Vanessa Barsan, a first-year Interior Architecture student, won the 16-22 age category at the Rotary Bandstand Design Competition getting the bursary, as well as a £500 grant for the University.

The Competition, run by the four Rotary Clubs of Luton and the Rotary Youth Trust of Luton, asked youngsters (aged from under 11 to 22 from across the region) to draw their ideal Luton bandstand, as part of the on-going Rotary Bandstand project which will see a new, modern bandstand built in the heart of Wardown Park, Luton.

More than 500 designs were submitted, and on Friday night (30 January) they were displayed to a range of distinguished guests and judges at the University of Bedfordshire’s School of Art and Design – the former Alexon building on Guildford Street, which has been transformed into a rustic learning environment.

The victors were Elouise Thompson (under 11 category), Eden Staires (11-16 category), and Vanessa, who said she was overwhelmed to win.

“I was really surprised, the standard of entries was really high and I certainly didn’t expect to win,” said Vanessa, who hails from Romania.

The 19-year-old’s design took inspiration from the Sydney Opera House and “many other sculptures”.

“I designed it to be made out of wood as it’s a beautiful textile to work with, it is durable, and would still look great in one hundred years. I also wanted something that looked modern and met its key purpose.

“It was fantastic that as part of my course at the University I was encouraged to take part in a live spec such as this. I was hoping to take part just to gain experience, but to win is great. I haven’t thought about how to use the money yet, but it will certainly help with my studies.”

The Bandstand has now received full planning permission and the project is due to include aspects of design done by experts at the University.

Colin Davies, Head of Art and Design at Bedfordshire, added: “We were delighted to host the judging evening as we fully support the charity, its work and future plans.

It is this route from education-to-workplace that drives art and design at the University of Bedfordshire. It’s also been a great opportunity to showcase our new building which is all about inspiring creative minds exactly as the Bandstand competition has done.”

For more information on the Bandstand visit www.rotarybandstand.org

• View more photos of the event here