Opening doors for young creatives: The DMA Breakthrough Award

The DMA’s Breakthrough Award gives student creatives an opportunity to impress some of the biggest names in marketing by working on a real creative brief, for a real client or business.

This year’s brief is provided by The Economist and invites students to come up with head-turning ideas to boost the publication’s female readership. First place winners will win a cash prize of £1,000 and be rewarded with a paid agency internship. Second place will pocket £500 and third will receive a £250 prize.

The cash prize is not the only reward students take home though. Last year’s winner, Ayesha Islam, was lucky enough to have her work taken forward for development by creative marketing agency, White Space. Commenting on the experience Ayesha said, “Seeing my work in the process of coming to life was breath-taking. I took part in a photoshoot at a local farm and got to see the final posters being made. It was just as I had envisioned it.”

Alongside the prestige of winning, and having her work brought to life, Ayesha suddenly found herself being contacted by top agencies around the UK, including Proximity London and Jacob Bailey. Looking back at the opportunities, Ayesha explained, “I was at Proximity for 4 weeks, working with the big brains of the Creative Section, coming up with countless concepts and ideas for different briefs. I then spent another 4 weeks at Jacob Bailey, this time working with incredible designers, creating numerous visuals for many different briefs and even taking part in live projects too.”

The DMA Breakthrough Award is supported by the Graeme Robertson Trust (GRT) and helps fresh creative talent get their first break in the industry. Stephen Chandler, joint chair of the GRT, says, “The DMA Breakthrough Award is unique in the marketing industry, for giving young creatives exactly the step-up they need to get a break, in what is an otherwise notoriously difficult sector in which to get a job. We have refined the Award over the years, and are very proud of the fact we now deliver a multi-faceted experience for students… offering live briefs from world class brands, critiques from top Creative Directors, placements, jobs and – let’s not forget – cash, to the best of each year’s crop of students. And our new GRT Creative Network is the perfect access point for this part of what we call our ‘Cradle to Brave’ approach for everyone in the industry.”

Commenting on what doors it opened for her, Ayesha said, “I was just a young student from Edinburgh, studying Graphic Design. Now I'm the student who's worked in the big agencies alongside the professionals. The DMA Awards have given me what ALL students learning in the creative industries wants – a chance. Thank you doesn't even begin to cover all of the greatness the experience has given me.”

If you are a young creative looking to showcase your talents to the industry, enter the DMA Breakthrough Award 2016. Who knows, it could unlock the door to that dream job you’ve been searching for.