A TALENTED North Yorkshire fabric designer has won a national magazine competition.

Georgia Wilkinson triumphed in the Interiors category of the Country Homes & Interiors My Country Business Awards.

She established Georgia Wilkinson Design in Pilmoor, near Easingwold, in 2009 and uses a colourful 1930’s cricket pavilion as her studio, office and workshop.

Alison Watson, magazine marketing manager, said: “The judges were blown away by the quality of all of the short-listed businesses, but thought the Georgia Wilkinson brand stood out as a clear winner.”

Her prizes included a place on the School for Creative Startups Bootcamp; one month’s membership of the School for Start-ups online community; three mentoring sessions with Vanessa Arbuthnott, owner and founder of Vanessa Arbuthnott, and £150 worth of its products.

She will also feature in the magazine’s October edition and will be guest of honour at its prize-giving ceremony in London in September.

Miss Wilkinson said: “I am especially pleased about winning this prestigious award.

It is satisfying, but also humbling, for my work to be appreciated by my peers.”

Last year, she reached the finals of Stylist Magazine’s Supporting Women In Making competition.

She said: “It can be quite lonely working away by oneself, so this recognition has come as a great boost, especially as it follows the launch of my new range of placemats and coasters.

“The designs range from magpies, bees and ladybirds, to lobsters, puffins, men in suits and champagne glasses, so there is something for most tastes and moods.

“Essentially, I want my designs to look great and to make people smile. Fun designs add a splash of energy to any interior space or accessory.”

Educated at Queen Mary’s School, near Thirsk, and Bootham School, in York, she studied contemporary crafts at Manchester Metropolitan University and surface pattern design at the University of Central Lancashire in Preston.

She then worked for the studio of the IVO Textiles printing factory in London, working on designs for companies such as Bennison, Vanessa Arbuthnot and Lewis & Wood, before returning to North Yorkshire.