Ukrainian sculptor Lyudmyla Mysko works on a sculpture at Ammoudara beach, Heraklion, Greece, June 5, 2018. Ammoudara Professional Sand Sculpting Festival is held here to raise public awareness on plastic pollution. (Xinhua/Stefanos Rapanis)

by Alexia Vlachou

ATHENS, June 5 (Xinhua) -- For the third consecutive year, the sand sculpture festival is being held in Malevizi village on Crete island to raise public awareness on plastic pollution.

Six sculptors from Greece, Romania and Ukraine joined their forces to create impressive artistic works from sand in the beach of Ammoudara, near Heraklion, to inform people on environmental issues.

"People need to be careful and not to pollute the beaches with their garbage," Manolis Charkoutsis, one of the sculptors, told Xinhua on Tuesday on World Environment Day.

Though they usually work on marble, clay and metal, the artists this time work with the sand and make sculptures that reach up to 3 meters height.

"We want to raise public awareness on environmental issues and to inspire children to express themselves through art," Charkoutsis said.

Inspired by the sea and the marine pollution, the sculptors will create seven art pieces until June 20.

Tourists, locals and swimmers as well have the opportunity to admire the sculptures that will remain at the beach as an open exhibition all summer.

"One artist will create two whales, a plastic bag full of fish and trash, a baby that swims in a polluted sea, and a genetically modified seahorse," Charkoutsis said.

The sand sculpture festival was held under the auspices of the Malevizi municipality and the Greek Tourist Organization with the support of the region of Crete.