A Bournemouth University student will have her script performed at the International Emmy Awards in New York after winning a prestigious award.

BA (Hons) Scriptwriting for Film and Television student Sophie Petzal has received the Peter Ustinov Television Scriptwriting Award for a TV script she wrote called The Sanctioned, an hour-long TV pilot about a young teacher embroiled in a rogue police force.

The award is open to writers under the age of 30 from across the world, who can submit scripts that have not yet been made for television.

Sophie, who completed two years of her degree at BU before deferring to take part in an 18-month BBC trainee scheme, said: “Thousands of people apply every year, so you never think it is going to be you who wins. It feels incredible and now I’m just trying to make sure I make the most of it as an opportunity as well as a pat on the back.”

Sophie receives $2,500 prize money and will go to the International Emmy Awards in New York in November to receive her award and her script will be performed by actors at the awards in front of an audience of industry experts.

She added: “Lots of people have read the script but it has never been performed. It will be fantastic and I am really excited to see how it translates to the American audience, as there is quite a lot of British slang.

“It’s hard to get my head around it and what it could mean for me, so I think I am just going to try to enjoy it all.”