A photographer from The Argus, Brighton, has been presented with a national award.

Skye Brackpool, (22), was named Nunn Syndication Photographer of the Year for her "outstanding" portfolio of pictures.

The award was open to all students who took professional photography exams with the National Council for the Training of Journalists last year.

Skye, (pictured receiving her award) was one of only two photographers to pass her examination in Press photography with distinction in 2001.

Skye said: "When I first heard I had won I was shocked. I couldn’t believe it. I thought I did well on the course but to do that well was such a surprise.

"When I was given the certificate, I was made to feel so special. It was wonderful."

Skye’s portfolio included a picture of Prime Minister Tony Blair leaving early from the TUC conference at the Brighton Centre following the US terrorist attacks on September 11.

Other photographs included a teenager being arrested, Stephen Hendry playing snooker at the Brighton Centre and DJ Norman Cook looking out over Brighton beach before his free concert last summer.

Paul Delmare, head of photojournalism at the Sheffield college, where Skye sat her exams, said: "Skye’s work stood out from the start. It was exceptionally outstanding.

"It also reflected the quality of the newspaper and the attitude of The Argus in terms of illustrating its stories with good pictures.

"You can see the paper is up for good illustrations to go with good stories. If you look at Skye’s pictures in isolation they tell a story on their own."