The life fantastic? Students who share it can Shine!

International students are being invited to follow in the footsteps of an award-winner who took a passion for international development and apple crumble from her time in the UK.

Entries are sought for the British Council's 2011 Shine! International Students Awards, which are to culminate at a ceremony in London on 13 April.

The official website for the awards has gone live, and the closing date for entries is 19 January.

Last year's winner was Melissa Ilboudo, from Burkina Faso, who is now studying for a master's in international development and climate change at the University of East Anglia. She was chosen as International Student of the Year after writing a "letter home" in which she described her experiences of living and studying in the UK.

It told of how the work she had done to raise awareness of climate change issues had led to an invitation to attend the global summit on the issue in Copenhagen - and of how she developed a love of a famous British pudding, apple crumble. Ms Ilboudo said that she believed winning the award helped her win a scholarship for her master's course.

"When I came to the UK as an international student, I didn't expect anything other than education. But I experienced so much more, and this has opened up so many opportunities. I feel there is no better way of encouraging students to study abroad than to explain what experience I have had," she said.

She has now set her sights on working for an international organisation that focuses on developing countries.

Times Higher Education is the media partner for the awards for the second year running.

john.morgan@tsleducation.com

• www.educationuk.org/shine