Aspiring film maker Sam Dean in Year 9 and Year 11 Ava Hemsley were selected by judges to go forward to the final of the awards, which seeks to showcase creative talent from across Nottingham in a range of disciplines.

Along with friend and fellow film maker Joe Everitt, Sam (14), had produced a promotional film for the National Forest entitled Plant A Tree. Organisers said their “creative use of repetitive close-ups mixed with soft focus shots and general event b-roll shows real potential”.

And Ava (15) was shortlisted in the Graphic Design section for an illustration which judges said “stood out from the crowd”, with its use of colours and cell shading technique.The Academy students were among more than 100 entrants to the annual awards, with winners in 11 different creative categories, including architecture, animation and digital media, fashion and textiles, theatre, photography, creative writing and visual arts, announced during an awards event at Nottingham Playhouse.