Her flight is booked and her fingers are crossed; Kayley Gibbons is hoping she makes it home for Christmas.

Although eager to see family and friends, this year she’s also excited about wrapping their gifts in the paper she designed.

The 20-year-old architecture student snagged the top spot in the 18 to 25 category of a holiday wrapping paper design competition organised by Goslings and the Bermuda National Gallery.

Aside from the sheets of wrapping paper that come with the win she’s interested in a mentorship in brand development, promised by Goslings.

But at the moment she’s near the end of a month-long lockdown in the UK. With December 9 the end of the recommended student travel window, she is concerned that borders might once again close before she gets on a plane to come home a week later.

“Even though my classes go online [on December 4] I'm staying later because the time difference is hard to manage, especially since I'm in my final year,” said Ms Gibbons, a student at the University of Kent.

“I think I'm most worried about the UK going into lockdown right after that window and closing the airports- but they tend to give warning before this happens so, hopefully, I can get on a flight before it gets to that.

“I'm a little concerned that Bermuda might close its borders before I get back, but I think they'll probably wait until a little closer to the holidays – let’s hope. My parents are pretty determined to have me home for the holidays so hopefully, whatever happens, I'll manage a way back.”

Her mother Tracey sent her the competition information, thinking it was something she might enjoy.

“I thought the designs were something that I can take a break off work and do without getting stressed out about; I could just have fun with it. So I thought, why not? If I win, it’s great publicity for me and my art.”

Always interested in art, she started selling her own over the summer holidays a few years ago to make money to help with her studies.

“I do canvas acrylic paintings and I do commissions as well,” said Ms Gibbons, who described her style as similar to pop art. “I try to do abstract nature scenes and create geometric shapes out of them and modernise them and then I put that on a canvas that I stretch out by hand.”

The gift paper design was challenging, mostly because it was a completely different type of work.

“I’ve been involved in art and design my entire life – I do mostly paintings but I try to do a little bit of sketching, a little bit of everything. But this is really the first time I’ve done any kind of product design or pattern work. Apparently it worked out pretty well.

“Trying to figure out how to make it a repeating pattern and then working with the layout was a little bit difficult but, luckily because I use a lot of software for my architecture degree, I was able to take [my sketches] into InDesign and Photoshop and make it work for the wrapping paper. That was definitely a skill that came into use."

She thought carefully about decorative images that would suitably highlight both Bermuda and the Gosling’s seal.

“Thinking about Christmas and Bermuda is kind of difficult because I think a lot of the things that people around the world think of as Christmas-y, are winter-focused – which isn’t necessarily a thing in Bermuda. So it took me a while.”

She included gingerbread men, Christmas ornaments, a Bermuda cottage, a lighthouse, surfboard and a bottle of rum, figuring they would “make sense” to anyone who has spent the December holiday here. Notified of her win last week, she immediately called home.

“I called my mom and she was ecstatic about it. Christmas is a really big deal in my family so I think they’re pretty excited to have the wrapping paper.”

Having spent every Christmas of her life in Bermuda, she would be “really, really disappointed” not to come home and see the final product in person.

“I've always been a neat present wrapper – especially since becoming an architecture student – but I've never paid much attention to wrapping paper design before this competition,” Ms Gibbons said. “After spending time working on this sketch and learning how these patterns are put together, I have much more of an appreciation for it.”

Sophia Fortuna and Shannah Hollis were the runners-up in the 18 to 25 category of the Holiday Wrapping Paper Design Competition; Natalie Sannemalm and Avarie Graham were runners-up in the 26 years and older group.

Winners in each category received a cash prize of $500, a private tour and rum tasting for up to ten friends at the Bermuda National Gallery, a BNG membership and ten sheets of wrapping paper.

As the winner of the 18 to 25 category Ms Gibbons will also receive mentorship from local art and design professionals courtesy of the BNG and the opportunity to be involved in an upcoming exhibition design. Goslings will also give her insight into how it maintains and advances its brand identity.

Follow Kayley Gibbons’s art on Instagram: @kayleygibbons_art. For more information visit www.bermudanationalgallery.com/design-competition