A Preston animator described as ‘Tim Burton-esq’ in his work has won recognition.

Jake Blakeston was one of three students from the University of Central Lancashire to scoop prizes from the North West Royal Television Society’s awards.

The 22-year-old animator won for his short film Matchstick Zombies.

Judges described it as an incredibly sophisticated film and praised its design, direction and humour.

Jake said: When I found out I’d won it was a brilliant feeling and a great achievement. I felt very proud that I’d been chosen as I was really pleased I’d made the shortlist. What made it special was the other nominees were also UCLan students, that shows how great the course, lecturers and facilities are at the University.”

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Alongside Jake fellow animation student Ashley Collier won the short feature prize for Felix.

The 30-year-old from Rossendale produced a short story that was ‘one with heart and soul’ according to judges.

Ashley said: “It feels great to have won! It’s amazing to receive an award from such a high profile organisation like the RTS and hopefully it will do me some favours when I start looking for jobs in the industry.”

UCLan also saw a win in the comedy and entertainment category with students Yousef Thami, Liberty Shaw, Jake River Parker and Heather Davenport winning The Ed Shales Story.

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More students from the Preston-based university were nominated than any other North West university.

Head of school of journalism, media and performance John Holloway said: “I’m delighted that our students were chosen as worthy winners in three categories of the 2017 North West Royal Television Society Awards. It’s a fantastic reward for their hard work and commitment to producing award-winning content. They were up against some very stiff competition, including many other UCLan students, so I hope they go on to further success in the national final.”