A young artist has won a prestigious award by designing stamps which make you do the work.

Gary Hunt, of Clarendon Road in the Golden Triangle of Norwich, is soon to graduate from Norwich University of the Arts (NUCA), and has marked the final year of his illustration degree by winning the Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (RSA) Student Design Awards, with Royal Mail.

Mr Hunt's fun and interactive stamps allow the sender to draw their own unique characters on to the envelope.

As well as the award, which has been going for 40 years, he received a �2,250 cash prize.

The 22-year-old, raised in Hastings, said: 'At NUCA, the focus is on having a long career rather than being a flash-in-the-pan, fashionable artist.'

He added: 'I have really enjoyed Norwich; it is the perfect city for an artist to be inspired. Hopefully, I will return after a few years.'

Judges were struck by the stamp's unusual nature, and that they were by an illustrator, not a graphic designer.

He only prepared to enter the competition –which counts the designer of the iPod among previous winners – for an assessment but was convinced to enter for real by his tutors.

He is returning to Hastings and using the prize to set up a business.

*Have you achieved something great? Call Evening News reporter Joe Wilkes on 01603 772 439 or email joe.wilkes@archant.co.uk