A POLISH-BORN graduate artist, whose work explores the relationships between nature, objects and architecture, has been named the winner of the £20,000 Woon Foundation Art Prize at Northumbria University.

Ramona Zoladek, who graduated from Anglia Ruskin, Cambridge University in July, was handed the UK’s largest student art accolade at an award ceremony at Northumbria University’s Gallery North.

The combined £40,000 competition prize, sponsored by Northumbria law graduate and philanthropist Wee Teng Woon, is larger than Britain’s biggest art award, the Turner Prize.

Mr Woon was guest of honour at the award ceremony and presented the first prize to the winner.

Miss Zoladek, 27, said: “It’s the most amazing thing that could happen to me. I can now fully dedicate my time to working in the studio and not worrying about funding for materials.”

Miss Zoladek’s work revolves around ideas of growth, ruin and the history exposed by these objects and architectural units as they interact with nature.

The winning piece is composed of concrete and plaster planks that have living roots and seedlings embedded into them.

The winner beat competition from nine other shortlisted artists to take the top prize, the Woon Tai Jee Fellowship.

The Woon Tai Jee Fellowship is named after Mr Woon’s late father and earns the recipient a £20,000 bursary, use of studio space at Baltic 39 and mentoring from Baltic professor Christine Borland.

Miss Zoladek said: “I am overwhelmed and cannot wait to start working in the studio.”

The second prize, worth £9,000, was awarded to Emilie Atkinson, Slade School of Fine Art, London. A third prize worth £6,000 was presented to Sam Baker, Kingston University.

The judges split an additional consolation prize of £5,000 between two artists: Catherine Ross, Gray’s School of Art, Robert Gordon University, and Eleni Odysseos, Leeds University.