May 23rd 2008

Student Challenge Winner Announced

The winner of a challenge to unlock North East students’ creative talent has been announced today.

Laura Bohill, 19, of Crook in County Durham, was chosen as the winner of the Student Challenge 2008, devised by the regional development agency One NorthEast as part of the ‘Passionate people. Passionate places’ campaign. 

Her work, entitled ‘You Can Always Find a Smile’ (shown above) was selected from more than 100 students’ entries, which included photographs, films and artwork, all demonstrating why they are passionate about North East England. (Click here to view the other finalists)   

The Student Challenge aimed to showcase the skills of young people in colleges and universities across the North East and offer them the chance of having their entries profiled in the successful advertising campaign Passionate People. Passionate Places.

Laura, who studies Graphic Design at New College Durham, said:

“The whole experience so far has been brilliant.  It just doesn’t enter your mind that you might win something like this, so I am really delighted that my work was selected from all of the other excellent entries.

“The concept behind my work was inspired by the people of North East England.  I was thinking about what I like about the region and how friendly and welcoming the people are.  I wanted to sum this up with something simple that people could connect with and I decided to use a smile to convey this.”

Laura’s winning entry comprises photographs of iconic North East locations such as the Millennium Bridge, with a creative twist. A ‘smile’ motif is incorporated into the main overall shapes, such as the bridge’s reflection in the Tyne river. 

Her work was chosen as the best after a month-long public vote, in which the seven short-listed entries received almost 1,000 votes between them.  She will be rewarded with week-long placements at four of the region’s top media and creative organisations and a state-of-the-art laptop. 

Laura added: “The placements will be a fantastic opportunity for me.  I leave New College Durham this year, and spending time at these top organisations will give me a better idea of what career path I want to follow.”  

Stacy Hall, director of communications and tourism at One NorthEast said: “The quality of entries was fantastic and it is very encouraging to see that so many young people are truly passionate about our region.

“With platforms such as this on-line competition, we can showcase the region’s world-class skills and talents to an international audience.”

She added: “Laura should feel proud to have been voted the winner of what has been a hotly contested competition, with some really outstanding pieces of work.  I hope she enjoys her prize and fantastic work placements she has won.  The experience she gains will help set her apart when she begins her career.”

The Student Challenge is expected to be repeated next year after the success of this year’s activity.