BRIDGWATER College students have won first place in a national stage design competition.

The Royal Opera House Design Challenge called for students to produce sketches and a detailed scale model for a production of Verdi’s opera Aida – to feature at its site in Covent Garden, London.

Second year BTEC students Oliver Ghalleb and Karl Broad, who are studying an extended diploma in a production arts course, made the box model with help from production arts lecturer Robert Heath.

They were later awarded the prize following a special performance of Aida and the students will have the chance to shadow staff back stage.

Programme manager for production arts, Ben Houlihan, said: “Oliver and Karl put a great deal of work into this, working closely with the lecturer, and we were all delighted to hear that they had won. Their set model was outstanding and they certainly deserved first prize – I am sure it’s not long before we will see their set designs in London’s West End!”