Students Ole Kristian Homelien, Justin Lim, Wei Xing Yong and Peter Adamson will join Ubisoft Relfections, the North East arm of the industry giant – which made over €1bn last year and had 22 studios in 17 countries worldwide – on paid internships when they graduate in the summer.

The four talented young game makers won their prizes at the third annual Vis (Visualisation) Awards, a competition run by Teesside University to celebrate the achievements, skill and knowledge of students studying at its School of Computing.

Giselle Stewart, general manager at Ubisoft Reflections, said: "We were very pleased that the University of Teesside invited us to sponsor these awards; we were able to spot some new creative talent to further our success as a developer of successful driving games. We were particularly excited about the calibre of students who won the internships and we hope it will be the start of an exciting career within Ubisoft for them. "

Ole Kristian Homelien won the Games Programming Award, Justin Lim won the Games Design Award, Wei Xing Yong took the Character Animation prize while Peter Adamson won the Modelling Award.

Peter, 21, from Belfast, was studying Computer Games Art at Teesside University and graduates this summer. He said: "Winning the Vis awards was an incredible experience, and a great opportunity to get a foot in the games industry door, something that is all the more valuable due to the uncertain economic state.

"The fact that my first job in the games industry is with such a major worldwide developer makes this all the more special, and I can't wait to get started!"

Dr Derek Simpson, Dean of the School of Computing, said: “These internships give our students six months invaluable industry experience. It not only gives them a good foothold but also boosts the students’ CVs in a very competitive arena.”

Also at the award ceremony Lindsey Hinton won the 'Life's a Pitch' award sponsored by Children's BBC, and Sara Ross won the Digital Music Award. Sara will be rewarded with a work experience placement at leading digital music studio, Loft Music.

The Vis Awards were sponsored by Ubisoft Reflections and Codeworks, North East England's centre for digital innovation. The organisation – which launched in 2003 – has played a major role in helping to retain the brightest game development talent in the region with a hugely successful placement scheme, and is now working with universities in the region to ensure their courses meet the needs of industry.

Dan Cook, project manager of the Higher Level Skills Project at Codeworks, added: "We'd like to offer our congratulations to all the winners. They went through a gruelling process of interviewing and pitching their ideas, and deserve the generous prizes offered by Ubisoft Reflections. I hope this marks the first step in a successful career in game development."