A spoof TV advertisement has popped up to win a Midland art student a major prize.

Shell Graham, of Birmingham Institute of Art and Design, at Birmingham City University, won the £500 prize accountants PKF offer annually to a student from the BA (Hons) Fine Art degree course.

The advert is for a fictitious cereal called Pop’d Arts, a play on Pop Tarts, with an Andy Warhol take.
Her work – Artvertisement – which uses digital media, beat 80 other third year students to the prize, judged by PKF forensic partner David Liddell.

The works went on show in an end of year exhibition and in return for its sponsorship PKF is lent some of the works to display for a year in meeting rooms.

“I am absolutely thrilled,” said Ms Graham. “It was a complete and utter shock.”

From Bartley Green in Birmingham, and now living in Harborne, her aim is to get into advertising, though she intends to retain contact with the art world.

Her efforts – which can be seen at www.commershell.com – have secured her a 2:1 honours degree.

Shell’s work caught the eye of judges David Liddell and Vivien Burrows from PKF.

Mr Liddell, a partner at PKF’s Birmingham office, said: “Shell’s video is very professionally put together. Her clever use of real people and cartoon backgrounds with Andy Warhol imagery really makes the work stand out.”

This is the third year of PKF’s collaboration with the art college; prizes are awarded by sponsors each year at the college’s Fine Art Degree Show.

Mr Liddell added “We are delighted to support the community and the college in this way. The standard of work exhibited at the show is very high and we enjoy awarding a prize.”