By JULIA RAVENSCROFT

WARRINGTON Collegiate Institute's MA students swept the board at the Royal Television Awards picking up 1st, 2nd and 3rd prizes.

The prestigious awards were held in Manchester on November 22 and saw students from the Faculty of Higher Education's Media and Performing Arts Department come up against the best student film-makers in the country.

The winning entry was Screwed and Tattooed, produced by Debbie Armstrong, which looked at body piercing and tattooing and the motivation behind it.

The film was premiered at the International Kino Film and Video Festival in Manchester.

In second place was Counting Sleep by Dinkesh Miesuria and Paul Nash, which looked at the effects of insomnia as told by sufferers and therapists.

Mr Miesuria graduated from the college with a distinction and has gone on to direct a series of shorts for Channel Four. Mr Nash went on to work at Granada TV's news and regional department as a researcher and producer.

In third place was Model Life which examines modelling and features those prepared to bare all in the name of art.

Judges at the event included Paul Marquess, series producer of Brookside, Martin Brookes, Head of BBC Regional and Matt Jones, writer for Red Productions. Guest speaker was Nichola Holt from hit programme Big Brother.

A spokesman for the collegiate said: "Collegiate staff are extremely proud of the continuing achievements of their students and, along with first prize winner Debbie Armstrong, look forward to entry into the national finals of the Royal Television Society Awards to be held at the Savoy Hotel, London, in March 2001."