A student photographer won an international competition after capturing the inside of a tube station, shown above.

Year 10 pupil at St Albans High School for Girls, Elena Smart, won the under-18 category of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers international photography prize with her picture, Going Underground.

A judging panel of industry professionals thought the picture, which shows the inside of Westminster tube station, was ambitious, creative and thoughtful.

The theme for this year’s competition was Engineering in Transport.

Elena aspires to be an aerospace engineer: “I was amazed by the scale of the station, considering it is underground, and the intricate engineering that is displayed in this particular photo, with the lights, the escalators, and the building itself.

“I really like the way engineering is used in everyday life and that people really benefit from it.

“I think engineering is taken for granted, especially the complexity of it because people may see things like this tube station every day, but they might not stop to think about the building itself.”

She was surprised but delighted to receive the first prize of £100 pounds, an instant camera, her picture on canvas, and a certificate.

Judges said: “[Elena’s photo is] a good example of the engineering that has gone into the creation of a key part of the transport network.

“The civil engineering that can be seen in the station within this photograph is impressive.”

Elena is currently working towards her GCSEs, practicing photography in her spare time.

Details of the next round of competition will be announced in Spring 2018.