Holland America Line Selects Winner of ‘Love Letters to Alaska’ Contest from More Than 40,000 Entries
On Valentine’s Day 2022 Holland America Line launched a “Love Letters to Alaska” contest in celebration of its upcoming 75th anniversary season in the Great Land.
More than 40,000 hopefuls submitted a personal letter professing their love for Alaska or why they would like to visit.
After narrowing down the entries to the top 10, Deborah Thelwell from Phoenix, Arizona, was named the grand prize winner of a seven-day Holland America Line Alaska cruise for two in a Neptune Suite.
“The number of entries we received was overwhelming in the most incredible way, with thousands of people professing their love for Alaska with creative, beautiful and heartfelt notes,” said Beth Bodensteiner, senior vice president and chief commercial officer, Holland America Line. “Choosing the 10 winners was difficult because so many were worthy, but in the end, Deborah’s poem captured the essence of the contest with an entry that was beautifully written as a tribute to both her late husband and Alaska.”
Selected as the best of the best by a panel of judges who have a connection to Alaska, Washington state or the cruise line, Deborah’s entry was penned to honor her husband Alan who passed before they were able to take their dream cruise to Alaska.
“My love letter is for my late husband. We had planned an Alaska cruise for our retirement, but alas, he died from complications of dementia at age 57,” wrote Deborah to introduce her heartfelt poem:
“Your love of the sea, your love of me/ My love of you, so strong and true/ Our dreams once dreamed, but now, it seems, I must sail on alone/ To see the glaciers caress the land/ The rivers, entwined, like lovers’ arms as they make their way to the sea/ The mountains, bursting onto the horizon/ Joyfully stretching to the sky, as we once reached for each other,” reads an excerpt from Deborah’s entry.
Full story at PRNewswire
