The Bulgarian Iliya Atanassov was conferred with the British magazine 3D World's December prize for 3D animation, PR agency Euro Communications announced on January 9 2009. 3D World is a leading monthly publication for 3D graphic artists. Atanassov's winning computer design - said to be nearly indistinguishable from a photograph - was of his birth place, the Smolyan-region village of Smilyan.

A graduate of Plovdiv Technical University, Atanassov began his career in animation with EuroCom Bulgaria, also in Plovdiv, where he created the company's computer-based self presentation over the course of a few years. Following, he worked for SIA Advertising in Sofia. He has been working at Blackstone Studios in Dubai for the past year.