THE first winner of the Lancashire Telegraph's new award for high-flying Blackburn College students has been announced.

Terry McDonough scooped the Lancashire Telegraph Award For Dissertation Excellence for work completed as part of his three-year English language and literature degree.

The new award recognises the best dissertation from the academic year.

It is one of a number of awards given out at the annual Higher Education Awards to celebrate the achievements of students in all different curriculum areas.

Terry's work, "The New American Empire and the Electronic Revolution", was chosen out of a shortlist of three dissertations which were all first class honours winners.

The 10,000-word essay looks at the social impact of the internet through the information people can access on it, specifically regarding the Bush administ-ration's "war on terror".

Terry, 26, of Cavendish Street, Darwen, said: "I was shocked to win, as I wasn't even expecting to get a first class honours, but I'm delighted.

"I spent a year working on the dissertation and I really enjoyed writing it; it's a subject I'm very interested in and passionate about."

Terry became interested in politics as a teenager whilst a pupil at Our Lady and St John Catholic Arts College.

He said: "I'd always loved reading and writing, and used to read book after book when I was younger. It kept me out of trouble."

Terry, whose partner Rachel Tatlow, 24, is expecting a baby in the next few weeks, hopes to go on to do a masters in critical linguistics, and ultimately would like to lecture in the subject.

Terry will receive his award at the HE Awards ceremony in February.