AN Okehampton sculptor, known for her lifelike, characterful animal sculptures, was named Wildlife Artist of the Year at a prestigious ceremony this week.

Nick Mackman was presented with a £10,000 top wildlife art prize after being named the David Shepherd Wildlife Foundations' (DSWF) 2015 Wildlife Artist of the Year for her collection of ceramic warthogs named 'Sleepy Heads'.

She was presented with the prize by wildlife artist and conservationist David Shepherd CBE and DSWF chief executive Sally Case at a prize-giving event at the Mall Galleries in London on Monday.

Nick said: 'It was a wonderful surprise and honour to be awarded with this prize. I didn't expect it.

'I was runner-up three years ago and thought that was the best I was going to do.'

Nick said the Wildlife Artist of the Year prize was the last one they announced and as she hadn't been mentioned in the sculpture category she wasn't holding hope to have won anything but they called out her name and she was 'over the moon'.

'I'm really pleased it was with the warthogs rather than the more beautiful animals on display! They were based on a trip I took to Zambia last year where we were lucky to see baby warthogs asleep. It is really rare because they are quite anxious animals, so I had a moment to observe them. Through this competition half the sales go to animal conservation so you can't do better than this; it's great to support it.'

Nick is an award-winning sculptor of ceramic and bronze animal sculptures. She has been widely exhibited and is a regular contributor to the Wildlife Artist of the Year exhibition. She has accepted commissions from British Airways and the BBC Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition. Her commissions have ranged from a small Bornean frog to her current project of a life-size bronze cheetah.

Commenting on Nick's winning piece, judge, artist and gallery owner Hazel Sloan said: 'The piece by Nick Mackman demonstrates her consistency of form and wonderful characterisation and individuality she moulds as if from the African earth to create such wonderful, living sculpture.'

The David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation's annual Wildlife Artist of the Year competition has become a major event in the artists and art-buyers calender. Attracting artists from around the world, 150 works are shortlisted from more than 1,000 entrants and brought together each summer at the Mall Galleries for a week of wildlife art.

David Shepherd, who set up the competition in 2007 to raise funds and awareness for endangered animals, said: 'The extraordinary talent and creativity of all the artists involved never ceases to amaze me. What is so utterly brilliant is that all these talented artists share my passion — to give something back to the animals that inspire our work.'

Since it began, Wildlife Artist of the Year has raised more than £150,000 for conservation projects supported by David's eponymous wildlife charity.