Contemporary British bow maker Paul Sadka trained as a cellist and photographer before becoming interested in bow making. After studying with bow maker Noel Burke in Ireland, he continued his training in Cremona, Italy, later working in the south of France and Budapest. Sadka opened his own workshop in Budapest in 2000 before moving to Paris in 2004 to partner with violin maker Jan Bartos in Paris for several years. In 2009, Sadka returned to England to set up his workshop in his hometown of Cornwall, where he currently works. Sadka's bows have won numerous awards in international competitions, including the 2001 Bow Making Competition of the International Cello Festival in Manchester, England, and the 2010 Violin Society of America's competition, in which he won three gold medals: one for each of his violin, viola, and cello bows.