Hanna Jujka, a first year BA(Hons) Illustration student who has won a national Christmas card competition, talks about her tutors at Brighton. Hanna Jujka’s design, showing Santa handing graduation mortar boards to children, won first place in the 2019 contest run by University Alliance (UA), the association of British universities.

Hanna, a first year BA(Hons) Illustration student at the University of Brighton, said she was motivated to show the way universities and UA change lives: “The work of University Alliance helps us to pursue our childhood dreams, providing students with essential skills and fulfilling their potential. Nobody is born a leader, an artist or a scientist. It all begins with a child, dreaming of becoming somebody. Giving them a chance to become this somebody creates the next generation of people, who are able to fight for a better world.”

Of her University course, Hanna said: “It has exceeded my expectations. It is both very challenging and exciting. The tutors are so inspiring, friendly and extremely helpful. I am trying things I have never tried before, opening my mind to different solutions and learning a totally different approach to art making.

“I have finally found a place where I can grow, experiment, soak up knowledge and be myself at the same time. This course requires you to go way out of your comfort zone, which was scary at first, but now I am really enjoying it.”

The competition tasked students and staff across Alliance universities with designing a card which would reflect the work of the Alliance, their members as well as the Christmas Spirit.

Competition judge and UA Chief Executive Officer, Vanessa Wilson, said Hanna’s design “represents a fundamental belief held by Alliance universities about enabling greater access for future generations to the lifelong benefits of a higher education which, given this was designed by one of our Alliance university students, came across as particularly poignant.” To see more of Hanna’s work go to: @art_out_ofmymind