AN artist's failure to master a piece of music has helped her win a £20,000 prize at a ceremony in Newcastle.

Kayt Hughes says she is "still in shock" after winning the Woon Foundation Art and Sculpture Prize for her work made of wood, emulsion, filler and pencil.

Manchester-born Ms Hughes said her winning piece, entitled Study Scores, 2nd Movement, came from her frustrations with a saxophone.

The prestigious award ceremony was hosted by Northumbria University and held at BALTIC 39, an art hub in the city centre.

After collecting her award, the Nottingham Trent University graduate said: "The sculpture was inspired by a piece of music I improvised on saxophone. I kept playing some wrong notes and drew a scale of these notes using maps, lines and colours, which was the foundation for the work.

"I plan to stay in the North-East as it's a really exciting and creative place to be. I'm going to grasp this chance with both hands and focus more than ever on my work. I want to keep developing and make the very most out of this chance."

Her prize also includes the chance to work toward a solo exhibition and publication along with the help of a mentor.

The prizes, which aim to inspire final year art students from across the UK to achieve academic excellence in their chosen discipline, were sponsored by Northumbria University law graduate and philanthropist Mr Wee Teng Woon.

Additional prizes of £9,000 and £6,000 were awarded to Jacob Watmore and Queenie Clarke.

A £5,000 judges' discretionary prize was split between Martin Darbyshire and Jade Fadojutimi.