THE prize of a lifetime, travelling the globe and meeting world leaders, is up for grabs and a Gillingham graduate is determined to seize it by raising awareness for charities.

Judith Hutcheson, 22, of Park Avenue, Gillingham, was saving to go travelling when she found the Your Big Year competition while surfing the internet.

The competition's two winners will go on a year-long international trip learning about new cultures and gaining a global perspective.

Judith, who graduated this year from the University of Kent with a degree in psychology, said: "I've decided to take a year out and save up to do some travelling, so it is an ideal thing for me.

"It would be amazing to win. I have not actually found a full-time job so I cannot afford to go yet.

"I like the idea of a competition that is socially responsible and raising awareness of charities."

The competition is free to enter for over-18s, and entrants can win one of 24 finalist places by raising money for one of 24 charities, referring others to the competition or by competing in tasks set by the organisers.

Taking the latter route, Judith created a video to promote Oxfam which took just one week to make. The film, the first Judith has ever made, was a spoof of the famous Bob Dylan Subterranean Homesick Blues clip and starred her ten-year-old brother Louis.

She said: "The task was announced last week and I spent every day working on it. I decided I wanted to do it for Oxfam and the Bob Dylan thing came into my head straight away.

"At the moment, my video does not have the most votes but voting closes on the 19th so I have got a very good chance."

The week-long final will be held in Liverpool as part of Global Entrepreneurship Week starting November 13.

To support Judith, visit www.facebook.com/yourbigyear or to find out more about the competition, visit www.yourbigyear.com