The contribution of Welsh towns will be celebrated through a new UK Town of Culture competition launched by the Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy.
The UK Town of Culture competition will be targeted at small and medium sized towns, enabling them to tell their unique story and shining a spotlight on the important role that Welsh towns play in our national life.
It has been confirmed today that the winning town will be awarded £3.5 million to help them deliver a cultural programme during the summer of 2028, harnessing what makes their town special. Shortlisted towns will receive £60,000 to help deliver their full bids for the competitions.
Applications for the competition will be judged on three main criteria:
- Your story – the unique story of the town
- Culture for everyone – how the town will design a cultural programme for all
- Making it happen – how the town will then deliver a successful programme
Separately, the UK City of Culture 2029 competition has gone live today with expressions of interest able to be submitted, from cities, large towns, regions and groupings of places across the UK invited to apply.
For the first time ever, there will be a confirmed cash prize of £10 million for the winner to help them deliver a show-stopping year of rich cultural activity rooted in their unique identities and drawing on local strengths and stories.
To encourage as many places as possible across the country to bid and to benefit from the UK City of Culture process, longlisted places will receive £60,000 each to help them to develop their full bids for the competition. The most impressive bids from places that reach the shortlist but are not selected as the winner will receive £125,000 each to help them to take forward elements of their bid and deliver real change for their local area.
The criteria for UK City of Culture have also been updated to make the competition more accessible to large towns, focusing on creating transformational opportunities and richer lives for people across the UK, delivering local impact and empowering communities to shape their bids.
Both competitions support the government's Plan for Change mission to break down barriers to opportunity, driving local economic growth and creating jobs across the UK as we head towards a decade of national renewal.
Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy said:
“For far too long, too many people have felt left out of our national story. These competitions are our chance to change that by shining a light on the places that have shaped our cultural life, but haven't always had the recognition they deserve.
“We already know from UK City of Culture that winning, and even bidding for, these titles brings real benefits – jobs, investment, and opportunities for people to get creative and learn new skills. Now I want towns to be able to get these benefits too and that is why I am proud to launch the UK Town of Culture competition.
“Every place has a story worth telling so I want to encourage towns across Wales to step forward and show us what makes them special.”
Secretary of State for Wales Jo Stevens said:
“Our towns in Wales are fantastic places to live and work, each with its own history and culture. From Brecon with its world-famous jazz festival, to Pontypridd where the Welsh national anthem was written, the unique book town of Hay-on-Wye and Llangollen with its annual international Eisteddfod – every place has a story to tell.
“This competition is a great opportunity to showcase what makes our Welsh towns truly special.”
Welsh Government Minister for Culture, Jack Sargeant said:
“This is a great opportunity for Welsh towns to show their cultural contributions and build on the success of the City of Culture competition.
“From North to South and East to West our towns are full of fascinating history and culture. We encourage towns and cities across Wales to submit their bids for both competitions, and I look forward to seeing showcases of our rich heritage in Wales.”
The competitions will build on the success of the UK City of Culture programme, which has seen significant lasting and transformative impacts across the winning places, Derry/LondonDerry, Hull, Coventry and Bradford, extending well beyond the title year. This includes over £1 billion of additional investment added to local economies of past host cities, increased jobs, tourism and local pride.
Bradford is already delivering significant benefits during its year as UK City of Culture. Within the first six months of the programme:
- Over 11,000 pupils have benefitted from Bradford 2025 education programmes
- Over 40,000 local people participated in cultural events in the programme
- Over 2,000 people from every ward in the district have volunteered, and
- Over 4,000 people have benefitted from Bradford 2025 training programmes.
Expressions of Interest for UK City of Culture 2029 are now open. Applications for Town of Culture 2028 will open shortly.
Chair of the UK City of Culture independent expert advisory panel, Sir Phil Redmond said:
“The UK City of Culture competition is a huge prize and one well worth bidding for as witnessed by the positive impact the year has had on Derry-Londonderry, Hull, Coventry and already now in Bradford.
“It is great therefore, that the new Town of Culture competition will allow more places to experience the catalytic effect that culture can deliver, while raising awareness both internally and externally across the UK. That in turn brings increased visitors, a greater sense of local pride and a deeper understanding of what binds our four nations together.”
