Introduction

This guidance has been produced by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS) to assist the shortlisted places successful in the Expression of Interest (EOI) stage of the UK Town of Culture 2028 competition to prepare and submit their full applications (hereafter “bids”). Shortlisted places preparing their bids are advised to read this guidance in full.

A Welsh language version of this guidance will follow.

Overview

UK Town of Culture is a new DCMS competition. For the first time, DCMS has invited towns across the UK to showcase original storytelling, and empowering, accessible culture. Inspired by the success of the flagship UK City of Culture, which is a proven model for cultural placemaking, this competition aims to spotlight the cultural contribution of towns to our national story. In order to ensure we are able to showcase towns of different sizes, we will have small, medium and large-size category winners and from these three designations, an overall UK Town of Culture 2028 winner will be selected. It is a UK-wide programme, developed in collaboration with the devolved governments in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales.

Experience from the established UK City of Culture programme demonstrates that the bidding process, regardless of the final result, can have a hugely positive impact on a place and we expect to see the same benefits for UK Town of Culture. We have already seen the positive impact that bidding has had on towns, fostering greater local pride, strengthening collaborations, and driving the creation of effective cultural strategies. It serves to unite partners, develop strategic cultural leadership, highlight local culture, art, and heritage, and articulate future ambitions. We hope that these partnerships and initiatives will endure, and that towns will pursue elements of their bids even if they are ultimately unsuccessful in the competition.

Funding

There will be a guaranteed £3 million prize money for the winning place to support them with the delivery of their programme, as well as £250,000 prizes for two finalists to allow them to take forward some elements of their bid.

We recognise that commitment of funding up front can provide places with the confidence and security to engage with the competition and launch ambitious bids. The panel will assess whether the proposed programme meets the ambitions of the prize. Places can use the DCMS money to leverage more funding from other sources, such as sponsorship and philanthropy.

We have awarded grants of £60,000 to each of the shortlisted places to support bid development. These grants are intended to provide a flexible source of funding that can be deployed by bidding places as required to strengthen bids and help to develop a scalable plan. For example grants can be spent on: Research & Development (R&D); Consultation; Human resources; Data gathering.

Aims and competition criteria

UK Town of Culture aims to celebrate the significant contributions of towns to our national story. The competition focuses on building a more socially cohesive country where communities feel proud of their place and empowered to celebrate it, and it is an opportunity for places and communities to use culture and creativity to tell their story and why they are proud of their community.

The criteria in Annex A outline the strategic objectives of the programme and set out what the successful winner of UK Town of Culture 2028 will need to demonstrate in their bid. They are used by the panel to assess bids at all stages of the competition.

Who can bid?

This stage of the competition is only open to the following fifteen shortlisted places which have been invited to submit bids:

• Basildon
• Birkenhead
• Corby
• Great Yarmouth
• Grimsby
• Ilfracombe
• Isle of Bute
• Leith
• Lerwick
• Pontypridd
• Port Talbot
• Rotherham
• Sandown
• Stockton Town Centre Ward
• Strabane

Expert advisory panel

The UK Town of Culture 2028 panel plays a key role in the competition. The members of the panel bring a broad and diverse range of sector experience and expertise, provide critical and objective assessment of bids and make recommendations to the Secretary of State for DCMS at all stages of the competition. Later in the competition, members of the panel will undertake visits to shortlisted places. They may also act as a critical friend to the finalists once they have been announced (more information on this is below).

Information on the UK Town of Culture 2028 panel members.

DCMS and all members of the panel are committed to ensuring fairness in the competition process. Any conflicts of interest as they arise will be declared and all interactions between the panel and bidding places will be strictly even-handed and involve the DCMS programme team. Members of the panel will not be able to support or advise any particular bid in any capacity, including on social media.

Competition stages

The selection process is intended to ensure that the best possible bidder from across the UK is selected to become UK Town of Culture 2028. The competition has been designed to lead to the designation of a place that has an ambitious vision to celebrate its role in our national story, as well as its communities, in 2028; but also one that has credible and realistic plans to be able to turn its vision into reality.

Stage 1 (Expression of Interest)

• DCMS received EOIs from places in every nation within the UK and shortlisted places have been invited to submit full bids.

Stage 2 (Shortlist)

• Shortlisted places each develop and submit a full bid in line with this guidance, supported by a grant of £60,000. Places have approximately four months to complete their bid.
• The shortlisted places will also be invited to an information event with the panel (more information on this below).
• Members of the panel will visit the shortlisted places. Following these visits, the shortlisted places will also be invited, at a later date, to give a final presentation to the panel and engage in detailed discussions about their vision and plans. Further guidance on this stage will be shared in due course.
• The panel will submit their recommendation for the winners of UK Town of Culture 2028 in the “small”, “medium” and “large” category, as well as, of these three, the overall winner to the Secretary of State for DCMS, who will make the final decision. We will provide feedback to all the shortlisted places.
• The overall winner will be designated the “UK Town of Culture 2028”, and the two finalists will be designated the “Best [size] Town, UK Town of Culture 2028”.
• We aim to announce the winner and the two finalists in early 2027.

Competition milestones and indicative dates

Table 1: Competition stages and indicative dates

Competition stage	Dates
Shortlist	Announced: 9 July 2026 Full application guidance published: 3 August 2026 Information event: 14 September 2026 Deadline for full bids: 5pm 30 November 2026
Visits and Final Presentations	Early 2027
Winner informed and announced	by 31 March 2027
Expert advisory panel mid-term review	Autumn 2027: panel visit to winning and finalist places to be updated on progress of planning/delivery, and act as a critical friend
UK Town of Culture 2028 winner’s delivery period	Approximately six months in 2028

‘UK Town of Culture 2028’ title, trade mark and branding

The competition winner will be designated as “UK Town of Culture 2028”. The two finalists will be designated the “Best [size] Town, UK Town of Culture 2028”. We have issued branding guidance to all shortlisted bidders to outline how bidding places are able to use the title and trade mark in the period running up to the winner being announced.

Media and publicity

We expect there to be significant publicity associated with the selection process, with coverage at a local and national level. We will issue press releases on the results of the final selection process. The DCMS communications team will be in touch with communications teams in bidding locations as needed to update on plans and embargos.

Data protection

We are committed to using any personal information we collect on a lawful, fair and transparent basis, respecting your legal rights as an individual in accordance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation, the UK Data Protection Act 2018 and other applicable laws that regulate the use and privacy of personal data (Data Protection Law).

As part of us meeting this requirement, we have published our General Privacy Notice for you to refer to. For further information about our obligations and your rights under Data Protection Law, as well as how to report a concern if you believe that your personal data is being collected or used illegally, please also see the Information Commissioner’s Office.

Once the 2028 title has been awarded, we plan to deposit all bids (EOIs and full applications) in the National Archives, the official public archive of the UK government, to allow researchers and the public free access to this wealth of detail. We understand that some data may be commercially sensitive, so we will work with all bidders to provide redacted versions as necessary.

Use of artificial intelligence (AI)

AI is an umbrella term for a range of technologies and approaches that often attempt to mimic human thought to solve complex tasks. Things that humans have traditionally done by thinking and reasoning are increasingly being done by, or with the help of, AI.

By bidders

We recognise that some bidders may choose to use AI technologies to support the drafting of a bid that expresses their own, original ideas. We recommend those choosing to use AI tools to draft their bids do so cautiously and that bidding teams make themselves aware of the limitations of AI generated data.

It is important to stress that bidders are accountable for what they submit to DCMS. We want the local character and voice of places to shine through in bids, and AI tools can generate bids with similar language and text, which can distract from a bid’s unique proposition. We advise bidders to consider whether a bid drafted with AI support offers the best and clearest representation of their programme, and to ensure that any application submitted to DCMS represents a true, original, and deliverable proposition. If you have used AI in your bid writing, you must indicate this in your bid.

By DCMS

We may use secure and closed AI systems to support the generation of bid summaries for information-sharing purposes in line with our General Privacy Notice. AI will not be used as a substitute for human decision-making.

The Consult LLM is hosted by DCMS.

Key expectations for bidders

Culture defined broadly

You are encouraged to think about what culture means for you and to include activities encompassing a broad definition of culture and its creative industries. This will differ according to place and may include but is not limited to: visual arts, literature; music; science and technology; living heritage; theatre; dance; combined arts; architecture; crafts; design; heritage and the historic and natural environment; museums and galleries; libraries and archives; film, broadcasting and media; video games; animation, visual and special effects; photography, and publishing. This list is purely indicative as within each category or genre, sub-sectors thrive.

While we encourage you to consider this broad range of cultural opportunities, you should select and focus on those which are deliverable, will have the greatest positive impact in your area, and truly represent your unique story.

Positivity

This competition is an opportunity to celebrate the best of your town. While your bid must address your area’s local needs and existing challenges through this programme, we are eager to hear what makes your community special and why others should be excited about it. Bids should acknowledge areas for development and explain how the programme will help to address those gaps, but the competition is a celebration of the spirit and character of places.

Proportionality

We acknowledge the significant variety in the size and type of towns competing for this award. We have designed the competition with this in mind, so we encourage you to consider proportionality in your application and focus on the activities that will generate the greatest positive impact in your area, considering both residents and potential visitors. The diversity of the UK’s towns is one of their biggest strengths and there is not a one size fits all for a successful UK Town of Culture 2028 winner.

We expect programmes to be able to appeal to a wide range of audiences, including increased participation in cultural activities in your local community, especially amongst young people and those who currently engage with culture less, as well as contributing to community cohesion and local pride in place. For some towns, the programme may also increase visitor numbers, although this is not the main programme aim.

When thinking about the programme of activity you plan to put on, it is important to consider funding and timescales. You will have around one year to plan the programme, so please keep this in mind for any planned capital projects. We are not expecting any major capital projects as part of this competition, and expect the majority of funding to be RDEL.

Collaboration

We expect bid teams to work truly collaboratively on your bids and to deliver your programme, including in the following ways;

• Bidding partnerships must include the relevant local authorities and/or the strategic authority in a dedicated role and the bid must evidence their commitment of support and ongoing engagement.
• The wider partnership should demonstrate commitment to work collaboratively and include a wide range of community and cross-sector partners such as: local, regional and national businesses, industry and civic leaders, higher education institutions, cultural bodies, local library services, voluntary, community and social enterprise organisations and be aligned to other regional strategic bodies.
• The partnership should also demonstrate commitment to actively including local communities in decision-making and supporting them to directly shape what happens in their area. This commitment to community collaboration should be demonstrated at all stages of the competition.

Clear governance and accountability for the programme

You are required to specify organisations to be the “Accountable Body” and “Delivery Body” for your programme (these may be the same organisation but do not need to be) and set out a plan for this in your bid, with reference to the following definitions:

Accountable Body: A place’s chosen party, who are the recognised Accountable Body in relation to a planned UK Town of Culture programme e.g. the relevant local or regional public authority. If successful, the Accountable Body will have overall responsibility and ownership for the programme. The responsibilities of the Accountable Body may include, but are not limited to:

• Ensuring the safe and successful delivery of a UK Town of Culture programme;
• Managing the financial and legal requirements associated with the delivery of a UK Town of Culture programme;
• Taking responsibility for the organisation of a UK Town of Culture programme, including leading on the necessary coordination between relevant partners;
• Taking responsibility for any grant funding associated with a UK Town of Culture programme, for which the Accountable Body is the recipient organisation; and
• Monitoring delivery of a UK Town of Culture programme and undertaking relevant reporting as may be required by DCMS.

Delivery Body: A place’s chosen party who will be responsible for the planning, procuring, commissioning and delivery of a planned UK Town of Culture programme.

Alignment with other funding

We encourage you to think about how your bid aligns with, builds on or prepares for other funds and initiatives as well as how it is integrated in wider regional and national growth plans. UK Town of Culture awards are visibly distinct from other funds (i.e. Pride in Place funding), therefore bids should actively complement, rather than duplicate or compete with funding already delivering or set to deliver in your areas.

Environmental considerations

One of the UK Government’s missions is to make Britain a clean energy superpower and accelerate to net zero by 2050. Tackling climate change is one of the most urgent shared endeavours of our lifetimes, demanding bold action from us all. Our towns and cities are on the front line of climate change and culture is a powerful tool in tackling environmental challenges. Your bids should consider embedding environmentally sustainable practices into plans, demonstrating contribution to the UK’s net zero and nature protection objectives, and promote and inspire environmental responsibility.

In practice this means programming should consider low or zero carbon best practice, and the adoption and support of innovative clean tech where possible. Your bid should also consider how the programme can work with the natural environment to achieve its objectives, and consider the programme’s impact on our natural assets and nature. You may find the resources produced by Julie’s Bicycle helpful, as they showcase places and organisations across the world becoming more sustainable with culture as their driver.

Support during the bidding process

Information event - 14 September 2026

DCMS will host an information event for all shortlisted places on 14 September 2026 in Manchester. This is a key event for your bidding team to understand the process and maximise the benefits of bidding for UK Town of Culture 2028. Details will follow and we would highly encourage all shortlisted places to attend this in-person event.

This session will include, but is not limited to, agenda items on monitoring and evaluation, governance and full application guidance.

Wider support and advice

The organisations and individuals supporting the UK Town of Culture programme are willing to support the bidding process, but they will need to operate in an even-handed way and will not be able to make an exclusive commitment to any one place. You can expect to receive consistent, strategic advice from these organisations. Any conflicts of interest must be declared and for clarity, members of the expert advisory panel will not be able to support or advise any one bid in any capacity, including on social media. You can contact uktownofculture2028-competition@dcms.gov.uk with any queries.

How to prepare and submit your Full Application (“bid”)

Deadline and submission

The deadline for submitting full and final bids is 5pm on 30 November 2026.

All parts of your bid should be emailed together to uktownofculture2028-competition@dcms.gov.uk

You can contact us on the above email with any queries you have.

What to include in your bid

There are 2 elements that make up your full bid and bidders will need to complete both:

1. Main bid document

In your main bid you will be required to respond to the questions listed below (Table 2: Main bid questions).

These build on and expand what was asked for at the EOI stage. Whilst we understand that the EOI represents an initial plan which will develop during the preparation of your bid, we expect to see a clear narrative thread running from your EOI to your full bid. If there are any major deviations, including in the geographical area you are bidding for, please highlight this to DCMS immediately.

It is expected that bids will set out an ambitious and exciting vision for your place and detailed and convincing plans for how you will deliver this, including a programme plan and narrative, partnerships and budget. We will require information about your local context, needs and challenges and how you will use UK Town of Culture 2028 to address them.

Your application must provide compelling and demonstrable evidence of broad public engagement and show how the bid is co-designed with the local community and reflects the community as a whole through your bid programme. This can include evidence of relevant public engagement activities previously undertaken by your place.

You will also need to provide credible and detailed delivery, fundraising and governance plans, particularly for any planned capital projects (see further details on capital spend in section on Proportionality above).

The proposed programme should be scalable so that elements can be taken forward and impacts realised to a certain extent regardless of success in this competition.

2. Further supplementary information

You will also be required to submit the information outlined in the “Table 3: Further supplementary information” section below.

Format requirements

Your bid must follow the below guidelines:

• The Main Bid document must be submitted in PDF format and must not exceed 30 A4 pages in total (excluding supplementary information).
• The Supplementary Information must be collated as a separate single Appendix. This must be submitted in PDF format and must not exceed 20 A4 pages in total.
• The Letters of support must be collated as a separate single document. This must be submitted in PDF format and must not exceed 10 letters or 20 A4 pages in total.

General points:

• Bids may include pictures and graphics to enhance the material, but these will be included as part of the page limit
• Hyperlinks and QR Codes are not allowed and should not be included in bids
• Bids must be written in a minimum of 10 point font with kerning at 0, leading at 1.5 and margin size at 12mm

Other information we receive

To support the assessment process, additional comments on each bid will be sought from experts in DCMS. The panel will also be provided with statistics and data on your place for contextual purposes and DCMS may seek such information from external partners which may include but are not limited to the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government (MHCLG), Scottish Government, Northern Irish Executive and Welsh Government.

Guiding principles

When crafting your bids, Sir Phil Redmond, the Chair of the panel, has articulated these principles to distill what he wants to see in a strong bid:

• Vision: we want to see a strong, unique vision for your place. The bid should have a compelling local story that uses culture to bring people together, building a sense of place and inspiring local pride.
• Local Need: we want to see that your programmes are designed to respond to both specific formal identified local priorities, but also a nuanced understanding of how the proposed activities support informal connection between groups
• Empower: we want to see the active inclusion of local communities, grassroots artists, and leaders in decision-making and shaping your bid.
• Quality and Innovation: we want to see big and bold programmes which draw on the best of the UK’s creative industries and use technology in accessible ways.
• Opportunity: culture should provide a platform for everyone to discover, learn, and connect. We want your programme to focus on expanding participation for those who do not currently access cultural infrastructure while creating new pathways for existing audiences.
• Accessibility: we need to see programmes being developed alongside underserved communities to ensure the delivery environment is safe, supportive, and non-discriminatory for all participants.
• Partnerships: we want to see collaborative leadership, which showcases deep commitment from local authorities and the heritage and culture sector, pursuing meaningful connections that last beyond the title year.

Main bid questions

The questions outlined below are common for all bidders, and we encourage you to consider each question in relation to your individual place, priorities, ambitions and ability to deliver.

Table 2: Main bid questions

Section	Questions
	The questions that need to be answered in your bid are numbered and in bold. Your bid should present these questions, and your responses, in the order shown below. The prompts provided under each question are based on the assessment criteria and associated guidance. While they are intended as a guide to assist you in formulating your responses, we encourage bids that address the assessment criteria in exciting and engaging ways. These prompts serve to elaborate on the main questions, clarifying the key considerations and desired content that the expert advisory panel wish to see addressed in your application.
Your Story	What is your place’s unique story, and how does your cultural vision address any local needs and empower your community to lead this cultural programme? Vision: Is there a clear sense of how your place will feel following your cultural programme? Is the vision creative, ambitious and clearly linked to the place’s story and identity? Is the story that defines your place compelling? How long will your programme run? Local Need: Have local challenges been identified and does the programme specifically tackle specific needs and challenges and gaps in provision? Have you taken steps to ensure the programme benefits any under-represented groups and aligns with wider local strategies? Have you shown what you expect the impact on levels of cultural engagement to be during and post your Town of Culture programme? Empower: Have you brought in the community, local artists and leadership to the core of this bid? Have you fully engaged and demonstrated involvement of local communities, arts practitioners and local leadership groups, to the extent that they are part of the decision making process for both the bid and the future strategy?
Culture for Everyone	How will your cultural programme deliver an ambitious, accessible, and well-communicated vision that creates meaningful opportunities for all? Quality and Innovation: Have you developed a selection of high-quality, creatively ambitious events, and activities, including showstopper moments that will form the core of your programme? Do you have pla