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Victoria Wood ±è°ù±ð²õ±ð²Ô³Ù±ð»åÌý³Ù³ó±ð ´óÏó´«Ã½ North Partnership Awards for Innovation, Production, Achievement, Journalism and New Writing at the ´óÏó´«Ã½ North Developing Talent Conference 2011 in Preston yesterday.

The conference was held at the University of Central Lancashire (UCLan) and was attended by ´óÏó´«Ã½ staff, key partners and students from a wide range of universities, colleges and other organisations from across the North of England.

Now in their third year, the awards are open to all the colleges and universities who are part of the ´óÏó´«Ã½ North Developing Talent network.  Ahead of the ´óÏó´«Ã½'s move to MediaCityUK at Salford Quays in Greater Manchester this year, ´óÏó´«Ã½ North Developing Talent has established relationships with over 50 colleges and universities from across the North of England and is designed to find the next generation of diverse industry talent.

Peter Salmon, Director ´óÏó´«Ã½ North, said: "It's great to celebrate everyone's achievements, not only those who've won the awards but all the students who've taken part in Developing Talent projects and work placements within ´óÏó´«Ã½ North. With the ´óÏó´«Ã½'s move to Salford just around the corner, it's so important we connect with creative students in the north of England and provide practical opportunities for them to get involved in a new way of working."

Winners of the ´óÏó´«Ã½ North Partnership Awards include a documentary film made by the University of Chester about relationships and a "Writers' Lab" project from the University of Bolton. Each winner received a uniquely designed award made by University of Salford design students. A full list of winners and their awards can be seen below.

As part of the conference, which focused on the theme of "Talent and Technology", delegates attended a variety of workshops presented by industry professionals and heard from guest speakers Nick Park and Victoria Wood about their career highlights.

´óÏó´«Ã½ North Developing Talent Awards 2011 winners:

The ´óÏó´«Ã½Â Writersroom Award went to MA student Bill Grundy from the University of Salford for his ambitious and haunting screenplay, Gifted, set in the Cumbria fells in the wake of the foot and mouth crisis. Judges were looking for exciting, compelling new writers and commended all the nominees in this category for having a "confident, entertaining touch that makes you want to turn the page".

The Production Award was won by the University of Chester and their short film Til Death Do Us Part which was praised by the judges for its revealing interviews, intelligent production and high standard of technique.

The Innovation Award was given to UCLan for their dynamic online news coverage, The Preston Cuts, which made excellent use of multimedia platforms.

The Award for Achievement went to The School of Arts, Media & Education at the University of Bolton for the "Writers' Lab at Bolton" project. Their entry was specially commended for its reach, its high standards, its ambitions and its relevance.

The Journalism Award was presented to Leeds Trinity University College student Jenny Wotherspoon who impressed the judges with her report, Gannex, about the closure of the raincoat factory in Elland. Judges said the piece was well-rounded and combined good journalism with strong production values.

JA3