A Connecticut sculptor has been selected to design the official inaugural medal for President-elect Barack Obama.

Marc Mellon of Redding was chosen after submitting his design to a nationwide competition held by the inaugural committee. Mellon began working on the piece before the election, but placed the finishing touches once Pres.-elect Obama won. Mellon says he was inspired by photos of Obama, as well as Obama?s professed admiration of Abraham Lincoln and Martin Luther King, Jr.

During Mellon?s 35-year career, he has sculpted a former president and the pope, as well as public art projects.

The medal can be purchased at the official inaugural Web site. Prices range from $60 to $3,000. All of the proceeds go toward the cost of the inauguration.