The Marilyn Monroe Collection Metamorphosis Photo Contest: And the Winners Are...

I'm thrilled to announce today the winners of "The Marilyn Monroe Collection Metamorphosis Photo Contest." Many entries were received, via Facebook and my personal email account, and choosing the winners for me was very challenging.

For this contest, entrants were asked to submit their favorite photo (or photos) of Marilyn Monroe, and explain why the photo was a favorite. More specifically:

• Why is the photo meaningful to you?
  
• What message is it sending you?
  
• What story is it telling?
  
• How does it impact you?

When determining contest winners, I evaluated the image of Marilyn, along with the quality, depth and feelings expressed in the reasoning as to why the image was submitted by the entrant as a favorite.

All entries were incredible, and again, it was very hard to choose. I can tell people put a lot of hard work into this contest. Because of that, I'm actually giving away FOUR copies of Marilyn Monroe: Metamorphosis, instead of just three.

So, without further delay, the winners of "The Marilyn Monroe Collection Metamorphosis Photo Contest" are:

Leah from the United States:

"Marilyn was a supernova. 'Supernovae occur when a supergiant star collapses suddenly at the end of its life' To me in this picture, she is luminous and proud, a perfect form. The happiness she sought is radiating from this picture, if only for a moment."

Stacy from the United States:

"She looks as beautiful as cherries in the snow. She is exuberantly lovely. No one can match her power over the still lens. Dressed only in a simple red sweater she captivates the viewer with the power of her beauty. Yet...even now, her fate tip-toes in on cat's feet and we worry for her. She inspires us with her lovliness and still we find ourselves catching our breath in anticipation of her sorrows to come. She is gentle and tender, the inspiration for our best wishes, and she calls to us from that fair land, that she is finally safe and we should worry no more."

Ross from Australia:

"The Marilyn photo that means the most to me is the very first one I ever saw of her. It was back in 1953 when I was a 10 year old boy and I saw this photo in a magazine. I immediately cut it out and kept it (I still have it!!). I'm not sure now that I knew who she was but I was struck by her luminous beauty, and it was the start of a life long fascination with this lovely woman. Seeing this shot changed my life completely!"


Tony from Italy:

She had such a sweet way
To hide her embarrassment
When she talked and smiled Ironically
her eyes were closed/looked down for her misfortunes

When I see her hands
It catches me
To see them with such elegance
The friendly movements
I could barely hold back the urge
To grap her ... to take care for her ...
By a photo or movie clips
Or as here, seated during an interview

This never was reality for me
I was not even born at the time
Although compared to many other people
She was special… very special
..

Congratulations to all the winners. I'll be in touch to get your address so I can mail your book to you.

Thanks to everyone for participating in this contest. See below just a few of the exceptional photographs of Marilyn from Marilyn Monroe: Metamorphosis.