A WORK of art by a student from St Austell has been picked as a winning entry in a regional competition.

Emily Downer, 16, won the secondary school category in the contest inspired by surrealism and landscape.

The competition, run by the Box museum and art gallery in Plymouth along with Arts University Plymouth, encouraged children and young people from across the South West to submit work in any medium as long as it used a surrealist technique.

Emily, who attends Callywith College in Bodmin, said she was surprised and excited to discover she was a winner. Her painting is entitled Pig after her pet dog and features a figure that combines both animal and human characteristics.

The picture is now on display at the Box.