A Film and Media graduate from Kilbirnie has won a top award for academic excellence at Queen Margaret University’s annual Film and Media Degree Show in Edinburgh.

Jordan Phillips, 22, attended Ayr College before securing a direct entrant place on year two of his degree at QMU.

He graduated with a BA (Hons) Film and Media from the university earlier this month.

He achieved the highest marks for a direct entrant across all of QMU’s media and communications programmes this year.

In recognition of this, he won the Bruce Thomson College Access Award.

The annual Bruce Thomson prize is awarded in memory of a former lecturer at QMU, who sadly died in 2001.

Bruce was passionate in his support of students, especially those from a non-traditional educational background.

He also had a great love of the visual arts.

The two prizes from his memorial fund reflect these areas.  Jordan will be presenting work based on his undergraduate dissertation at an academic conference in September in Oxford, under the guidance of QMU lecturer in Film and Media, Dr Martin Zeller-Jacques.

He also hopes to continue his studies at postgraduate level, as well as his passion for creative and academic writing.

He has had his work published online and in print and has completed several journalism internships for independent magazines.   Commenting on his success, Jordan said: “I found the jump from Ayr College to QMU very daunting, but I knew I loved my course and my worries faded away after a few weeks.

“I’ve always had a thirst for knowledge and, as the course went on, my love for academia grew.

“ I’ve met some wonderful people at QMU and made many connections that should stand me in good stead while pursuing an academic career.”