Join us for our annual AIA Cleveland Sand Fest! Every summer, AIA Cleveland goes to the beach to raise funds for the ACE Mentor Program!

Our chapter’s signature event combines volleyball and sand castle construction to present a unique opportunity for Cleveland architects and designers to engage with the public on one of Cleveland’s premier beaches (Edgewater Beach just west of Downtown Cleveland).

This year, Sand Fest is blasting into the future with our “Cleveland in the Year 3000” theme! Imagine what our city, and our world, might look like a thousand years from now. Will Cleveland have floating neighborhoods over Lake Erie? Gardens growing on skyscrapers? Stadiums powered by clean energy and transportation that moves through the air instead of the streets? As technology evolves, so will design. From futuristic landmarks and next-generation transportation to reimagined versions of Cleveland icons, the possibilities are endless.

Whether you’re competing or spectating, get ready to explore a Cleveland that hasn’t been built yet. Let your creativity run wild as you imagine the future of our city. Don't wait until the year 3000 to get in on the fun! We can't wait to see how you bring Cleveland in the year 3000 to life in the sand!

Last year, we raised $8,669 for the ACE Mentorship Program Scholarship Fund. Winners included Vocon as sand castle winner and best-of-the-beach, and AECOM with sand castle second place. Honorable mentions include Bowen and RDL Architects. For volleyball,  DiGeronimo Companies (Independence Excavating/Independence Construction) took home first in the tournament, and Perspectus Architecture came in second.

Event sponsorships are available at multiple levels and include team registration benefits (see below). For more information on sponsorship levels and their benefits, please visit www.tinyurl.com/AIA-Sandfest-Sponsor-Sheet

Early bird registration ends May 29th, 2026, and registration closes July 10th. Please be sure to carefully read the full competition rules for both the sand castle and volleyball competitions by downloading the PDFs at aiacleveland.com/sandfest, as some rules may have changed.

New in 2026!

• Individual players/sand castle builders are FREE! (Individuals will be paired with a team or put on a team of other individuals as availability allows, placement is NOT guaranteed)

• Organizations with partial teams can pair up with other partial-teams (Non-student or other free organizations will pay full team price upon assembling a full team)

  If you're interested in any of the above options, please email mnorman@dvaarchitecture.com.

The ACE Mentor Program is an after-school mentorship initiative that teams fourteen CMSD student teams with architecture, construction, and engineering professionals to respond to a Cleveland-based RFP and encourage consideration of careers in design & construction. All proceeds raised go to the ACE Mentor Program scholarship fund. To learn more about ACE, go to: https://www.acecleveland.org/about

Please consider donating directly to ACE at: https://www.acementor.org/donate/