Dundee Makes the Shortlist for UK City of Culture 2017

Earlier today, Culture Minister, Ed Vaizey MP announced that Dundee, had made the shortlist to become UK City Of Culture 2017. Dundee is joined by Hull, Leicester and Swansea Bay on that shortlist. 

This is brilliant news.

Dundee as one of the shortlisted cities will now be invited to submit a final bid by the end of September. The selection panel for the award will then meet again to decide a winner which will be announced in November.

It was good to hear the positive feedback from from Phil Redmond, Chair of the independent advisory panel. He said:
"The panel thought the four short listed cities offered plans that were ambitious, realistic and would not only deliver for their communities, but would also maintain the momentum created around the success of Derry-Londonderry (UK City of Culture 2013)."

Now for the sustained collaborative working to bring together a compelling final bid to take the crown, UK City of Culture 2017!

Back Dundee's Bid to Achieve UK City of Culture Status in 2017

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Dundee is bidding to be the UK City of Culture in 2017, a competition run by the UK government which uses culture and creativity to transform communities. 

It’s an opportunity to remind ourselves what an astonishing place Dundee is, and what remarkable people live and work here.

We Dundee is a way to show the tremendous imagination and enthusiasm of people from all walks of life across the city, and demonstrate the difference that becoming UK City of Culture could make to us individually and as a city. 

The Stage One bid has to be submitted by the end of April and the We Dundee website invites comments in support of the bid - the aim is to have 2017 comments by the Stage One bid deadline.

Back Dundee's bid to achieve UK City of Culture Status in 2017 by adding your comments:

Link to 2017 - Your City, Your Culture, Your Bid website. 

Supporting Dundee Bid for UK City of Culture 2017

Yesterday it was confirmed by UK Culture Minister Ed Vaizey that Dundee will be in competition with as many as ten other locations for the the prestigious title of UK City of Culture 2017.

The 11 places that have registered their initial interest in bidding are:

Aberdeen, Chester, Dundee, East Kent (covering Ashford, Canterbury, Dover, Folkestone and Thanet), Hastings and Bexhill on Sea, Hull, Leicester, Plymouth, Portsmouth and Southampton, Southend on Sea, Swansea Bay (covering Swansea, Carmarthenshire, Neath, and Port Talbot).

Labour in Dundee made making such a bid one of our manifesto commitments at the local government elections in May 2012. I am pleased that there is now cross party support on the Council to pursue submitting such a bid.

Bearing in mind our existing cultural assets of vibrant and engaged communities, Dundee Contemporary Arts, Dundee Rep, the McManus and Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art, with the VandA at Dundee the icing on the cake, I am convinced we have a compelling case to make to the judges and we should be able to see off the competition.
Click on this link to listen to my colleague, Councillor Richard McCready, making the case for Dundee's bid on Radio Scotland.

All eleven places have until 30 April 2013 to submit their initial bids to an independent advisory panel which will be chaired by Phil Redmond. The panel will then decide on a shortlist which will be announced in June 2013.

The chosen place will succeed Londonderry, which is the UK City of Culture for 2013 and the first place to be awarded this prestigious title.