NEW DELHI.- In 2011, The SKODA Prize platform was extended to create a prize for artists at the beginning of their careers with the Art India Breakthrough Artist Award at The Skoda Prize – which recognizes younger artists under the age of 35 who are selected on the basis of their debut solo exhibitions in India. The Art India Breakthrough Artist Award at The Skoda Prize is supported by Art India, which has been one of the most highly regarded art magazines in India for over a decade. Through its association with ART India, The SKODA Prize also supports the development of critical dialogue, and writing about Indian contemporary art.

The Art India Breakthrough Artist Award at The Skoda Prize aims to showcase emerging artists who are at the beginning of their careers and to help them gain exposure to a wider audience. Madhuban Mitra and Manas Bhattacharya won the first Breakthrough Artist award and received a cash prize of INR 50,000. In 2012, this award will be presented in association with Art India magazine and the prize will include a cash prize of INR 200,000.

The shortlist of this year’s Art India Breakthrough Artist Award at The Skoda Prize was announced by Girish Shahane (Director of Art, The Škoda Prize.) alongside the opening of Bani Abadi’s solo show “Then It Was Moulded Anew” at Experimenter in Kolkata on the 5th of December 2012. The show brings together significant bodies of work that have all premiered in international venues through 2012 and are showing for the first time in the country. Poised at a crucial moment in her career, the exhibition provides a window into Abidi’s acutely sensitive practice over the last few years.

The Art India Breakthrough Artist Award at The Skoda Prize, short listed artists were selected by the jury on the basis of their debut solo shows presented in India over the last year.

· Rohini Devasher
· Yardena Kurulkar
· Prabhakar Pachpute
· Ratna Khanna

“We’re delighted to have onboard such a distinguished jury. We aim to build on the reputation the award has established as a benchmark of artistic quality, while also attracting new voices through the Art India Breakthrough Artist Award at The Skoda Prize". -Girish Shahane, Director of Art, The Škoda Prize.

The ŠKODA Prize is the most prestigious award on the Indian visual arts scene. It recognises cutting-edge work demonstrating vision, innovation, and a mature understanding of material and form. The Prize brings to public notice exciting trends in contemporary art, highlighting the output of established mid-career artists as well as new voices. It is backed by jurors of impeccable credentials, renowned patron institutions, a dedicated group of advisors, and a management team of proven capability. Nominees need to be below the age of 45, and should have had a solo show in the country over the last 12 months. The winner takes away the prestigious ‘The ŠKODA Prize Winner’ title and also receives a prize money of INR 10,00,000. Runners-up are invited to participate in international residencies supported by Prohelvetia, the Swiss Arts Council. Visited by thousands every year, The ŠKODA Prize Top 20 exhibition (which takes place alongside the India Art Fair in New Delhi) showcases country's most promising contemporary artists.

Juried by a panel of notable personalities and supported by museums and cultural institutions of international repute. In the past, the ŠKODA Prize jury has included collector Mrs. Kiran Nadar, Mrs. Tasneem Mehta, (Managing Trustee and Honorary Director, Dr. Bhau Daji Lad Museum), artist Vivan Sundaram, Pooja Sood, (Director of Khoj), Heike Munder (Director of the Migros Museum für gegenwartskunst, Zürich) who was also on the jury for this year's Turner Prize, while renowned artists Marc Quinn, and Turner Prize winner Anish Kapoor have presented awards to past winners Mithu Sen (2010) and Navin Thomas (2011).