Culture Secretary Ben Bradshaw has received submissions from 29 cities including Aberdeen, Belfast, Birmingham, Cornwall, Manchester and Wakefield to host big-ticket national cultural events, as well as putting on a year-long programme of their own.
The Department for Culture, Media and Sport launched the national campaign in July, asking for submissions from cities outside London.
Phil Redmond, the architect of Liverpool's year as European capital of Culture in 2008, will chair the judging panel.
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