A WORK by former Bournemouth art student Rowan Mersh has been chosen as winner of the prestigious Nationwide Mercury Prize Art Competition.

The 22-year-old one-time Bournemouth Institute of Art and Design student, now studying for an MA in constructive textiles and mixed media at London's Royal College of Art, beat 1,000 other entrants to scoop the £5,000 prize.

His work, The Shapes of Music, will feature on the cover of the 2005 Nationwide Mecury Prize compilation CD and also on publicity posters and flyers.

Former Poole Grammar School pupil Mersh, whose mother lives in Branksome and father lives in Christchurch, studied at the Bournemouth Institute before going to college in Loughborough where he completed a BA before taking his curent post-graduate course at the Royal College.

After winning the Mercury Prize competition he received his award from a man who knows a thing or two about art and the recording industry - Sir Peter Blake, the artist who created the Beatles' legendary Sgt Pepper album sleeve.

Mersh says he created The Shapes of Music specifically for the competition. "I didn't really think about whether it would win or not; you tend to just put that kind of thing out of your mind.

"It's great. I really like what the Mercury Prize is about - promoting young British talent. It was great to meet Sir Peter Blake too, he's a very interesting man."