15 UK towns shortlisted for inaugural Town of Culture 2028
The UK Department for Culture, Media and Sport has revealed 15 towns competing for the inaugural UK Town of Culture honor, selected from nearly 400 submissions. The finalists are divided by population: six small towns (under 20,000) include Ilfracombe and Strabane, while five medium towns (20,000-75,000) feature Corby and Great Yarmouth. The large towns (over 75,000) include Basildon and Grimsby. Each contender will receive £60,000 to support their applications, with the winning town set to earn the title for 2028 along with a substantial £3 million for cultural initiatives. The announcement of the winner is expected in early 2024.
Key facts
- 15 towns shortlisted for first UK Town of Culture
- Shortlist released by Department for Culture, Media and Sport (CMS)
- Nearly 400 applications received
- Towns divided into small (under 20,000), medium (20,000-75,000), and large (over 75,000)
- Each shortlisted town receives £60,000 to develop a bid
- Three winners (one per size category) to be chosen early next year
- Overall winner gets £3 million grant to host cultural events in 2028
- Runners-up receive £250,000 each
Entities
Artists
- Sir Phil Redmond
Institutions
- Department for Culture, Media and Sport (CMS)
- Hollyoaks
Locations
- Basildon
- Birkenhead
- Corby
- Great Yarmouth
- Grimsby
- Ilfracombe
- Isle of Bute
- Leith
- Lerwick
- Pontypridd
- Port Talbot
- Rotherham
- Sandown
- Strabane
- Stockton Town Centre Ward
- Derry-Londonderry
- Hull
- Coventry
- Bradford
- United Kingdom
- UK