Pontypridd, Birkenhead and Isle of Bute among shortlist for first UK Town of Culture

Basildon, Birkenhead, Grimsby and Rotherham are among the larger places named on the shortlist for the first UK Town of Culture award. The 15‑strong list, published on Thursday by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (CMS), also comprises the medium‑sized towns of Corby, Great Yarmouth, Leith, Pontypridd and Port Talbot. Smaller communities — Ilfracombe, Isle of Bute, Lerwick, Sandown, Strabane and Stockton Town Centre Ward — complete the roster. Each location will receive a £60,000 grant to develop a full bid. From these, three winners — the best small, medium and large town — will be selected by an independent judging panel early next year. The overall victor among the three finalists will be crowned UK Town of Culture 2028 and awarded £3 million to fund cultural programming. The two runners‑up will each receive £250,000 to deliver elements of their proposals. The initiative sorts towns into three population categories: small (under 20,000), medium (20,000‑75,000) and large (over 75,000). The competition, which chose 15 finalists from roughly 400 applications, will run in tandem with the UK City of Culture 2029 programme.