A student from Dorchester was 'shocked' to hear she had come third in a national art competition.
Sophia Fielding, a year 8 student at Dorchester Middle School, entered her local Young Artists Competition, which was run by the Dorchester Casterbridge Rotary Club earlier this year.
After picking up the top spot at the school, her design went on to beat 1,200 entries from the south west region before getting to the national stage.
Her entry was then judged at the national final held by Rotary International for all clubs in Great Britain and Ireland, where she came third at the prestigious event.
She said: “When I found out that I had achieved third place in the country for this competition, I felt very shocked and surprised but also very proud of my achievement.”
READ: Dorchester student reaches national finals of art competition
Sophia was recently presented with her national prize and winning certificate, along with an Amazon voucher from the Dorchester Casterbridge Rotary Club.
In total 30 students from Dorchester entered the competition, which was done as part of the school's 'Ambitious Art club' run by art and design teacher Vicky Gowers.
Mrs Gowers said Sophia has 'always been inspirational' and was 'extremely impressed' with her design, which was based around the competition's theme of 'rebuilding'.
She added: "The art work is bold, bright, eye catching and original. The subject and composition provoked thought and conversation amongst pupils and teachers alike."
Each student also had to write an accompanying statement explaining the reasons for their design and why it fitted in with the competition's theme.
Mrs Gowers added: "The message behind the artwork is a powerful one, reflecting the rebuilding challenges we are faced with as a society, not just in our local community but throughout the whole of the country.
"Sophia is an outstanding role model for younger artists at Dorchester Middle School and we are all very proud of her achievements in this national competition."
Each year the Rotary International organisation of Britain & Ireland organises and runs a number of competitions for children in the age range 5-18 years.
There are three levels covering junior, intermediate and senior age groups. These span young writer, young chef, young environmentalist, young artist and more
These competitions opened again on July 1 so it is hoped that Sophia’s achievement will encourage other children to enter.
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