A FORMER Malvern College boy has started carving out a promising future by winning a £20,000 sculpting competition.

Benedict Carpenter's proposal for a work entitled Universal Object impressed judges so much he took first place in the Jerwood Sculpture Prize 2001.

The aim of the prize is to encourage and develop people in the area of outdoor sculpting, and it is targeted on artists under the age of 35 or within 10 years of graduation from art school.

Mr Carpenter studied sculpture at Chelsea College of Art and the Royal College of Art, from which he graduated in 1999. In the same year he also completed a public commission in New York State.

The 26-year-old, who was the youngest in the field of competitors, impressed the judges with his latest work's excellence and originality.

The design, described as an ambiguous figurative form, is derived from the famous ink blot Rorschach tests that triggered a naming process in psychological experiments.

The form of the sculpture is described as drawing on the individual associations of the viewer and, according to the artist, could be viewed as anything from an ant to an elephant.

Its design also draws on other potential sources, including marine biology and Hans Bellmer's Surrealist dolls.

The judges received more than 60 proposals, from which eight sculptors were shortlisted for the 2001 prize.

The award, in the form of a commission, will allow Benedict to construct a large outdoor design from bronze for the Jerwood Sculpture Park, London.