A seven-year-old pupil born without hands has won a United States national handwriting competition.

According to the British Broadcasting Corporation, Anaya Ellick from Chesapeake, Virginia, does not use prosthetics. To write, she stands to get the proper angle, holding a pencil between her arms.

Her principal, Tracy Cox from Greenbrier Christian Academy, described her as an “inspiration.”

“She does not let anything get in the way of doing what she has set out to do. She is a hard worker and has some of the best handwriting in her class,” Cox said.

The girl reportedly beat 50 other competitors to get the special-needs category prize at the National Handwriting Contest.

This category rewards students with an intellectual, physical or developmental disability.

Competition director, Kathleen Wright, told ABC News that her “writing sample was comparable to someone who had hands.”

Sponsors of the contest Zaner-Bloser said they planned to award each student $1,000 (£690).

Having no hands was also not an obstacle to 30-year-old pilot Jessica Cox.

In 2013, the BBC reported on the pilot’s inspirational example. Also born without hands, she has been able to drive a car, fly a plane and play piano, all with her feet.