Winter Carnival 2016 snow statue winners announced

Visitors admire Phi Kappa Tau's winning snow statue titled "Welcoming Immigration to This Great Nation" -- with scenes of New York City, including the Statue of Liberty, the Empire State Building and the Brooklyn Bridge as viewed by immigrants arriving in the harbor. The Hancock fraternity regained their first-place victory -- the eighth in the last nine years. (Photos by Keweenaw Now unless otherwise indicated.)

HOUGHTON -- For the eighth time in the last nine years, Phi Kappa Tau captured the top prize in the month-long statue division for Michigan Tech's 2016 Winter Carnival. The winning entry, constructed outside their house in Hancock, is "Welcoming Immigration to This Great Nation."

As depicted by Phi Kappa Tau's winning creation, New York's Statue of Liberty welcomes immigrants arriving in the harbor. The Empire State Building towers over the New York skyline in the background, and Brooklyn Bridge is at right.

Second place went to last year's winner, Tau Kappa Epsilon, for "Freedom's Price in Show and Ice."

Students put finishing touches on Tau Kappa Epsilon's snow statue titled "Freedom's Price in Show and Ice," which won second place in the month-long statue division. (Photo courtesy Michigan Tech University)

Third place was Delta Sigma Phi, "Wyoming's Beauty Shown in a Snow Blown Yellowstone."

Sigma Phi Epsilon captured fourth  place with "Dreams of California-cation" and the Army ROTC took fifth place with "Where Gold Bars are Made."

All-Nighter winners

In the All-Nighter competition, St. Albert the Great University Parish took first place with "Covered By Ice and Snow to MARYland We Will Go."

St. Albert the Great University Parish won first place in the All Nighter competition. (Photo courtesy Michigan Tech University)

Lutheran Campus Ministry captured second with "One Nation, One People." In third place is Hyrule with "A Tech Student's Plan of Attack Would Have Prevented the Crack."  Fourth place was captured by First Year Experience-Wads "Remembering Those Who Pulled Their Weight, While Defending Our Great 50 States." And in fifth place was Concordia Student Ministries with "But For Those Who Hope in the Lord Will Renew Their Strength, They Will Soar on Wings Like Eagles."

The snow statue winners, along with the overall Winter Carnival winners will be honored at the awards ceremony at 9 p.m. Saturday in the Memorial Union Ballroom.

More photos of Phi Kappa Tau first-place winner:

The Brooklyn Bridge, with its "decorative slushed rope," is described as "an engineering marvel built by the hands of New York immigrants."

A book records the number of immigrants from each of several countries arriving after a two-week voyage across the Atlantic.

Another view of the Statue of Liberty, with Ellis Island to the left.

Visit the Winter Carnival Web site for more winners and photos.