What should be the UK's first Town of Culture?

Bradford is the current City of Culture host for 2025, but could a new Town of Culture give it a run for its money?

A new competition has been launched to pick the first ever 'Town of Culture'.

It's connected to the UK City of Culture event which has been running since 2009, and has been hosted by Derry/Londonderry, Hull, Coventry and Bradford in the past.

New rules have also been brought in to allow large towns to be part of City of Culture, while Town of Culture has been created so places with a population of 75,000 people or less can also get recognition.

The first ever Town of Culture event will be held in 2028, with the next City of Culture in 2029.

What town would you like to see take the title? Let us know in the comments below...

The contest is being run by the UK government's Department for Culture, Media and Sport.

The town chosen to host will be given £3.5 million to help put together a programme of events, while shortlisted towns will get £60,000 to help them get a step closer to hosting in the future.

But how will the winning town be chosen?

It will be judged based on the unique story of the town, how the town plans to design a cultural programme, and how they plan to deliver this.

Derry/Londonderry was chosen as the first UK City of Culture host in 2009 and after four years of planning ran its programme of events in 2013

The UK City of Culture contest is also looking for the next location for its 2029 competition.

The chosen city for it will get a £10 million cash prize to help them deliver an amazing showcase of events.

This could include performances like theatre, music and dance. Heritage and arts events taking place at museums, galleries and exhibitions, and community-based activities like festivals, public art and workshops.