A Lymington student has been recognised in an international geography competition.

Bella Stewart, from Walhampton School, was named as one of the winners in the Young Geographer of the Year competition, organised by the Royal Geographical Society.

Students aged from seven to 18 were invited to create posters showing the relevance of geography to society.

The competition received around 1,000 entries from children whose schools only submitted their winners.

The judges selected 16 students for recognition, two winners and two highly commended entries in each age category.

Bella Stewart was a winner in the Key Stage Two (7-11 years) category.

An awards ceremony was held at the Royal Geographical Society on Friday, November 29, where the Young Geographer of the Year and Rex Walford Award winners received their certificates from Alan Parkinson.

The Rex Walford Award is given to teachers in training or new to the profession, acknowledging their innovative and engaging teaching methods.

Professor Joe Smith, director of the Society said: "Congratulations to the winners and everyone who took part in the competition. I am always impressed by the creativity on show in the entries to Young Geographer of the Year, and it is no different this year.

"The students have clearly demonstrated how geographical skills and thinking are vital for addressing global challenges such as climate change and biodiversity loss, and they give me hope that the next generation of geographers is well equipped to drive forward the changes needed to ensure a sustainable future for us all."

The Young Geographer of the Year competition and the Rex Walford Award are run by the Society in partnership with Geographical magazine, and are supported by Esri UK, Ordnance Survey, and Philip’s Atlases.

The Royal Geographical Society (with IBG) aims to encourage young people to think creatively about geographical themes through this annual competition.