Reaction to Londonderry's win

Peter Robinson, NI first minister

To have beaten off stiff competition from a number of other major UK cities is a tremendous achievement and is reflective of the bid team's enthusiasm and professionalism.

The north west, and indeed Northern Ireland as a whole, basks in the glory of their achievement.

This success portrays Northern Ireland in a positive and inspirational light and is indicative of what we can offer the world both culturally and socially.

I have no doubt that the people of Londonderry will embrace the spirit and ethos of the City of Culture and that 2013 will be a great year for the city, the north west and Northern Ireland.

Martin McGuinness, NI deputy first minister

This is fantastic news for the city and the entire region and I am immensely proud of what has been achieved

It represents a fitting reward for the huge amount of work that has been undertaken by all associated with the bid.

It is an opportunity that Derry and its people will seize with both hands and I am especially looking forward to our return to Derry tomorrow to join in what I know will be a fantastic occasion.

Mark Durkan, Foyle MP

I congratulate the whole bid team. This is a title well won, a job well done.

We will see Derry looking forward and looking outward but showing all its inner talents and strengths.

People throughout Ireland and Britain will see a city that nurtures talent - plays, writes, sings, dances, creates and innovates.

This will be a big opportunity not just to show off Derry's cultural pedigree, but also sees our cultural destiny in a way that will provide a platform for our future growth, not least economically.

Owen Paterson, secretary of state for Northern Ireland

When I was in the city last week I was hugely impressed by the quality of the bid to become the UK's first City of Culture.

Those behind the bid have done a magnificent job and I congratulate them on this success.

For those who call this great place Londonderry and for those who call it Derry, they can be as one in their pride in this huge achievement.

Declan Kelly, US economic envoy to Northern Ireland

Winning the title UK City of Culture 2013 is a tremendous achievement for the city of Derry/Londonderry and for Northern Ireland has a whole.

The UK City of Culture brings the potential for thousands of new jobs as well as much-needed investment and revenue to the region. It is precisely because of the economic impact, that I became involved early on in the process.

It is a time for rejuvenation, celebration and looking forward. It is a new day, a new dawn and a truly new platform for the economic regeneration of Northern Ireland as a whole.

James Nesbitt, actor

This decision confirms what many of us in the province and further afield have known for many years - that Derry/Londonderry is a cultural powerhouse.

Whether it is writers like Seamus Heaney and Seamus Deane, song writers and performers like Phil Coulter or the Undertones, artists like Willie Doherty, film-makers like Margo Harkin and Tom Collins, or actors like Amanda Burton, Roma Downey and Bronagh Gallagher, the city has asserted a huge influence on the arts internationally.

Ed Vaizey, culture minister

The panel were unanimous in their recommendation because of their compelling cultural programme, the way it seeks to address the city's past, and the enthusiasm and commitment of the city and its supporters.

I would like to pay tribute to the other finalist cities, Birmingham, Norwich and Sheffield, and thank them for the hard work and dedication that they have shown throughout this process.

Gregory Campbell, East Londonderry MP

It could be the case if we are not careful that this could just be a three-year long party.

We need to try to ensure that the divisions of the past, are the divisions of the past and that this has a unifying potential for the future.

Too often in the past this city has had a divided culture, we need to bring people together.