A young graphic designer has won a $5,000 bursary from the Bermuda Society of Arts.

Cree Lottimore, 21, will use the cash to help pay for her third year at the York/Sheridan design programme in Toronto, Canada.

Ms Lottimore, from Hamilton, said she was delighted at the news she had been picked out of a field of 13 candidates.

She added: “I randomly check my e-mails throughout the day because I know this is the time for scholarships and interviews and it was close to 5pm when I just checked.

“I saw it, but I had to keep it to myself because my mother’s always the first person I let know if I’m successful in scholarships.”

Ms Lottimore became interested in graphic design after taking a Photoshop course at CedarBridge Academy.

The York/Sheridan programme is a joint degree between York University in Toronto and Sheridan College in Sheridan, Ontario.

She was wait-listed when she applied for the bursary last year, but she said she spent the last year developing her skills and coming up with some of her best work.

Dr Edwin Smith, a former BSoA co-president and a member of the selection committee said: “Cree has the talent and passion we expect in each applicant. We were very impressed with the development of her portfolio and in her maturity and confidence over the past year.”

Ms Lottimore said she had applied for 15 other scholarships, but the BSoA award was special because of its relation to her field of study.

She added: “The fact that it’s art-related is the icing on the cake because that’s the field I’m in, so it has a little more significance to be rewarded for what I’m passionate about.”

Ms Lottimore is employed at the Bermuda Monetary Authority for the summer, where she has helped with the BMA website’s graphic design.

Ms Lottimore and the other bursary applicants will have the chance to have their portfolios displayed at the Bermuda Society of Arts Gallery in Hamilton’s City Hall before the end of the year.