Pas de la Casa Launches 20th Snow Sculpture Competition on Iberian Mythology
24 professional and student artists carve 2m³ snow blocks in the church square through March 1, themed on pre-Roman Iberian deities, boosting local.
Key Points
- 24 artists from 12 teams sculpt snow blocks on Iberian mythology theme in church square until March 1.
- Professionals include 2023 winners and World Snow Festival champions; students from Barcelona art schools.
- Prizes: €1,000/€750/€500 for pros, €300/€200/€100 for students, plus public vote.
- Event supports local hotels after RN20 closure; first since 2022 due to snow shortages.
Pas de la Casa has launched its 20th Snow Sculpture Competition, with 24 artists now working on blocks of snow themed around Iberian mythology.
The event kicked off Friday morning as professional sculptors began carving 2-cubic-metre snow blocks in the parish's church square, from 10am to 6pm daily until noon on Sunday, March 1. Student teams started their work on Saturday at 10am. Organisers selected 12 teams—six pairs each in professional and student categories—from 48 entries to prioritise quality. All participants are staying in local hotels to support businesses hit by the RN20 road closure.
Arnau Pérez Orobitg, last edition's winner alongside Mandarine Stillwagoon, described the competition as "a small gallery of ephemeral and sudden monumental sculpture, but also a fun, quite pop cultural game."
The professional category includes the 2023 champions Pérez Orobitg and Stillwagoon; Jaume Abad, head of the Higher Vocational Training Cycle in Modelling and Patternmaking at Pau Gargallo School of Art, with Zaira Valera, entrants since 2017 who won the public's special mention last time; Manuel Fontiveros and Miquel Grima, sculpture professors at the University of Barcelona; Mariona Sans and Susana Malagón from the Spanish team that took the World Snow Festival 2026 title in Grindelwald, Switzerland; and Valentina Marotta with Joan Pradell.
Student entrants represent multiple schools: Judit Sanmartí with Ariadna Verdugo, and Laura Larios with Paula Bianchini from Ondara School of Art in Tàrrega; Carla Puigderrajols with Sergio Quesada, and Clàudia Portolés with David Delgado from the University of Barcelona's Fine Arts degree; Helena Bigordà and Alba Bernad from Llotja School of Art and Design in Barcelona; and Anna Martí with Sergi Esteban from Massana School of Art and Design in Barcelona.
The theme highlights beliefs, symbolic stories, and deities of pre-Roman Iberian peoples, originally planned for the prior year. Sculptors will present their finished works to the jury on Sunday. Prizes are €1,000, €750, and €500 for professionals, and €300, €200, €100 for students. Special awards include the Andorra Excellence mention from Comú d'Encamp and the public's choice, with voting open to visitors on Sunday.
The competition marks a return after two years of cancellations due to poor snow conditions, with calls for visitors to explore the parish, enjoy the atmosphere, and shop locally.
Original Sources
This article was aggregated from the following Catalan-language sources: