A Cornish garden designer has been shortlisted for a prestigious national award, after impressing judges from the Society of Garden Designers (SGD).

Alex Hobbs, aged 20 and from Truro, has been shortlisted in this year’s Student of the Year award, after graduating from Duchy College Rosewarne last June. This is considered the top award in the country for students and is open to anyone studying garden and landscape design at further or higher education level.

Programme manager for the HND garden and landscape design course, Matt James, said: “It is fantastic news for Alex and we are absolutely delighted for him, because it takes a lot of hard work to get to this stage. For us it’s a double celebration as it’s the second year in a row that we have had students recognised for this award, with Jo Midwinter taking the title last January.”

The SGD has been championing excellence in garden design for over 30 years. It is the only professional association for garden designers in the UK and counts some of the UK’s leading garden and landscape designers among its growing membership.

Jo Midwinter, last year’s winner, has been shortlisted for one of the professional design awards in only her first year of real practice. Matt added: “The HND garden and landscape design programme has only been running for three years, which makes the achievements of Alex and Jo all the more thrilling and we will be there to support them at the awards evening.”

The garden design programme is quickly becoming one of the most successful in the country with graduates going on to win countless awards from organisation such as the Royal Horticultural Society. The HND is now run at the Eden Project and is one of the flagship courses of the partnership between the Cornwall College Group and the Eden Project.

Head of Rural Economy for The Cornwall College Group, Dr Phil Le Grice, said: “I am delighted for Alex; this is a prestigious award and something that he truly deserves – and I’d like to wish him all the luck for the final. We have some of the best garden design tutors in the country at Duchy College; the sheer number of awards and nominations for their former students is testament to that.”