A UNIVERSITY of Brighton graduate’s portrait of Star Wars actor Felicity Jones has won national recognition.

Laura Pannack won a commission to photograph the star of 2016’s Rogue One: A Star Wars Story and the image has now gone on show in the National Portrait Gallery.

Ms Jones plays the movie’s hero Jyn Erso.

The piece was commissioned through the John Kobal New Work Award, a prize awarded annually to a photographer under 35 whose work is selected for display in the Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery.

London-based Ms Pannack, who graduated from the University of Brighton with a BA(Hons) in editorial photography, was invited to photograph the actress last year.

She said Ms Jones decided on a “casual and relaxed” style for her photograph taken on a reed bed on a cold day.

Ms Pannack said she chose the marshes over other park-based locations because they “felt more unusual and emotive”.

She said: “We both agreed it felt wildly atmospheric.

“Felicity was incredibly enthusiastic and really keen to contribute ideas to ensure the portrait was a creative collaboration.”

Simon Crocker, chairman of the John Kobal Foundation and judge of the John Kobal New Work Award, said: “When you get perfect harmony between a captivating sitter like Felicity and a talented photographer like Laura you get a wonderful portrait like this – thoughtful, fresh and intriguing.

“We could not be more pleased with it.”

Dr Nicholas Cullinan, director of the National Portrait Gallery, London, said: “The John Kobal Foundation possesses an outstanding collection of iconic portraits of Hollywood movie stars so it is fitting that by sponsoring this award the foundation offers a young artist a great opportunity to photograph a sitter connected with the UK film industry.

“We are delighted that Felicity Jones now joins Olivia Colman and Andrea Riseborough in this exciting series of portraits commissioned from selected photographers in the Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize.”