased this year: professionals received €1,000 for first, €750 for second and €500 for third; students got €300, €200 and €100.

In the student category, Clàudia Portolés and David Delgado, fine arts students from the University of Barcelona, took first with *La Pesanta*, a wolf-like figure that perches on sleepers' chests at night. They crafted their tools artisanally and gained valuable insights from watching professionals, despite it being their first snow sculpture and contest entry. *Simiot* earned second in professionals, with *Culebra*—a winged serpent by Joan Pradell and Valentina Marotta—taking third overall and the public excellence prize via visitor votes.

Orobitg, an Andorran artist who also won in 2023, highlighted the high quality across professional entries, describing the event not as a competition but a symposium to showcase ephemeral art. He noted challenges from the transformed spring snow, which lacks the compactness of powder or packed varieties, requiring techniques like shadow play for volume.

Encamp Culture Councillor Joan Sans praised the technical prowess in rendering mythological figures, calling it the Pyrenees' premier contest—rivalled only by Alpine events—and a draw for vocational students and pros alike. He welcomed the strong participation that demanded rigorous selection.

Artists lodged locally amid RN20 closures, boosting El Pas de la Casa's economy as visitors admired works, trails, shops and dining.