Marcus, who is president of the Engineers Without Borders society at the university, can be seen wearing a polar bear suit in the spoof video, asking for votes in order to return home to the Arctic.

A desolate ‘Marcus the Polar Bear’ even squeezes into a cardboard box outside the Post Office and attempts to hitchhike in the hope of returning to his friends and family in snowier climes.

In order to win a place on the Fjallraven Polar trip, Marcus must attract the highest number of votes out of the UK entrants. He’s currently in third place and hopes his video will raise a few smiles in return for votes, which need to be cast by Tuesday, 15 November.

The 20-year-old said: “I really love wilderness places so when I heard about this trip it really struck a chord. To take part in a race across the Arctic Circle would be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and I would relish such an challenge. I love the outdoors, remote places and meeting people from all over the world so to cross the Arctic by sled would be incredible.

“Making the video was a huge amount of fun. I hired the polar bear costume and shot the film over three days with the help of friends. It’s been seen almost 700 times on YouTube now and I’ve received some really positive feedback. It certainly makes people smile, which is the main thing.”

Winners will be given a chance to navigate a dog sled on their own in what appears to be inhospitable wilderness - across barren tundra, frozen lakes and through mountain forests covered with snow.

They will spend their nights sleeping in tents or under the open sky, at times accompanied by the northern lights. The journey, from 10 to 14 April next year, starts at the edge of the Norwegian fjords in Signaldalen and finishes at Jukkasjärvi in the Swedish Lapland.

You can watch Marcus’ video on YouTube and vote via his page on the competition's website.