About The Bid
About the UK City of Culture competition and what Norwich has to do to win.
The competition
The Government has created the UK City of Culture competition because it is not until 2022 that another UK city can benefit from the European Capital of Culture programme in the way that both Glasgow and Liverpool have already done.
The UK competition is being run on behalf of the the Government by the DCMS (Department of Culture, Media and Sport). The judging panel is chaired by Phil Redmond, Creative Director of Liverpool’s 2008 Capital of Culture and creator of Grange Hill, Brookside and Hollyoaks.
The process
The final bid has to be submitted by 21st May 2010. In June, the bid team makes a presentation to the panel in Liverpool. They then pass their verdict to the Secretary of State for Culture (currently Ben Bradshaw) for a final announcement in July.
Then it’s all systems go as there won’t be long to gear up for 2013. The winning city will attract funding from the major funding bodies: Arts Council England, Heritage Lottery Fund, the East of England Development Agency and the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council as well as being offered the opportunity to host a series of major national events such as the Booker Prize, the Mercury Prize, the Stirling Prize and more.
In addition, there will be a huge events programme stretching through the year and involving arts and cultural organisations across the city and the county, attracting visitors from across the globe. All of these events will involve local residents, and there will be a creative and ongoing community engagement programme, which will aim to inspire people all over the city, throughout the UK City of Culture year and well into the future.
We’re very excited by the chance to put Norwich at the centre of the UK cultural world, so send us your ideas. Even if we don't win, we will use this process to make new connections across the city, inspire new work and develop Norwich as a true City of Culture for the 21st century and we need your ideas and inspiration!
Get involved, register on the site and keep in touch!
If you have more questions about the bid and the bidding process, please email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
