"I am very happy to win this prize for our country in first sand art world cup at USA 2014 and thankful to all the people who liked my sculpture and voted for me," he said yesterday.
Pattnaik was presented with the People's Choice medal by the Mayor of Atlantic City. Twenty internationally renowned sand artists from around the world participated in the event.
Under the competition that began on June 19, every sculptor got 30 hours to create their artwork using 10 tons of sand.
Awarded with the Padmashri by India this year, Pattnaik has participated in over 50 International championships and festivals around the World and won many prizes. He is also known for creating sand sculptures on current issues and social awareness. Born in Puri, Pattnaik (37) runs a sand art school there.
