Two Derby College Group (DCG) Art and Design students have won bursaries from Arts Society Derby to support their move into higher education.

UAL Art Foundation Diploma student Maisie Bull (19) from Littleover has won £400, while £200 has been awarded to Leanne Bailey (18) from Cromford.

Members of Arts Society Derby judged entries from five students at the Joseph Wright post-16 Academic and Arts College after they were shortlisted for the annual Bryan Harris Bursary award – named after the Society’s founder and former chairman who died six years ago.

Maisie impressed the judges with her multimedia project highlighting how subcultures influence a person’s identity and image. The former Littleover Community School pupil came to Derby College to hone her art and design skills and she has now secured a place at Nottingham Trent University to study Fine Art.

Leanne Bailey drew on her curiosity about science and crime to create a project entitled ‘Human Decay’ including a realistic model of body parts. She moved to the county just before joining the College and will be attending Leeds Beckett University in September to study Fine Art.

Both students used a variety of mediums including fine art and digital video to create their final portfolios which were also entered into the bursary competition.

Teacher Tracey Ramsdale explained: “The maturity and depth of their work reflects how the student and many young people have become more reflective and thoughtful during these strange times.

“They have all thoroughly researched their chosen themes and particularly developed their digital skills to portray their work.

“The virtual group sessions throughout the year have also developed their presentation skills which will be important in their future working lives.”

Vikki Fitt, Young Arts representative at Arts Society Derby, said: “We have awarded a bursary every year for more than 20 years to Derby College students to support them in their university studies.

“The standard was again incredibly high this year and the students have created insightful work that has pushed boundaries and challenged perceptions.

“We wish all of the students the best of luck in their future studies.”