"During my great Breakthrough trip to NY I got the opportunity to join a group of fantastic artists represented by Richard Solomon. It's a great honor for me to find myself next to these guys."

“The idea took shape while we were brainstorming over our monthly dinner meeting last winter. My staff and all artists appreciate how hard it is to break through and succeed as a professional illustrator in today’s market. This is why we named the contest  “Breakthrough”. We wanted to reach young artists and so the rules stated that the entrant must be under 35 years old with less than 5 years professional experience from anywhere in the world.

Our goal was to create a contest that would produce long term benefits for the winner. After all, every young artist’s greatest concern is to have a successful career. Unlike other competitions which simply offer a cash prize or a scholarship, we have gone a step further. The winner would be brought to New York City, have their portfolio shown to top art/creative directors, be given the constructive criticism and advice by the industry’s top pros to succeed as a professional illustrator, and receive a cash prize.

In March of 2011, we opened the contest to submissions. Soon thereafter, we began to receive a diverse collection of portfolios from artists all over the world. We were soon flooded with an amazing number of very talented young contestants. At the end of 3 months, we closed the contest to submissions and judging began. Our panel consisted of 20 art/creative directors and top illustrators who scored the submissions online based on skill, professionalism, and potential commercial viability. We can now proudly announce the winner: Michal Dziekan, a 26 year old illustrator from Warsaw, Poland; a true diamond in the rough.