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Tom Jenkins and Donna Sellars who are both in their third year of studying Interdisciplinary Art and Design beat off competition from other students at the Queensgate campus, to win the right to design the prizes after impressing a panel of judges with their unique design.

L - R: Art Technician Richard Turner who enabled the students design ideas to be brought to life and winning students Donna Sellars and Tom Jenkins.

The distinctive award designed in the shape of an apple is to represent the knowledge of the tutors they were awarded to, Tom Jenkins, 20, said: “It is an apple because it represents knowledge, and the giving of knowledge from the tutor to the student, hence a bite been taken out of it.”

Senior art lecturer Lynn Rollin said: “I think the concept was quite clever, in the sense that it was an apple for a teacher, it was beautifully made but also made out of apple wood, the whole concept worked very well, and I think the panel recognized that.”

The Extra Mile awards acknowledge members of university staff who have made a significant difference to a student's experience of university life.

The award which was given to the winners went through a long design and production process, Tom said: “After our initial design idea, it took a couple of weeks of going back and forth and looking at what we had done and redesigning it. The awards went off to a few different people through-out the production process for different things to be done to them. It got a little stressful near the end, but it was an enjoyable experience.”

He added: “It was actually quite nerve wracking and showing off our work to a panel of judges was terrifying, but it was a thrill knowing that we’d actually got through the competition.”

Proud tutor Lynn said: “I think this sort of thing really puts the University Centre Barnsley on the map, the fact that students from here won the competition is brilliant, it gives us a bigger profile and makes people aware that we are here.”

Tom added: “I think it has been good for the University Centre as a whole, we’re getting recognized now for something we have done and we are getting more acknowledgement.”