By Bizodisha Bureau, Bhubaneswar, August 31, 2016 : Famed artist Sudarsan Pattnaik has bagged people’s choice award for his sand sculpture made during an international championship in Russia.

Pattnaik’s sculpture has got 60,000 votes out of the total 80,000 votes from the visitors to the exhibition.

The art — ‘Mahatma Gandhi sculpture for non-violence and peace’ — was created in the contest in Moscow in April last.

After the competition, an exhibition is being held there since then.

“It is a really a pride moment for me that my sculpture is liked by so many people,” Pattnaik told media persons,

The week-long competition had started on April 21 at Kolomenskoye, Moscow, where 20 top sculptors from across the world had displayed their craft, he said.

Pattnaik has participated in more than 50 international sand sculpture championships across the world and won many awards for the country.

He was honoured with the country’s fourth highest civilian award Padma Shri in 2014.

Pattnaik runs a sand art school at Puri beach in Odisha.